Management of Aamvata by Ayurvedic Treatment: A Case study

Abstract

Amavata is a disease caused due to the vitiation or aggravation of Vayu associated with Ama. Vitiated Vayu circulates the Ama all over the body through Dhamanies, takes shelter in the Shleshma Sthana (Amashaya, Sandhi, etc.), producing symptoms such as stiffness, swelling, and tenderness in small and big joints, making a person lame. The symptoms of Amavata are identical to rheumatism, which include rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatic fever. It is observed that rheumatism is an autoimmune disorder, which is among the collagen disorders having strong and significant parlance with Amavata. Various drug trials were already carried out on Amavata, yet there is a lacuna in the management of Amavata. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an auto-immune inflammatory disease is one of the challenging conditions for the physicians to handle due to its chronicity, incurability, complications, morbidity, etc. In spite of potent anti-inflammatory agents and powerful immune-suppressive agents, its prognosis is not good, as these drugs have certain limitations including dependency and other side effects restricting quality of life. Considering these inconveniences, alternatives are being searched from traditional systems. Ayurveda through its armamentarium can provide leads in the management of this condition that is similar to Amavata in its clinical presentation. A 42-year-old female with diagnosed history of RA was treated by Ayurvedic medicines then improvement was observed in the overall effect of therapy.