Arthrosis What Chinese Medicine Can Do

Especially in winter, slow movement is important

01/20/2015

Weather sensitivity, morning joint stiffness, cracking and crunching in the joints - osteoarthritis has many faces at the beginning. In the further course of the disease, however, the disease of wear reveals its true nature „I“ and agonizing pain in the hands, shoulders, knees or feet determine everyday life. About 50 percent of Germans over the age of 65 are affected. For many of them, joint replacement surgery is at the end of the progressive disease. Chinese medicine has become established as a serious treatment option, slowing down and even halting the process of osteoarthritis due to Chinese medicine therapy, acupuncture, qigong, body therapies and nutritional science.

Chinese medicine alone differs from conventional medicine because it looks at each patient individually. „No osteoarthritis patient is like the other“, clarifies Christian Schmincke, TCM expert and head of the clinic at the Steigerwald. Therefore, there is no universal arthritis therapy. „Sometimes, earlier, delayed infections are triggers for an immunological aberration and cause arthrosis. Often the disease is also based on a cold load.“ Many osteoarthritis sufferers know this from their own experience: Especially when the days are colder, many feel that running is cumbersome. Whether back or joints - everything hurts, feels stiff and heavy. Therapeutically arise with appropriate diagnosis warming treatment phases. In some cases, so-called meridian blockages lead to the painful joint disease. A central role in the treatment plays in all cases, the Chinese drug therapy, which is based on an individual compilation of herbs. So there are certain plant components that have a strong Blockadelösende effect and specific to certain body regions such as shoulder neck, back or knee act. Still other medicines have warming functions and counteract cold loads. Even with immunological causes of osteoarthritis helps the Chinese drug therapy. The aim is then to stop the original development from the respiratory tract infection to the joint pain, to reverse the direction of development and to revive the old infections, which were at the beginning of development. „A milestone is reached when, after a copious productive cold or after a cough with a lot of mucus ejection, the joint pain subsides“, explains Dr. Schmincke. In addition, external procedures such as acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion or Qi Gong help.

Those affected should try to keep moving, even when running hard in the cold season. „First of all, they should go slowly and not force anything. The stiffened musculoskeletal system must gradually get used to the movement impulses“, says Dr. Schmincke. Also, sufferers should occasionally leave the path. „Walking tools need little adventures“, he continues. „Why not balance on a tree trunk that lies next to the path??“ From a Chinese perspective, nutrition also plays an important role. „A full belly does not like to wander. When the stomach and metabolism are overloaded, the body becomes sluggish.“ Therefore, many people are also helped by regular evening fasting. (Pm)