Classification of Arthritis in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Arthritis is a term commonly used to refer to any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms usually include joint pain and stiffness. There are more than 100 types of arthritis. The most common forms are osteoarthritis (osteoarthritis) and rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis has been a recognized medical condition since ancient times, and Chinese people have developed many treatments for treatment.

#The principle of Chinese medicine does not classify arthritis into two types like Western medicine.

The basis for Chinese doctors to distinguish arthritis into small groups is not the details of the disease. Instead, arthritis is divided into categories:

• hot and cold,
• participation of upper and lower body,
• missing or excess syndrome,
• pain characteristics (such as variability and severity),
• and whether the position of arthritis has been fixed or "moved".

Both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis belong to the group of biotic syndrome, qigong disorders and blood circulation leading to symptoms of pain, numbness, swelling and stiffness.

Rheumatoid arthritis is best suited to the typical Chinese syndrome which is the invasion of the wind and affects the joints. Osteoarthritis is better suited to the weak and hard liver / kidney deficiency syndrome in the legs with painful joints.

In China, syndromes similar to rheumatoid arthritis are a special area of ​​interest, creating considerable literature on this topic, because this condition can arise suddenly and rapidly decline. serious. On the other hand, osteoarthritis tends to be combined with other aging disorders, including stiffness and pain. Especially the legs, which are considered part of the gradual decline of bodily functions that occur with old age. The topic of arthritis discussion is often accompanied by discussion of anti-aging therapies

The formulas described in this article are mainly suitable for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Related content: Philosophy of Chinese Medicine and Arthritis Treatment

#Formula according to pathological factors

There are three main pathological factors that are addressed by the formulas: wind, moisture, cold:

1. Wind (feng) refers to the sudden onset of the disease, mobility of the affected site (mobile bi syndrome), variability of the manifestation of symptoms, and sensitivity to changes in the environment. Wind-dominant arthralgia most often affects the upper body and corresponds to the early stage of rheumatoid arthritis. Deficiency of qi and blood allows wind to more easily penetrate the body and cause pain.
2. Damp (shi) refers to the worsening of the symptoms in damp weather, the initiation of the disease or worsening of symptoms after spending time working in a wet environment (such as wading in water or sleeping on damp ground), and the accumulation of fluid in the joints and/or nearby areas of the limbs. Dampness-dominated arthralgia most often affects the lower part of the body and is characterized by swelling and stiffness of the joints, and accompanying sensations of numbness; it may correspond to a middle stage of rheumatoid arthritis (that is, after the disease has become chronic, with less variability of affected joints). Disorders of fluid metabolism, especially a weakness of spleen function, will aggravate dampness and the resulting joint dysfunction.
3. Cold (han) refers to the worsening of symptoms with exposure to cold, improvement by applying heat (including liniments that cause increased local circulation), and impaired circulation associated with declining kidney yang that most often occurs with aging. Cold-dominated arthritis especially affects the extremities (hands and feet) where circulation is poorest, as well as the lower back-the site of the kidneys. The kidney yang, if deficient, is unable to dispel chilliness. Exposure to cold may initiate arthritis; however, the more common association is with advanced arthritis in which the internal metabolism (qi and yang aspects) are debilitated by chronic disease and aging, yielding a cold syndrome. More rarely, there can be a hot type arthralgia, initiated perhaps by excess exposure to the hot sun during the summer, and manifesting with redness of the joints.

The closest traditional Chinese medicine term to rheumatoid arthritis is fengshi bing which literally means wind-damp disease. The wind and damp factors can complex with either cold or heat factors to yield arthralgia. Almost all of the traditional approaches apply to the complex involving cold factors rather than heat. Gout, which has some characteristics in common with arthritis, usually fits the cold-dominated category or the cold-damp category of bi syndromes.

Cold, wind, and dampness cause stagnation of circulation within the channels (meridians; blood vessels). According to the Chinese medical concept, when these pathological factors are dispelled, the circulation returns to normal and the disease goes into remission. If the disease has been experienced for a long period of time, the blood becomes static (a more severe condition than poor circulation). Eventually, the initiating factor (wind) becomes less prominent and the stagnation dominates, with blood stasis an increasing concern. Therefore, in the treatment of the chronic and advanced disease, there is more emphasis on overcoming static blood than when treating an earlier and more variable phase of the disease.

#Summary and classification of arthritis according to Traditional Chinese Medicine:

According to TCM, there are basically four types of arthritis:

1. Zuo Bi-The afflicted parts of the body become heavy and numb, and the pain worsens on damp days.
2. Re Bi-This produces swelling, tenderness and sharp pain in one or more joints.
3. Xing Bi-Here, the pain wanders about the body in patients who are often slender.
4. Tong Bi-Severe pain that settles in one or more joints; cold and in activity will worsen the pain, heat will reduce pain.

References:

1. Arthritis - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthritis

2. AN ANALYSIS OF CHINESE HERB PRESCRIPTIONS FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS - http://www.itmonline.org/arts/arthritis.htm