India, a land of all season witness a variation in climate in every three months but for patients of musculoskeletal disorder this change in season only paints a dark picture as a study indicates that every 2 out of 3 patients of musculoskeletal disorder reports increase in duration of pain and associated symptoms due to seasonal variance.

For patients this is a continuous phenomenon as most of musculoskeletal diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are often untreatable. The all-weather ally of these patients - pain killers are also not helpful because of their ill effects like hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.

Fortunately, the reliable solutions are being offered by our traditional science - Ayurveda. Ayurveda has been recognised by the WHO as a complete system of natural medicine and one clinical study conducted by WHO in association with ICMR and Ayurvedic Trust, Coimbatore reported an improvement of symptoms in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis after the Ayurvedic treatment. The Ayurveda line of treatment follows and holistic approach in management of musculoskeletal disorders which not only focuses on the relieving of symptoms but also manages the underlying cause. There are specialised herbs like Pluchea lanceolate (Rasna) which alleviates pain and inflammation by suppressing the TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and PG E2 levels which are the mediators of inflammation. Another herb which shows potent anti-inflammatory action is Tribulus terrestris (Gokhru) which by inhibiting COX-2 and iNOS also suppresses proinflammatory cytokines.

There is often a hidden damage done to joints in the veil of pain and inflammation which destroys the cartilage in turn restricting the movement completely. Herbs such as Picorrhiza kurroa (Kutaki) offers cartrilage protection by inhibiting the enzymes responsible for degradation of cartilages. Vitex negundo (Nirgundi) also offers the antioxidant protection by scavenging the free radicals involved during pain and inflammation. The root cause of musculoskeletal disorder is mostly our overactive immune system which can be modulated for better relief by Tinospora cordyfolia (Guduchi) which modulates macrophages and release of nitric oxide to lower the frequency of flare ups in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Several other researches have also pointed out towards the positive outcome of these herbs and Aimil Pharmaceuticals have gone a step ahead with our pain-nil formulation Muscalt Forte which offers a rare and specialist combination of above-mentioned herbs along with twenty other herbal extracts. It is a complete therapy where Muscalt Forte tablet and syrup are for systemic action and Muscalt Forte oil spray a combination of potent volatile oils for topical relief.

With Ayurveda stepping up to alleviate the pain due to seasonal variance it is now possible for patients of musculoskeletal disorders to enjoy the colours of changing season and paint healthier picture for themselves.