Many people who have chronic inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis are looking for extra help with the painful symptoms.
The fatigue, joint swelling, and agony that can come with the disorder, which is caused by a person’s own immune system attacking the joints, can’t be completely banished.
While there are drugs that help slow joint damage and ease the symptoms, they often come with side effects, such as nausea, anemia, high blood sugar, bone loss and a heightened risk for infection.
To avoid those possible risks, some patients seek out alternative therapies to supplement prescription medications they are already taking.
Below is a list of therapies for which there is some evidence of efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis patients:
Diet
A 2018 review article recommended both the Mediterranean diet and fish oil for patients with RA. Any diet that cuts out foods that might have inflammatory effects can help, DiRenzo said.
Exercise
A small 2019 randomized control trial backs DiRenzo up. That trial found yoga improved markers of inflammation in RA patients.
Probiotics
Recent data have suggested that problems with the microbiome may be involved in the development of RA, said Armin Alaedini, an assistant professor in the department of medicine and the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center.
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