Monday, October 31, 2011

Top 6 Pointers for the Patients of Ankylosing Spondylitis!


If you are suffering from ankylosing spondylitis, you definitely know the pain and crippling feeling it brings with it. Most of the doctors tell you that now you have to live with this pain and nothing permanent solution can be achieved. Most patients that come to us (homeopaths) usually come to us as the last resort. But when we assure them about the positive outcome that can be achieved with the homeopathic medicines, they are happy. But when we tracked the records of our patients of ankylosing spondylitis, we found that there are differences in the pace of positive response from our patients. Some respond faster than others and those who take years to respond have some real flaws in their routines that need be followed by a patient of AS.

This article is to bring to your notice certain pointers that should be known by the patient of ankylosing spondylitis in order to achieve faster and desirable effects with homeopathic constitutional medicine—

  1. Exercise- Firstly let me clarify that unless you make up your mind to exercise the right way, you have very little chance of rectifying your AS. Exercising is crucial. Also I said, “Exercising in the right way!” When we treat our patients at our consultancy services, we give stipulated personalized exercises for AS patients. It is important to note that the deformities or disabled body movements vary from patient to patient. A single set of exercise for all many times fails to yield beneficial results. Therefore, if a patient needs just a brisk walk to revert the AS changes along with the medicine; another patient might need some special yoga exercise along with the walk. Here I also would like to mention the fact that we have seen remarkable improvement in these patients when they follow the “Pranayama” regime inclusive of Kapalbhati and Anulom-vilom. It actually boosts the effect of homeopathic medicine on all planes- physical, mental, and emotional!

  1. Avoid lifting heavy weights- This can be said as a generalized statement in all the patients of ankylosing spondylitis. Maximum cases of aggravation in pain and further deformed body movements have been observed in patients who accidentally life some heavy weights. That’s why I strongly condemn the use of heavy weight gym exercises too in these patients. However, once your AS is rectified to a certain extent with the homeopathic medicines and exercise, you can do moderate weight exercises to tone up and strengthen your muscles.

  1. Turn up to one side when you get up from your bed in the morning- we have observed that in many patients of ankylosing spondylitis, morning stiffness is common. If you stretch your back muscles unduly during these wee hours, you worsen your chances of developing acute pain. This is especially true of patients with moderate to severe AS. Therefore, turn to one-side preferably left (unless your pain is aggravated by turning to left side) and then get up while avoiding any kind of jerky movement.

  1. Avoid food that aggravates your flatulence- This is our personal observation while dealing with the patients of AS though there is no direct connection between the two. People, who suffer from flatulent dyspepsia more often, develop acuter pains of ankylosing spondylitis more frequently. Therefore such patients often complain of pain in their back when their tummy is full of gaseous distension.

  1. Pay attention to your posture- People especially those who work on computers for long hours have to have correct postures. Also it is important to pay attention to how you bend while bending down. In patients who have pain when bending, we recommend practicing sitting down by bending knees instead of bending at the waist.

  1. Bed quality- Your bed shouldn’t be too hard or too soft (fluffy) to avoid further spinal damage. Go for good quality beds that provide you apt comfort and adaptable spinal protection. This definitely lessens your chances of early morning stiffness. 

Conscious Emotional Detachment for Healthy Heart!


Emotions play a very crucial role in our lives. A person that can handle emotions better can conquer all phases of life positively. Well having said that, I would also say that unless one is equipped to deal with day to day emotions with brevity, he or she rarely has chance to look at the positive side of the story. Considering the fact that emotions play with our health, we should hereby come to the terms of a fact that to live healthily, we should be able to detach consciously from our emotional turmoil.

Not a single person on this earth lives the perfect life that he or she craves for. Everyone has dreams; they at times get fulfilled only to create new dreams. Nothing is wrong in that though. But if this is done completely involving oneself with emotional attachment, there is risk of over-indulgence in one’s own desires, thereby creating undue stress. And once there is stress, you have whole lot of chance to burden your healthy heart. Stress actually increases load on the heart and makes it to pump harder. This in turn clogs the arterioles and your heart is at risk of end-organ failure.

Does that mean we should stay away from work that stresses us? Absolutely not! Rather you should continue working just by playing some tricks that keeps your heart fooled! What does it mean?

Well, it’s not easy not to get emotionally involved for many people. It may be with people around, friends, family, society, and work! They ‘feel’ the responsibility. I know people who feel extremely burdened by some ‘stressed’ things going in today’s economic and political scenario. Certainly it’s not bad to feel the responsibility, instead of putting the blame on someone else. But do not let this responsibility get hold of you. Same goes true with family matters. You obviously cannot avoid familial responsibilities. But if these responsibilities are taking away your good night’s sleep, then say good-bye to your ‘emotionally-attached’ attitude that’s playing the culprit. You are still handling your responsibilities just with a detached attitude.

One can seriously object to this view of being emotionally detached, saying that without being involved emotionally, no work can be done with great success. But I frankly object to this view-point. I would like to go ahead and say- you can work doubly better if you keep yourself detached from the circumstances, people, and even your work!

Many times, our emotions make us weak and prevent us from doing things that need be done at that point of time. If you look at them from third man’s perspective, you realize how foolish it was to involve emotionally. The emotion should be your ally and not foe! Even our ancient scriptures like Bhagavad-Geeta says similar thing about Karma-Yog. It entails why working continuously without watching for the fruit of labor is essential. Today we can acknowledge its importance. Working in such a way doesn’t make you stressed but enables you to enjoy the work. Fulfilling familial responsibilities becomes easier and less-cumbersome then. Anyway you are working for the sake of it. You certainly have the goal in your heart but your work is what will turn it into reality and not your stress.

One might think that this point is quite philosophical and it’s difficult to implement in real life. But when you understand its importance from health-point of view, you realize how crucial it is to follow. As is wisely said, nothing is more important than your health. This is not being selfish but the fact that should be kept on your topmost agenda; whatever work you are up to. No joy, no achievement, no certificate in the world is worthy at the cost of your health.

Our heart and al other vital organs like liver, kidneys, brain, etc work efficiently when we have a stress-free mind. No exercise in the world can help you boost your good cholesterol if you are stressed because of everything and everyone.

And at the back of all this stress are present ‘emotions’! Both positive and negative emotions need to be conquered. Also don’t run away from them and try to become indifferent. That will be the worse scenario. Recognize them, look at them from third man’s point of view, live with them, but don’t let them conquer you! Laugh at them at times. It will help you realize that nothing is worth brooding for!

As said above, make ‘emotion’ your strength and not something that weakens you! Your heart will thank you for sure!