
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of Joints that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in affected joints. Unlike the common arthritis, it is an autoimmune disease, that is, our own immune system mistakenly attacks our healthy cells as in infections, wounds, and foreign objects. In addition to joints, it can also affect other body organs like eyes, heart, lungs etc.
In Ayurveda, RA is called as AMAVATA, where AMA means toxic particles evolved from improper digestion and assimilation. The AMA is, then, emulsified with Vata and gets spread on whole body and localized on joints, hearts, lungs and other parts of body. Our defence mechanism treats the AMA as a foreign body and forms the antibodies in order to fight. But, when it combines with AMA, it acts as an abnormal immune complex which leads to inflammatory changes and contribute to disease process.
Risk Factors:
Gender: Developing RA is 2 to 3 times more common in women.
Heredity: People may be...