Diet and lifestyle for management of Arthritis

The word Arthritis is a Greek word, arthron meaning joint and the latin word itis meaning inflammation. Aging is main reason lying behind arthritis. We can not stop aging process that will lead to wear and tear in joints. But we can follow healthy diet or exercises which will help us to slow down aging.

• Eat a wholesome diet. 
• Consume antioxidant rich diet, as it reduces inflammation happening in your joints. For example - blueberries or other deeply colored berries, fruits that are rich source of vitamin C papayas, lemons, oranges, mangoes, selenium rich foods, whole wheat pasta, carotene rich carrots, wild or fresh, flaxseed, walnuts and dark chocolate.
• Stay hydrated. Prefer to have water cooled after boiling with sunthi (dry ginger) or jeera. 
• Avoid eating dry and cold food items. 
• Prefer to cook your food. Avoid eating preserved and packed food. 
• Add green leafy vegetables, bitter gourd, kulthi dal in your diet. 
• Eat black gram cereals, at least once in a week. 
• Add rock salt in your diet along with the spices. 
• Ajwain, saunf, marich, hing, jeera should be added in spices. 
• Harar, bahera, amla, karchur, giloy, ashwagandha, chopchini and rasna are the herbs good to decrease the inflammation in joints.
• We can sprinkle the powder of trikatu (sonth, marich, pippali) over the food.
• Ginger or sonth (dry ginger) powder are good to have. They can be used as a spice or we can make ginger tea or make a ginger compress to help soothe your arthritis pain away.
• Move every joint (According to your capacity) for at least for 30 minutes daily.
• Keep your weight in control.
• Do not suppress the natural urges of urine and stool, as this increases vata dosha and causes problems with bones as it resides in bones due to porosity. 
• Don’t go for start long walks all of a sudden.
• Light exercises should be performed daily.
• Apply the Ayurvedic vata shamak oil like maha narayan oil daily once before sleep on your joints to protect your joints and do local fomentation (swedana).
• Leaves of Palash tree and castor (arand) have anti inflammatory action and leaves can be tied at the local area while in pain after applying the warm oils.
• Coriander leaves also possesses anti- inflammatory and analgesic properties and can be tied at local area.