You asked for the crazy ideas people chase to actually beat RA. Here they are, honestly sorted — including one that surprised everyone by earning FDA approval, and several that are pure frontier.
The most 'out-there' idea turned out to be the most real: stimulating the vagus nerve (which naturally dampens inflammation) with a small implant. In a proper sham-controlled trial it beat placebo, and in 2025 the FDA approved it as an add-on for refractory RA — the first neuro-immune therapy for the disease. The effect is modest and it's reserved for hard-to-treat cases, but it's genuine, not fringe. Evidence ●●●●○
Prolonged fasting followed by a plant-based diet reliably calms RA short-term (the immune-'reset' idea), but the benefit fades on refeeding and there's no evidence it resolves the disease. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is biologically tempting given RA's gut link, but the nearest randomised trial (in a sibling disease) actually failed — it's speculative for RA. Both are adjuncts-at-best, not cures. Evidence ●●○○○
The far end: deliberately infecting yourself with hookworm (the 'hygiene hypothesis' — plausible in mice, no convincing human RA data) and mesenchymal stem-cell infusions (small, uncontrolled studies, heavily hyped by unregulated clinics). Interesting biology, thin-to-absent human evidence. This is experimentation, not treatment. Evidence ●○○○○
Desperation is a market
'Stem cell clinics' and hookworm sellers trade on desperation. The genuinely promising experimental route here — vagus nerve stimulation — went through a real sham-controlled trial and FDA review. That's the bar; be wary of anything skipping it.
The RA Guide