To alleviate rheumatoid arthritis pain, supplement meds with yoga

NEW DELHI: Yoga can positively be used as an “adjunct therapy” to reduce inflammation and pain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an auto-immune disorder in which the body starts to attack its own tissues, reveals a recent study conducted at AIIMS. The study, published in National Library of Medicine, stated that significant improvement was found in the RA patients who did yoga. A total of 64 patients with active RA in the age group of 25 to 55 years were randomised into two groups — 32 in yoga and 32 in nonyoga — and were assessed for disease severity at baseline and after eight weeks. The improvement in condition was noticeable in the patients who were doing yoga.On the eve of World Arthritis Day, Dr Uma Kumar, head of the rheumatology department and one of the authors of the study, said there was no replacement for medicines, but those who were also doing yoga had better response to treatment. She added that not only the quality of life improved but it also reduced anxiety and stress.Another author of the study, Dr Rima Dada from the anatomy, molecular reproduction and genetics facility department, said that during the randomised control study, they found that after performing yoga for eight weeks, patients’ disease activity score (severity) came down. “Such patients suffer from swelling, pain, deformity and it affects other organs like lungs, heart, eyes and skin too. We studied all parameters pre and post-yoga intervention and found significant improvement in their condition.”She added that the yoga intervention comprised asanas (physical postures), pranayam (regulated breathing techniques), and dhyan (meditation).Every asana was prescribed as per the patient’s limitations and condition. At the beginning, the patients were asked to do sukshma vyayamas that help loosen joints and remove the energy blockages and increase flexibility. “Range of move ment increases after flexibility increases. Balance, neuromuscular coordination in joints also increases and the patients are slowly able to do complex asanas,” she said.The finding provides a scientific basis for integrating yoga as a therapy for RA treatment. “We have measured quantity of inflammatory cytokines before and after yoga intervention and they had reduced. But that doesn’t mean to stop medications,” she said, adding that yoga is powerful adjunct in the management of this disorder and improves quality of life. After eight weeks of yoga, patients start performing daily chores on their own.According to the study, yoga enables the maintenance of immune-homeostasis as evident by increased Treg cell (to suppress immune response) and reduced Th17 cell population. Yoga positively modifies transcriptome and epigenome by normalisation of various inflammatory markers, gene expression patterns and epigenetic alterations. Taken together, yoga reduces RA severity, and aids in immune-modulation.