What is cervical spondylosis?

Cervical spondylosis is a chronic degenerative condition of the cervical spine that affects the vertebrae and discs of the neck and sometimes affects the contents of the spinal canal. When a person has cervical spondylosis, he or she senses stiffness in and around the neck region along with pain, headache, as well as, numbness in the hands.

What does it mean to have cervical spondylosis in Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is the science of life and from its perspective, Cervical spondylosis is a Vata-related disease. It is considered as Greevaor Manya Stamba. Greeva or Manya means neck and Stamba means stiffness and pain. Aggravated Vata dosha accumulates in the neck region resulting from tissue degeneration, which further leads to the depletion of Kapha dosha which leads to pain and stiffness in the neck area. Now, the question is, how does this happen? Read more!

What are the possible causes of cervical spondylosis?

Greeva Stamba includes excessive consumption of dry, cold, and light foods, prolonged fasting, bad food habits, lesser intake of water, poor sleep patterns, carrying a heavy load on the shoulder, long-distance driving, stress, anger, bad posture, long-sitting hours, excessive use of air conditioners and aging- all lead to cervical spondylosis.

This is not it. With growing age, our spine undergoes a lot of wear and tear. In some cases, the soft cartilage inside the spinal discs loses its firmness due to increased vata. Besides this, if you have encountered any accidental injury around your neck region including the shoulder, the possibility of getting cervical spondylosis is very high. In more severe cases, when there is stiffness of the ligaments and bone inflammation, it all leads to excruciating pain in your neck, and certainly, the result affects your mobility.

What further makes cervical spondylosis worse?

The consumption of junk and spicy foods leads to gas formation in the body and is also one of the causes of cervical spondylosis. Overuse of mental, physical, and sexual activities can also cause cervical spondylosis. Most individuals often experience the following symptoms when they are suffering from cervical arthritis or cervical spondylosis;

• Nerve stimulation causes neck stiffness
• Restriction of neck movement
• Tingling or numbness in the shoulders, arms, and hands
• Headache, fatigue
• Difficulty incoordination
• Radiating pain in the arm and sometimes difficulty lifting the arm.

Treatment of cervical osteoarthritis in the Ayurvedic way

To treat these causes of cervical spondylosis, Ayurvedic remedies are of huge help. No longer do you need to depend on medicines that bring a complete imbalance in your system. Ayurveda diet, oils, herbs, and treatments suggested in this article are going to transform your life by preventing further tissue degeneration and helping you overcome cervical spondylosis naturally:

1. Greeva Basti therapy

In this ayurvedic therapy, medicated oil mainly prepared with natural herbs is applied to the back of the neck. Simply put, Greeva Basti is a hot oil synthesis technique. This treatment relieves pressure around the neck and shoulder area. This helps the muscles to relax, preventing stiffness and degenerative cervical spondylosis. Its advantages include:

1. Enhanced flexibility
2. Clears blocked nerves
3. Improves blood circulation in the neck and shoulder area
4. Reduces inflammation and swelling in the neck and shoulder area
5. Restores blood flow to the upper body

2. Garlic: Take one or two garlic cloves and eat on an empty stomach in the morning. You can also apply freshly prepared garlic oil on the affected region and do this a couple of times a week. Do not forget to take a warm bath after oiling. Garlic is known to heal muscle as well as, nerve-related pains. Try this ayurveda remedy and gradually you will observe magical results.

3. Turmeric: Turmeric is regarded as the most natural healer for almost all kinds of injuries, ailments, and pains. Add a spoonful of turmeric to warm milk, and let this mixture boil on low flame for around 5-10 minutes. Add a pinch of honey and drink it. You can also add turmeric powder to hot mustard oil and apply it around your neck to relieve pain and let the stiffness heal from the inside.

4. Ghee: Consuming clarified butter (Ghee) made of cow milk is known to be one of the best foods to nourish nerves and other body parts. Ghee is widely known as a natural ‘Vata’ reliever and if you apply it on and around your neck, certainly you will experience greater relief.

What to avoid when you have Cervical Spondylosis?

According to Ayurveda studies, what we eat is what we are. There is a close connection between the symptoms of cervical spondylosis and the food you eat during this medical ailment.

Consuming processed or frozen food items, juices, or sodas, consuming a lesser amount of water, and excessive consumption of curried food, enhances the chances of developing spondylosis.

Does stress affect cervical spondylosis?

Yes, stress is one of the paramount factors leading to cervical or aggravating an existing condition of cervical arthritis. It is advisable to take long breaths each time you feel agitated, stressed, angry, or agitated. The calmer you are, the healthier your nervous system is.

Reader’s Lesson:

Ayurveda teaches you to become disciplined with your own body and you can easily cure any illness naturally. If you are suffering from any other joint pain such as frozen shoulder, try using our pain relief oil – Cinnta. It is the best ayurvedic oil for frozen shoulder.

Try the Ayurvedic remedies for cervical spondylosis above and we will continue to provide helpful blogs like this one.