Study Shows Ayurvedic Whole System Effective for Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis

The intervention not only reduced symptoms but also promoted a metabolic environment conducive to homeostasis, potentially leading to long-term benefits for RA patients.

A groundbreaking scientific study has revealed the significant effectiveness of the Ayurvedic Whole System (AWS) in managing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting millions worldwide. This pioneering research demonstrates that AWS not only alleviates the symptoms of RA but also induces a metabolic shift towards normalization in patients, offering a promising complementary approach to conventional treatments.

The study, conducted by a group of senior researchers from esteemed institutions—including the Arthritis Treatment and Advanced Research Center (A-ATARC), Department of Kaya Chikitsa, State Ayurvedic College and Hospital, Lucknow University; Centre of Biomedical Research (CBMR), SGPGIMS Campus, Lucknow; and the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad—presents a compelling case for integrating Ayurvedic practices with modern medicine.

“This study is significant from the perspective of possible pathology reversal in the case of RA being treated with the whole system Ayurveda approach. This endorses Ayurvedic concepts of ‘Samprapti Vighatan’ where a pathogenesis-disease complex is dismantled and ‘Doshas’ are brought back to normality,” explained Dr. Sanjeev Rastogi, the study's first author.

Published in the PubMed-indexed Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medicine (JAIM), the study highlighted substantial improvements in key clinical parameters among RA patients who underwent AWS intervention. Notably, there was a significant reduction in the Disease Activity Score-28 Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (DAS-28 ESR), alongside decreases in the total number of swollen and tender joints. The Ama Activity Measure (AAM) Score, which assesses the presence of toxins in the body, also showed a significant reduction post-intervention.

Further, the research explored the metabolic profiles of RA patients, comparing them to healthy controls. Initially, RA patients exhibited elevated levels of certain metabolites, including succinate, lysine, mannose, creatine, and 3-Hydroxybutyrate (3-HB), with decreased alanine levels. Following AWS treatment, these metabolic markers began shifting towards levels observed in healthy individuals, indicating a return to a more balanced metabolic state.

According to the researchers, this study is the first to clearly demonstrate the clinical efficacy of AWS in managing RA. The intervention not only reduced symptoms but also promoted a metabolic environment conducive to homeostasis, potentially leading to long-term benefits for RA patients.

While these findings are promising, the study's authors emphasize the need for further research to confirm these preliminary results and to better understand the mechanisms through which AWS exerts its therapeutic effects.

This breakthrough underscores the potential of integrating traditional Ayurvedic practices with modern medical approaches to improve patient outcomes in chronic conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis.