What are the treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis?

My mom has it and refuses to take medication. She had tried methotrexate, but the side effects were bad (particularly reduced mental function), so she stopped taking it. Her mom takes a different medication (I don't remember what it's called), and she won't try that one because you have to stop taking it if you get an infection and then you feel even worse than before, from what my grandma says.

The only "treatment" she's willing to try is follow this super strict diet that a holistic type doctor gave her, but I'm not sure how effective it is, and she never follows it very well for very long anyways.

I'm worried about degeneration. Are there any good treatment options that don't generally have such negative side effects?

You will like this I think. I was diagnosed with crippling arthritis a couple a years ago. On record at local hospital. A friend came to my house with a little miniature bottle filled with DMSO (not approved by FDA) only available at health food stores. Not all though! Cautiously, I used it twice a day, and as advised, when pain subsided only use when pain is felt again. In a month I got to that stage and only used maybe tree times a week. Then the next thing I know was that I had stopped using it completely. Only a few drops on the hand and rub the area in pain. Do not buy the large bottle 8 oz. unless like me you start giving small amounts away to your friends.