Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the joints. It leads to swollen, warm, and painful joints. For some, the condition can affect different body systems like skin, lungs, heart, blood vessels, eyes, and more. It affects the lining of your joints that can eventually lead to joint deformity and bone erosion. As the disease spreads, it affects the wrists, ankles, elbows, knees, shoulders, and hips. Very often, it can occur in the same joints on both sides of the body. People with this disease also experience problems in non-joint structures like lungs, heart, kidneys, eyes, skin, bone marrow, salivary glands, and others.

There are rheumatoid arthritis treatments, but before starting any medical treatment, it is better to try out natural remedies:

1. Hot and cold treatment

Many doctors suggest heat and cold treatments to ease the symptoms. Apply an ice pack during an RA flare-up for about 15 minutes and take 30 minutes break in between sessions. For the heat treatment, use a moist heating pad or a warm, damp towel on the affected area. Also, have hot showers to soothe the aching muscles.

2. Magnet therapy

These magnets come in many forms including; bracelets, inserts, pads, necklaces, or disks. Put them around the affected area for a stipulated time and repeat the procedure for a while. However, do it under the guidance of an expert.

3. Acupuncture

It is one of the effective treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis. It uses fine-needles to stimulate energy along the pathways in the body called meridians. It aims to correct the imbalances of energy and also help relieve chronic pain.

4. Massage with aromatherapy

Massaging your entire body with essential oils that relieve pain and reduce inflammation can be an effective yet temporary Rheumatoid arthritis treatment. However, it surely relaxes all the muscles and eases the pain in the joints. Always test-patch before using any oil on your skin. Never use it on bruised or damaged skin.

5. Exercise

Go to a physiotherapist and learn targeted exercises for your joints. General exercise forms like aerobics, strength training, balance moves are also great options for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

6. Diet

The food that one consumes plays a crucial role in the way the body functions. It is recommended to have anti-inflammatory food for rheumatoid arthritis. A vegan-rich diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts, is great in reducing inflammation and easing joint pain. It is one of the most effective rheumatoid arthritis treatments.

7. Supplements

Natural supplements have been found to improve the condition of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Fish oil from cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, cod, and herring have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that help to block inflammatory receptors. Turmeric is another natural supplement that can be added to your food or just had in warm water. It has an ingredient called curcumin that helps in the treatment of arthritis.

There are many natural rheumatoid arthritis treatments available, but the idea is to follow them through as they take time to show results. Also, in case anyone has chronic rheumatoid arthritis, then medical intervention is unavoidable. So, keep both the natural remedies as well as medical treatments as the options.