Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) affects people differently in terms of severity and how it progresses. A person may have mild, moderate, or severe symptoms, and without effective treatment, it typically gets worse rather than better.
Luckily, there are many treatments that have proven to be effective against RA, including many natural alternatives like diet and lifestyle. In fact, home remedies are one of the simplest and most effective daily remedies you can do in order to improve the quality of your life and manage your RA. This article will first discuss what RA is and the four different stages. Then, we will discuss how to manage them with simple home remedies.
RA is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disorder. It happens when the immune system attacks its own tissues. RA can affect many body systems, including the lungs, heart and blood vessels, eyes, and skin, along with your joints. RA causes painful swelling in joints, which can cause joint deformity and bone erosion.
Because RA is a high inflammatory disease, other parts of the body are easily affected. While some people find temporary relief from their symptoms, most cases gradually get worse, especially without treatment. The severity of your RA is likely to depend on a couple of different things:
While these conditions might make it a little easier to manage your present symptoms, they are definitely not a good predictor of how your RA will progress. More than likely, you will experience flare-ups that will gradually grow longer and more severe as time goes on.
About 10% of people with RA have remission. These people typically do not have the same antibodies present in their blood as other people with RA who do not experience remission.
There are four different stages of RA, which we have described below.
In this stage, most people feel stiffness, swelling, or joint pain. Typically, there is only inflammation inside the joint, which causes the tissue to swell. Bones are not yet damaged, but the synovium, which is the joint lining, can be inflamed.
This is a moderate stage of RA where the synovium begins to cause damage to the joint's cartilage. Your bones are covered in a tissue called cartilage where the bones meet the joints. When this tissue is damaged, people suffer from loss of mobility, range of motion, and pain.
Stage 3 RA is considered a severe RA. The bones start to experience damage because the cartilage is all worn away. This means that the bones will rub together, which will mean more pain and swelling. Some people even complain of muscle weakness. As the bones are damaged through erosion, they start to become deformed.
When a person has Stage 4 RA, they no longer experience any sort of inflammation in the joints. Instead, the joints do not work anymore because they may be completely destroyed, or the bones might be fused together, which is called ankylosis. People will still experience pain, stiffness, swelling, and mobility loss, and may experience a loss of muscle strength.
RA can be a relatively slow illness. Some people might not even get to all four stages in their lifetime. Others still might experience remission.
While there is no cure for RA, there are some home remedies that you can try in order to live a more comfortable and active life. You should not replace any of your prescription medications with these home remedies without first consulting your doctor.
Sleep is the time for the body to recover both physically and mentally from the stresses of the day. It is how the body prepares for the next day. If you have RA, you should strive to get at least 8 hours of sleep a day. Studies have shown that good sleep can actually influence your level of pain and mobility.
Exercise helps with sleep, but it is also great for improving mobility and lessening symptoms of fatigue. Exercise also helps to strengthen muscles, which is very important for people with RA. There are different types of exercises that are designed for low impact, like swimming, biking, and using resistance bands. Low impact exercises are less painful on the joints.
Yoga is great because people are able to personalize their yoga practice in order to best fit their needs. Not to mention, yoga involves mindful breathing and meditation, which can help relax the body, improve mood, and lessen fatigue and chronic pain. Yoga has been found to improve the quality of life for many people in many different ways, even if it is just helping with acceptance.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese treatment that involves using needles to stimulate certain parts of the body in order to relieve pain. It has been shown to improve the quality of life of people with RA. Laser acupuncture has even been proven to actually lessen symptoms of RA, like inflammation and disease activity.
Like yoga, Tai Chi requires breathing, mindfulness, and gentle movements of the body. It is highly beneficial at lowering stress levels and lessening the symptoms of osteoarthritis. It would be worth the try in people with RA. However, you should learn from somebody who knows and teaches Tai Chi.
Mindfulness is about bringing your attention and thoughts back into focus. It can help people with RA cope with their pain and symptoms. Studies have shown that people with RA who meditate have better health outcomes. Another study even showed that mindfulness decreased the pain intensity and other RA symptoms, and depression. There are many mindfulness positions, so you can find one that is most comfortable for you.
A study showed that people with RA who received moderate pressure massages had more grip strength, less pain, and an increased range of motion. This is compared to people who only received a light pressure massage. You can get a massage from a family member, or a trained professional. It is important to just communicate with the person so that you are not experiencing any unnecessary discomfort.
Food can help your hurt RA. In fact, raw or lightly cooked vegetables, fruit, yogurt, and spices like turmeric and ginger were actually shown to slow RA progression and decrease the amount of damage done to joints. Therefore, it is a good idea to eat a diet that is high in antioxidants and has great anti-inflammatory properties. You should also avoid sugar, animal products, and processed foods.
Inflammation is oftentimes caused by an imbalance in gut bacteria. Therefore, introducing probiotics into your diet is a good way to help manage inflammation. Yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi are all great sources of probiotics, but you can also take supplements if need be. A study done in 2014 showed that daily probiotic intake for 8 weeks helped with inflammation and slowed down the disease activity.
Support groups are a great way for people to get together with others who have the disease. These people might share knowledge and experiences that might help you better cope and treat your illness. You can find support groups in person or online, especially through Facebook. Sharing information can also increase your confidence in how you are managing your disease.
Before adding any supplements, you need to check with your doctor. Fish oil supplements can interact with your medication, and cause unwanted side effects like bad breath and nausea. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to decrease RA disease activity and inflammation. In some cases, it can delay the need for RA medication.
While more studies are needed on the effects of cold therapy with RA, cold applications can help with swelling, ease pain, and relax muscle spasms. Heat can also help to relax tight and aching muscles. A hot shower or heating pad or even a rice pack will work very well. While research in heat applications are still lacking in RA treatments, heat has helped people with knee osteoarthritis.
Assistive devices can help you stay mobile and still offer you the pain relief that you need. You can get neck collars, braces, and splints, which can rest inflamed joints and stabilize them as well. While some assistive devices might lower your dexterity, they might simultaneously improve your strength and quality of life. You can also find shoe inserts, use crutches and canes, and install grab bars or handrails around your house.
While the research is still limited in terms of the effective topical treatments for RA, there are some options you could try. As the skin absorbs the ingredients that are active in the cream, lotion, or gel, you may experience a little bit of relief from minor joint pain. The massage might help as well. Arthritis has been treated by-products that contain menthol, camphor, salicylates, and capsaicin, and might be worth the try. A study was done in 2015 also showed that diclofenac cream, piroxicam cream, and etoricoxib cream helped reduce swelling and pain in people who have RA.
Lemongrass essential oil has anti-inflammatory properties that can help you find relief from RA symptoms. While more research still needs to be done, a study done in 2017 proved that topical applications of lemongrass essential oil helped to reduce pain. If you are going to try this, it is important that you dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil, like coconut oil or olive oil or ghee before applying it to your skin. Apply only a small amount at first to be sure you do not have an allergic reaction.
You can easily swap your favorite jewelry out with a magnet bracelet or necklace. Most natural food stores also carry magnet inserts, disks, or pads. You can wear them on your person to help manage joint pain. Magnets might help reduce joint pain, though it is still relatively unresearched in the field of RA>
These spices have been shown to help with inflammation in people who have arthritis. However, they should be taken with caution after consulting your doctor, as turmeric especially can interact with blood thinner medication.
This is a supplement that has been proven to lower inflammation and help with joint pain in people who have RA. In fact, this supplement has proven to be better than the drug, sulfasalazine, which is used to treat RA. There are some side effects, however, like hair loss, upper respiratory tract infections, stomach upset, headache, and sterility in men. Women who are pregnant or at risk of getting osteoporosis should not take the supplement.
A Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis can come as a blow, especially because there is no known cure. While studies are still ongoing, there are still many great home remedies and alternative options that can help improve the quality of life of those who have RA. Some options are simple in that they just help people better cope with the diagnosis. Others have been scientifically proven to help reduce pain, inflammation, and interrupt the disease's activity. The most important thing is to keep learning and talk to your doctor before you decide to try anything new.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional consultation or advice related to your health or finances. No reference to an identifiable individual or company is intended as an endorsement thereof. Some or all of this article may have been generated using artificial intelligence, and it may contain certain inaccuracies or unreliable information. Readers should not rely on this article for information and should consult with professionals for personal advice.