ROLE OF APATARPANA CHIKITSA APPROACH IN TREATING AMAVATA - A CASE STUDY

Amavata is a common clinical entity which cripples the victim through the functional disability. This disease resembles with Rheumatoid arthritis in contemporary science. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects multiple systems as well as different joints of the body such as joints of hands, wrists, feet, ankles, knees, shoulders and elbows. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is believed to be around 1% worldwide. About 70% of people living with rheumatoid arthritis are women, and 55% are older than 55 years. In Ayurvedic classics, the general principle for the management of Amavata mentions the procedures like Langhana, Swedana (ruksha swedana) also other modalities includes deepana, Virechana, Snehapana, kshara and anuvasana basti. This article aims at the importance of approach towards the principles of apatarpana chikitsa wherein a single case study was carried out by considering the above said principles to treat the disease amavata. After 3 months of treatment the patient showed significant improvements in the symptoms such as multiple joints pain and morning stiffness. Also, there was marked improvement observed in the hematological parameters.