Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis. Diet and arthritis

Living in a multi-cultural environment I am often called upon to make judgements or recommendations for alternative and complementary forms of Medicine. This is especially true of ayurvedic medicine. Patients find the concept of a cure much more appealing than the lifelong treatment with medications I am able to offer. As a Physician, I have to evaluate the evidence and the Science before I can recommend any treatment.

First, when I am treating a patient with Rheumatoid arthritis which is avery destructive form of arthritis I prefer that they take the medications I recommend as these can STOP damage, prevent deformity and disability. If patients are looking for pain relief then ayurvedic medications can be tried but I do not recommend combinations of allopathic and ayurvedic medications as there can be unknown interactions and side effects.

What does the evidence tell us. In review in a leading Western Journal two researchers concluded that: The existing trials fail to show convincingly that such treatments are effective therapeutic options for RA. I looked at it more closely.

There is some promise that a chemical in turmeric is ueful for arthritis. In addition an ayurvedic compound called RA11 has had some benefits for knee arthritis in a small trial. Unfortunately there has not been a lot of research or published data in this area. If people have milder arthritis and are keen to try ayurvedic treatments I allow them. In more destructive forms of arthritis I would like to get the disease under complete control first before they can try other forms of treatments.

As far as Diet and arthritis. It has been shown that ginger, garlic and turmeric are beneficial for arthritis. . Ayurvedic medicine recommends a strict elimination diet including avoiding all meats. These diets are sometimes useful in the short-term but should not be used for long periods of time as patients could become nutritionally deficient. Ayurvedic mediation recommends avoiding sour and acidic foods. However research has found an enzyme in pineapple has been found to be especially beneficial for arthritis. I do not allow my patients to avoid yogurt and dairy as these are essential sources of calcium, especially for those with arthritis. Fish is to be avoided in ayurvedic treatments but oily fish is very useful according to western research for arthritis. I tell my patients to follow a healthy diet with lots of green vegetables, oily fish, use ginger and turmeric liberally, eat yogurt and drink milk, avoid junk foods and oily foods. Do not drink aerated drinks, foods with preservatives or artificial coloouring.

Yoga has been recommended as an exercise for arthritis by the American College of rheumatology, Johns Hopkins etc. In Dubai we are conducting the firts ever scientific study of yoga for rheumatoid arthritis.