Understanding the Role and Uses of Alternative Therapies for Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

: With growing popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among the individuals with chronic pain and muscular problems, a number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) show their interest in CAM interventions for disease improvement. Various reports published on CAM are based on animal model of RA however there is often lack of high quality clinical investigations for explaining the success stories of CAM therapies in patients with RA. CAMs having potential to be used for therapy in patients with RA have been identified, however lack of awareness and scepticism of their efficacy has made the patients reluctant to choose these drug less therapies. In this review, we have summarized the existing evidences which suggest promising efficacy of different alternative therapies in managing RA and providing both physical and mental well being to RA patients.