Whether Infrared Thermography (IRT) can be used as a method to evaluate the therapeutic effect of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is discussed. A self-control study is conducted on 30 wind-cold-dampness type RA patients according to the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation. Before and after the treatment,HIR--2000A infrared thermal imager is used to scan the palms of the patients, and the measured body surface temperature is recorded. The differences of body surface temperature of the patients′palms before and after the treatment are statistically significant (P < 0.01).The early application of IRT technology in the evaluation of the therapeutic effect of RA has important theoretical and practical significance for the traditional Chinese medicine treatment of RA.