Causes of Arthritis or Joint Pain : Wrong eating habits, late nights, lack of sleep, tension leads to acidity. This could lead to indigestion or constipation. The acidity results in gas formation. Over a period of time, this leads to the arthritic problem which in ayurveda is known as Vaat or Aamvaat. The symptoms would be disfigured bones, thirst, laziness, heaviness in the body, fever, constipation, swelling in the body, pain in the joints, etc. In the advanced stage, the hands, legs, neck, navel, back, buttocks, joints, all these will get swollen and there will be severe pain.

Washington : A recent study has shown that acupuncture - the Chinese system using needles - alleviates pain and improves movement for elderly people suffering from arthritis in their knees.

"Arthritis is a major public health problem, and our study shows that acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment," said brian Berman, director of the University of Maryland centre for integrative medicine, who led the federally-sponsored study of 570 elderly patients which was released recently.

Experts said the study demonstrated that mainstream science can validate some of the unconventional therapies that many Americans have begun using.