Rheumatoid Arthritis: a healing dialogue

[Scene: A mud-roofed home in a small Indian village. Late morning sunlight streams in through bamboo windows. The room is quiet, simple — clay floor, a woven mat, a few plants, and a pot of herbal tea steaming gently in the corner. Kavita, in her 40s, sits with her hands wrapped in a cotton cloth. Across from her, the Holistic Healer sits with calm eyes and a listening posture.]

Kavita: My joints ache every morning. Fingers stiff.

Ankles swollen.

They say it's Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The doctors give me pills, but the pain stays like an unwanted guest.

Healer: Arthavaata, we call it.

It is not a punishment.

It is your body asking for gentleness.

You have listened to everyone — now listen to yourself.

Kavita: What should I do?

I have work, a family.

I can't lie down forever.

Healer: Nor should you.

Healing is not about stopping life — it is about changing the rhythm.

Let’s begin with five doorways: Aahar, Vihar, Yoga, Aushad, and Sanyam.

1. Aahar (Food)

Healer: What you eat becomes your blood. And blood feeds the joints.

If the food is heavy, sharp, or dry, the joints will burn and crack.

Kavita: I eat what I cook for the family — wheat rotis, brinjal, potatoes, tea twice a day.

Healer: Begin to soften.

Replace wheat with ragi or jowar twice a week.

Cook with ghee, not refined oil.

Add turmeric, ginger, ajwain, and methi to every meal.

Sip warm cumin or coriander water.

Let the flame of inflammation cool down from within.

2. Vihar (Lifestyle)

Healer: How do your days begin?

Kavita: Rushing.

Cooking.

Cleaning.

Managing everything.

Healer: The body has turned to stiffness because your life has no pauses.

Rise before the sun.

Sit for 10 minutes — just be.

Warm oil your joints with castor or sesame oil daily.

Let your movements be slow, like a song, not a sprint.

Kavita: But if I slow down, who will do the work?

Healer: Do what you must, but without the burden of rush.

Pain is often the body’s protest against speed.

3. Yoga (Union)

Kavita: I can't bend, healer.

Even sitting cross-legged hurts.

Healer: Then begin with breath.

Anulom-Vilom,

Bhramari, and

Chandra Bhedana — these cool the inner fires.

Later, add gentle asanas: Shashankasana (child's pose),

Tadasana,

and simple joint rotations.

You are not here to impress — you are here to connect.

Kavita (eyes softening): That sounds... kind.

Healer (smiling): Healing is kind, never forceful.

4. Aushad (Medicines)

Healer: There are herbs that help. Ashwagandha, Guduchi (Giloy), and Shallaki — they cool the inflammation.

A warm decoction of dry ginger, coriander seeds, and cinnamon at night helps the stiffness melt.

Kavita: Should I stop the allopathic medicines?

Healer: No.

We don’t fight medicines — we complement them.

Slowly, as the body strengthens, it will need less.

Let it be a respectful transition, not a rebellion.

5. Sanyam (Minimalism / Simplicity)

Healer: Kavita, tell me — where does your energy go?

Kavita: Into thinking.

Planning.

Worrying.

I always feel like I’m falling behind.

Healer: Let go.

Let go of five things: multitasking, late nights, cold food, constant noise, and inner pressure.

Minimalism is not empty — it is space for what matters.

Say no to one chore.

Say yes to one moment of stillness.

Kavita (after a long pause): No one ever told me my pain could be my teacher.

Healer: It can.

Every stiffness is a held story.

Every swelling is a voice.

When you begin to listen, the pain softens. And so do you.

[The healer pours warm herbal tea into a clay cup. Kavita sips it slowly, her shoulders slightly lower now. Not cured. But calmer. The curtain falls not on a miracle, but on a turning point.]