Rheumatoid arthritis or RA as it is commonly referred in the medical fraternity is a progressive auto immune disease affecting 1% of adults in the developed world. Arthritis in the case of RA causes an inflammatory reaction of the synovium with resultant pain, oedema, stiffness, deformity and later loss of function of the affected joints. As there is no known conventional cure at the moment or any proven means of preventing RA, many doctors and Specialists of Rheumatology doesn’t advise against the use of Alternative medicine or Complementary medicine like Ayurveda and Yoga to limit or slow down the degree of permanent joint damage. In spite of extensive research, there is currently no conventional treatment or allopathic medications with proven efficacy  and most of them are quite toxic in the long term.

Hence a lot of patients are now looking for complementary and alternative medicine cures like ayurveda, yoga, panchakarmaetc in treating this debilitating illness. Statistical evidence has indicated that patients suffering from chronic pain, like in Rheumatoid Arthritis, and ones dissatisfied with conventional treatment are very prone to seeking alternative therapies and treatments, and as per available data, estimated 80 – 90% of persons with RA use some kind of Complimentary or alternative medicines or supplements. Ayurveda and yoga in addition to chiropractic are the most widely used alternative treatments with proven efficacy in RA. A recent study conducted in 6000 patients showed remarkable improvement in symptoms of RA when treated with Ayurvedic herbal preparations and external Ayurvedic therapies including massage and physiotherapy and the results were comparable or better to conventional medications currently in use. The research conducted in some of the famous Ayurvedic hospitals in India, the purpose of which was to examine the clinical evidence to compare the effectiveness of Ayurvedic treatment with regard to placebo, in fact revealed better outcomes than treatments currently in practise. The systematic review was also meant to analyse the effect of Ayurvedictreatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis comparedto other natural alternative treatmentsbased on randomized clinical trials, and has provided positive results worth further study.