Natural Remedies for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Do They Work?

Joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and heavy fatigue make rheumatoid arthritis (RA) difficult to live with day to day. Doctors often reach for medication first, and while those medications can work, they also come with side effects that not everyone wants to take on long term.

Whether or not you take medication for rheumatoid arthritis, diet and lifestyle changes, along with a handful of well-studied natural remedies, can calm inflammation, restore gut health, and support a nervous system that’s been under strain. Here are evidence-based natural remedies and how we use them in the clinic.

What’s the Best Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Any diet that lowers inflammation and calms autoimmune reactivity has the potential to help RA. The main options we see used clinically are:

• Elimination diet
• Elemental diet
• Mediterranean diet
• Paleo diet
• Low FODMAP diet
• Low nightshade diet

An elimination diet is the most fundamental starting point. The idea is simple: Remove common trigger foods that may be feeding inflammation, then reintroduce them one at a time to see which ones cause symptoms to flare. Once symptoms are under control, the goal is to build back toward as broad a diet as possible while keeping inflammation and symptoms in check.

For most people, we recommend starting with a less restrictive anti-inflammatory diet, Mediterranean or Paleo. Only consider something more restrictive, like low FODMAP or low nightshade, if symptoms haven’t improved after a few weeks.

The Mediterranean diet is the most studied diet for RA. A cohort study found people with high adherence to the diet were less likely to develop RA 1. Additionally, a systematic review found that people with RA following a Mediterranean diet experienced improvement in RA-related symptoms 2. That said, not every review agrees. An umbrella review found little difference in pain or disease activity 3. The disagreement likely comes down to how strictly participants followed the diet and how “improvement” was measured across studies.

In one small randomized trial, an elemental diet achieved results comparable to corticosteroids for rheumatoid arthritis 4, which supports the idea that RA is closely tied to gut health. A temporary elemental diet gives the gut a reset. Once the trial period ends, usually no more than two to three weeks, foods are reintroduced one at a time to identify which ones bring symptoms back. 

Elemental Heal, our meal-replacement formula, is designed to support this kind of gut reset while still providing complete nutrition during the process.

There are no RA-specific studies on low FODMAP diets yet. However, people with autoimmune diseases, including RA, have been found to be more likely to also have IBS, which supports a rationale for testing this diet in RA patients 5. There is also research with positive outcomes for similar conditions. A 2021 review noted that low FODMAP and gluten-free diets may help autoimmune patients who also have functional GI symptoms, like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) 6. Low FODMAP has also shown benefit for pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia patients 7. That overlap makes it a reasonable next step for RA patients with joint pain and fatigue who haven’t responded to a Mediterranean or Paleo approach.

Gut Health and Probiotics for RA

Gut health sits close to the root of systemic inflammation, which is why addressing it tends to move the needle on RA symptoms. A few things point to the gut as a relevant factor in RA:

• Gut microbiome composition differs in RA patients, and even in people with undiagnosed joint pain 8 9 10 11
• Leaky gut appears to contribute to RA symptoms in several studies 12 13
• Common contributors to RA, including metabolic syndrome, gut infections, and nutrient deficiencies, often start with or are made worse by gut inflammation 14 15 16 17

In practice, this means the right therapeutic diet and probiotic support can lower intestinal inflammation and, in turn, ease RA symptoms.

Other reviews support this finding. A 2017 meta-analysis of nine trials found probiotics lowered interleukin-6, an inflammatory marker tied to joint damage, though disease activity scores didn’t shift in that dataset 19. A 2020 review of 12 studies found that Lactobacillus probiotics, taken for about 60 days on average, improved quality of life and eased pain in nearly every trial tested. In this same study, Bifidobacterium/Lactobacillus blends also lowered CRP, a marker of inflammation 20.

Probiotics aren’t a replacement for RA treatment, but this evidence supports using them as part of a broader gut and lifestyle strategy. If you’re considering probiotics, a blend that covers multiple categories, like our Triple Therapy Probiotics, offers broader support compared to relying on a single strain.

Turmeric, Omega-3s, and Green Tea

Turmeric

Turmeric contains curcumin, an anti-inflammatory polyphenol. A 2021 systematic review of 259 RA patients found that turmeric reduced disease activity, pain, joint swelling and tenderness, inflammatory markers, and rheumatoid factor (the antibodies that attack healthy tissue) 21. Turmeric can be added to meals through the whole spice in cooking or through a concentrated curcumin supplement.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil)

A 2012 systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 900 patients across six countries found a modest, but consistent, benefit of fish oil on joint swelling and pain, morning stiffness, overall disease activity, and reduction of the need for NSAIDs 18. A larger review of 70 studies found that high-dose omega-3s (3 to 6 grams/day) reduced disease activity and improved how well RA medications worked 22.

You can raise omega-3 intake through fatty, wild-caught fish like salmon and mackerel, or through plant sources like walnuts and pumpkin seeds, if you tolerate them.

Green Tea

A 2016 randomized trial of 120 older adults found that consuming green tea (4 to 6 cups/day) combined with regular exercise improved disease activity markers (CRP and ESR), joint counts, functional ability, and markers of bone health, more than infliximab combined with green tea alone 23.

Exercise and Stress Management

Exercise and physical therapy are among the most effective tools for managing RA joint stiffness, pain, and range of motion, and they also help with fatigue.

A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of 1,010 RA patients found that resistance exercise reduced disease activity, inflammation, and the time it took to walk 50 feet, compared to a control group 24.

A separate review found that home-based physical activity, low-impact strengthening, flexibility, and light aerobic work improved quality of life, functional ability, disease activity, and pain just as effectively as clinic-based exercise 25.

As for stress management, a 2019 systematic review found that yoga lowered inflammatory biomarkers across several chronic conditions, including RA 26. Another 2019 review found that RA fatigue improved with psychosocial strategies including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, self-management training, and guided imagery 27.

Conventional Medical Treatment for RA

Prescription medication remains the most effective treatment for RA in the research, though it can come with side effects. Common medication categories include:

• Glucocorticoids (prednisone, hydrocortisone) for short-term pain and inflammation control while transitioning to longer-term treatment 28
• DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs), including methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, and hydroxychloroquine 29
• Biologic drugs, such as adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab 30
• NSAIDs and acetaminophen for temporary pain relief 31

Side effects range from mild nausea to more serious liver effects, and everyone responds differently. Whatever medication route you take, diet and lifestyle changes can work alongside it, not instead of it.

The Bottom Line on Natural Remedies for RA

Rheumatoid arthritis has clear, evidence-backed options outside of medication alone. Start with an anti-inflammatory diet like Mediterranean or Paleo, add a probiotic to support gut and immune balance, and layer in turmeric, omega-3s, and regular movement as you’re able. Most people notice steady improvement working through these steps in order, and they can be used regardless of whether or not you’re also on medication.

If you’ve made these changes and you’re still stuck, or if RA is affecting more than just your joints, our clinic focuses on the harder cases: connecting the dots between gut health, inflammation, and autoimmune activity when a single intervention isn’t enough. Book an appointment with our virtual clinic to start your journey to finding remedies for your rheumatoid arthritis.

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