Although there are many treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, including JAK inhibitors and corticosteroids, there is no cure for the disease. However, there are things you can do to relieve some pain, such as massage and acupuncture.

Acupuncture is an alternative medicine that has its origins in traditional Chinese medicine.by NIH (National Institutes of Health)which involves “the application of small needles or pressure to specific points on the body.”

Acupuncture can not only help relieve rheumatoid arthritis pain, but can also help treat other types of pain, mood disorders, nausea, and fibromyalgia.

Acupuncture relieves symptoms by causing changes in the central nervous system.of NIH (National Institutes of Health) He explains that acupuncture “suppresses the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (such as TNF-α)” and “promotes the expression of anti-inflammatory and tissue repair factors.”

Because the inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis puts people with the disease at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, including ischemic stroke, treatments that disrupt the inflammatory process, such as acupuncture, may be more effective than standard pain relief. may result.

To that end, the researchers used data from the Taiwan Illness Patient Registry Database in their study to examine whether there was a correlation between participants with rheumatoid arthritis who received acupuncture treatment and stroke outcomes.

The authors enrolled people in the study who were at least 18 years old, had no health insurance, and had no history of stroke before the start of the study period.

The participant sample included 23,226 people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis between 1997 and 2010. Of this group, 12,266 people received an average of 10 acupuncture treatments over approximately three years.

Participants were primarily female, and although the researchers included adults of all ages, the female age group of 40 to 59 years made up the majority of participants.

After collecting this information, they then looked at the treatments and major health events participants received during the study period.

By the end of the monitoring period, more than 900 participants had experienced an ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke cuts off the blood supply to the brain.

Of these participants, 341 in the acupuncture group had an ischemic stroke. When compared to the group that did not receive acupuncture, the risk of stroke was reduced by 43%.

The researchers looked closely at the data to see if different demographics or medical conditions could influence these results, but found no evidence of that.

“The benefit of acupuncture in reducing the incidence of ischemic stroke in patients with rheumatoid arthritis was independent of gender, age, type of drug used, and comorbidities,” the authors wrote.

The authors also state that “causality could not be directly demonstrated with our study design…” [but it] We provide important ideas for future more comprehensive research. ”

Dr. Rigved Tadwarkar, a board-certified consultant cardiologist at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, said: Today’s medical news About studying.

Dr. Tadwarkar began by discussing why rheumatoid arthritis causes cardiovascular diseases such as stroke.

“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to several interrelated factors,” Dr. Tadwarkar said. “The chronic inflammation that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis spreads beyond the joints, affecting blood vessels and promoting atherosclerosis.”

“This inflammatory process damages the lining of blood vessels and promotes plaque formation, narrowing the arteries and increasing susceptibility to heart attack and stroke,” Dr. Tadwarkar continued.

Dr Tadwarkar found the findings of the study “interesting”.

“We have observed a potential association between acupuncture and reduced stroke risk in individuals managing rheumatoid arthritis,” Dr. Tadwarkar commented. “This study suggests that acupuncture may play an important role beyond traditional approaches and impact overall health outcomes in this patient population.”

Dr. Tadwarkar said more research is needed on the benefits of acupuncture and rheumatoid arthritis.

“Although it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, these findings encourage further exploration of the integration of alternative therapies in comprehensive strategies for cardiovascular risk reduction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” said Tadwarkar. said the doctor.

Dr. Chen-Han Chen, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, said: MNT.

Dr. Chen emphasized that this was an observational study and further research is needed to translate the findings at a clinical level.

“These results warrant further research to investigate whether acupuncture is beneficial in reducing stroke in more people,” said Dr. Chen.

“As with all observational studies, this study cannot determine that acupuncture is responsible for the stroke reduction,” Dr. Chen said. “Furthermore, it remains to be determined whether these findings can be generalized to a more ethnically diverse population.”