Arthritis relates to the diseases of the joints, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, septic arthritis, fibrosis, lumbago, pott’s disease and synovitis.
Gout causes swelling in the joint connecting the big toe and the foot, caused due to excess of uric acid in the blood.
Ankylosing spondylitis inflames the spinal joints and is common among young men: Septic arthritis is caused by bacteria and occurs mostly after a lung or skin infection, surgery of the joint, or some venereal disease.
Fibrosis is muscular rheumatism, in which, besides joints, muscles are affected. Lumbago is a disease of rheumatic origin affecting the muscles of the lower part of the back and is very painful. Pott’s disease is the tuberculosis of the spine.
Synovitis is a disease in which the membrane, which forms the lining of all bodily joints, becomes inflamed. This membrane secretes fluid called synovia and hence Synovitis.
The cause of all these forms of ailments of Arthritis is the same—piling up of acid impurities in the system, first in the mucous membrane where they are expelled in the form of catarrh and secondly around the joints and bony structures.
That forms the basis of rheumatism and with the presence of these wastes for a long time Arthritis is caused. This acid waste has great affinity for the bony structure which is alkaline due to the presence of calcium in the bones and that attracts the acids in the wastes for mutual neutralisation.
Loss of calcium in bones is the result of rheumatism. Tuberculosis is also because of deficiency of calcium and hence loss of vitality in the bony system.
Treatment
Since the cause of all these ailments is quite similar, the treatment, too, is the same in Nature-cure. Rheumatism is a disease of dietetic origin. Thus in mild cases of rheumatism the change of diet has its effect.
Plenty of white bread, boiled potatoes, meat, fish, eggs, tinned foods, jams and white sugar have been the cause. Hence, in their place, one should change exclusively to fresh fruit diet for a week or so and then take to restricted alkaline diet of vegetable-oriented one.
For advanced cases of rheumatism, if the patient is of middle age, he can have a short fast on orange juice and water for 3 or 4 days and then return to all-fruit diet, followed by restricted alkaline diet, but in case of old men, fast only for one day should suffice and then all-fruit diet and last of all, restricted diet as said above.
During the course of fasts, the patient should take nightly warm-water enema to keep away constipation. Dry massage and hip-bath daily should continue. Walks should be tried. In minor cases exercise may also be taken.
Hot foot-bath and steam bath are useful, once a week each. Smoking and use of alcohol is barred. China tea without sugar maybe taken. Sprouted wheat and wheat grass are also useful.
Since daily in-take of organic (alkaline) salts is a dietary must, one should take plenty of carrot and tomato juice and liquor from simmered green vegetables. However, care has to be taken in case of rheumatic patients having heart trouble.
Then no long fast be taken, just short baths. Cold packs may be applied on the affected parts of the body, when necessary.