Yoga could help millions of arthritis patients

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Yoga could help millions of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, research suggests.

A study found the ancient exercise slashes inflammation and reduces pain in the joints of sufferers after just eight weeks.

And practicing downward dog, lotus and crab poses even protected the patients' from depression - a common side effect of the chronic condition. 

Yoga is thought to target the 'mind-body communications' that cause sufferers to experience mental-health problems, the researchers claim. 

The research was carried out by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and led by Dr Rima Dada, from the department of anatomy. 

RA affects around one per cent - or 400,000 people - in the UK, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society statistics show.

And in the US, more than 1.3million adults have the condition, according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Network. 

RA is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person's immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of their healthy joints, leading to painful inflammation.

The condition has long been associated with depression, with the mental-health disorder affecting a patient's ability to stick to their medication and worsening their disease severity. 

Although past studies have found a link between yoga and improved symptoms among RA sufferers, this is the first to investigate how the ancient exercise reduces inflammation.

The researchers analysed 72 RA sufferers who were divided into two groups - those that practiced yoga while taking conventional medication and those who just took the drugs.

Blood samples were collected from all the participants before and after the experiment to look for markers

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