Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Abdominal Breathing 

          Lie flat on your back with relaxed arms (palms facing upwards) alongside the body.  While relaxing your abdominal muscles, breathe in deeply and slowly to first expand your abdomen and chest later.  Then exhale slowly through rounded lips so that it takes roughly 1½ to 2 times to breathe out as it takes to breathe in.  Repeat 10-15 times and practice 2-3 times a day.  Once you have mastered this technique, divide the single exhalation into three parts: exhale-pause, exhale-pause, exhale-pause.  And for more lasting benefits, make abdominal breathing, without extended exhalation, a regular habit. 

iv) EXFOLIATING THE SKIN  —  DRY BODY BRUSHING

          This is done with a natural plant-fibre brush before a shower or bath while the body is still dry.  Pressure depends on skin sensitivity.  Brush making rotary motions every part of your body.  Start with the feet and legs, then hands and arms, then back, abdomen, chest, neck, face and head.  Once finished, shower to clean off exfoliated skin cells.  There are many therapeutic benefits of dry body brushing.  This exfoliates the outer layer of the skin and stimulates blood flow to the skin, enabling it to breathe better, and eliminate wastes carried in the bloodstream such as uric acid.  The skin is the largest organ of the body, is a major eliminative organ (along with bowels, kidneys and lungs), and is often called the “third kidney”. Most importantly body brushing helps decongest lymphatic capillaries which interface with blood capillaries in all connective tissue.  There are many other benefits to dry body brushing.  Dry brushing:

• 1.stimulates blood circulation in all underlying organs and tissues,
• 2.stimulates hormone and oil producing glands of the skin,
• 3.has a powerful rejuvenating influence on the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin,
• 4.contributes to a healthier muscle tone and better distribution of fats, and
• 5.rejuvenates the complexion, is anti-ageing. 

iv) MASSAGE OIL FORMULATIONS

For alleviating joint and muscular pains, oil and herbs make effective massage medium:

i)             Warm some sesame seed oil or mustard oil and mix into powdered turmeric, camphor and garlic.

ii)            Add camphor powder to previously warmed mustard oil or coconut oil.

iii)          Mix dry ginger powder in sesame seed oil.

Notes:

(a)     Soft and mild massaging is more helpful than the pressing one.(b) In case bandage is required, the joints should not be bandaged tightly as this limits movement and interferes with the free circulation of blood.