Ancient Fix for Painful Rheumatoid Arthritis
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, your goal isn’t to cure your disease.
Instead, you do your best to manage the symptoms that threaten your quality of life, including joint pain, stiffness, and loss of function.
These methods could involve exercise, hot and cold therapy, topical pain relievers, rest, and diet changes.
But in a recent study, researchers identified an ancient practice that does MORE than alleviate rheumatoid arthritis pain, it helps control the underlying factors involved in the disease process.
Yoga is an ancient practice that never goes out of fashion. Its more obvious benefits include improved strength, flexibility, and balance.
Beyond that, research also links yoga to…
- stress relief,
- better moods,
- increased energy,
- better sleep,
- and improved heart health.
But I’ve always been especially impressed with its ability to tackle PAIN.
Previous research found that practicing yoga can help reduce the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Now, in a recent study, researchers took it a step further.
This study confirmed that in people with rheumatoid arthritis, practicing yoga can…
- reduce the perception of pain,
- improve joint mobility,
- decrease disability,
- and improve overall quality of life.
But the study also looked at the impact yoga had at the cellular level. What it showed was that yoga helps manage a well-known trigger of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms: stress.
By lowering cortisol, aka “the stress hormone,” yoga can reduce inflammation and improve mitochondrial function.
In fact, you’ll get all of these benefits whether you have rheumatoid arthritis or not.
But if you DO have the condition—and you’re trying to manage your symptoms—this new research provides even more incentive to give yoga a try.
P.S. Tackle agonizing rheumatoid arthritis WITHOUT drugs.
SOURCE:
Gautam, S., Kumar, R., Kumar, U. et al. Yoga maintains Th17/Treg cell homeostasis and reduces the rate of T cell aging in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep 13, 14924 (23).
