Note: Homeopathic Treatment
requires strict individualization. Please do not take any medicine without
consulting your physician/homeopath.
The word "arthritis" literally means joint inflammation ("arthr-" means joint;
"-itis" means inflammation). It refers to more than 100 different diseases.
These diseases usually affect the area in or around joints, such as muscles and
tendons. Some of these diseases can also affect other parts of the body,
including the skin and internal organs. Arthritis usually causes stiffness, pain
and fatigue. The most common diseases mong arthritis are osteoarthritis,
rheumatoid arthritis, and gout and increasingly, fibromyalgia.
Many types of arthritis show signs of joint inflammation: swelling, stiffness,
tenderness, redness or warmth. These joint symptoms may be accompanied by weight
loss, fever or weakness.
When these symptoms last for more than two weeks, inflammatory arthritis, such
as rheumatoid arthritis may be the cause. Joint inflammation may also be caused
by infection, which can lead to septic arthritis. Degenerative joint disease
(osteoarthritis) is the most common type of arthritis; joint inflammation is not
a prominent feature of this condition.
#Colchicum [Colch]
This is the great old school remedy for gout; every case gets it in some form;
and, strange to say, in the homoeopathic school it is one of the first remedies
thought of, but not every case of arthritic trouble receives Colchicum from the
careful homoeopathic prescriber. The typical case calling for Colchicum is where
the swelling is red or pale, with extreme tenderness to touch, a tendency to
shift about from joint to joint, and pains which are worse on the slightest
motion. If the general symptoms of great prostration of the muscular system and
abdominal bloating be present Colchicum is the remedy. Gastric symptoms and
cardiac complications also characterize. It is more indicated when the smaller
joints, fingers, toes, wrists and ankles are affected; the pains are very
violent, patient cannot bear to have the parts touched or to have anyone come
near him. Arnica has this fear that the part my be hit by anyone passing; it has
also arthritic pains in the foot, worse towards evening; and a red big toe joint
which feels as though it has been sprained, so Arnica may be indicated well in
gout. The Colchicum patient is apt to be exceedingly irritable and the gout is
not apt to decrease this irritability. Unless Colchicum be given according to
these indications it will do no permanent good. The habit of giving Colchicum to
every case of gout in order to palliate the trouble may cause it to attack the
heart or fly to other parts. Indeed in potency it is Homoeopathic to gout, with
metastasis to the heart. Aconite is most useful in acute attacks of gout in the
joints of the feet. It corresponds only to the onset and if continued for a day
or two will cure many cases.
#Ledum [Led]
Ledum is a useful remedy in gout as well as in many articular troubles. We have
the symptoms that the ball of the great toe is swollen, sore and painful on
stepping, drawing pains worse from warmth, pressure and from motion. It has also
gouty nodosities in the joints, it differs from Bryonia in having a scanty
instead of a profuse effusion; it is, perhaps, better adapted to hot swelling of
the hip joint than is Bryonia. All the pains of Ledum travel upwards. Ledum is
also useful after abuse of Colchicum. It may be the first remedy to use when the
patient comes from allopathic hands, having been dosed with large doses of
Colchicum, which is a very asthenic remedy, producing great muscular weakness,
as we have seen. Ledum, it must be remembered is a cold remedy, and attending
all the symptoms is a general chilliness and lack of animal heat. Another drug
having gouty nodosities in the joints is Guaiacum. This remedy has tearing pains
in the extremities and contractions ;of the muscles. It is also especially
useful for gouty inflammation affecting the knee joint.
#Ammonium phosphoricum [Am-p]
This is a useful remedy in constitutional gout where there are nodosities in the
joints. It is not so much a remedy for the acute symptoms, but for chronic cases
where there are deposits of urate of soda concretions in the joints and the
hands become twisted out of shape. Antimonium crudum has gouty nodes in the
joints, but it is easily selected from its gastric symptoms. Urinary symptoms,
strong urine, etc., would suggest Benzoic acid, and much red Lycopodium, both
;of which may be found useful in gout. Staphisagria has a similar application to
gout when it becomes systematized, as has also Ammonium phosphoricum.
Rhododendron has enlargements of the joints not due to gouty deposits, worse
during rest and on approach of a storm. Urtica urens. This remedy is said to
cure more cases of gout than any other. Under its use pain and swelling subside
and large quantities of sand are passed. Picric acid. Halbert mentions this
remedy as useful in arthritis deformans, and thinks that treating the disease
from the homoeopathic standpoint will yield best results.