Spiritual Strategies for Managing Arthritis

What is Arthritis? The term Arthritis has been derived from two Greek words “Arthron” meaning “joint” and “itis” implying “inflammation” literally meaning “Joint Inflammation”. Arthritis refers to a group of more than one hundred and fifty diseases that can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints. It can also affect other parts such as muscles, tendons and ligaments (connective tissue) as well as some internal organs. The most common form of Arthritis is “Osteoarthritis” (OA) also referred to as “Degenerative Joint disease”. It is a chronic noninfectious disease involving breakdown of the cartilage tissue making the bones rubs together causing pain and stiffness. As people age, wear and tear is witnessed in their joints, which worsens over a period of time causing problems. “Rheumatoid Arthritis” (RA), another major form of arthritis, though witnessed rarely in only about 1 to 2% of adults is an “autoimmune” disorder and involves significant inflammation of joints as such causing deformity and crippling of joints. In contemporary times, Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the U.S. with nearly two thirds of arthritis patients younger than 65 years of age and more than 60% women as