Gouty arthritis is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone. It’s characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints, most often in the big toe.
An attack of gout can occur suddenly, often waking you up in the middle of the night with the sensation that your big toe is on fire. The affected joint is hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of the bed sheet on it may seem intolerable.
Gout symptoms may come and go, but there are ways to manage symptoms and prevent flares.
Symptoms
- Intense joint pain – Gout usually affects the big toe, but it can occur in any joint. Other commonly affected joints include the ankles, knees, elbows, wrists and fingers.
- Lingering discomfort – After the most severe pain subsides, some joint discomfort may last from a few days to a few weeks. Later attacks are likely to last longer and affect more joints.
- Inflammation and redness – The affected joint or joints become swollen, tender, warm and red.
- Limited range of motion – As gout progresses, you may not be able to move your joints normally.
Causes
- Gout occurs when urate crystals accumulate in your joint, causing the inflammation and intense pain of a gout attack.
- Urate crystals can form when you have high levels of uric acid in your blood. Your body produces uric acid when it breaks down purines — substances that are found naturally in your body.
- Purines are also found in certain foods, including red meat and organ meats, such as liver. Purine-rich seafood includes anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, trout and tuna. Alcoholic beverages, especially beer, and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar promote higher levels of uric acid.
- Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine. But sometimes either your body produces too much uric acid or your kidneys excrete too little uric acid.
- When this happens, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like urate crystals in a joint or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling.
Risk factors
You’re more likely to develop gout if you have high levels of uric acid in your body. Factors that increase the uric acid level in your body include:
- Diet – Eating a diet rich in red meat and shellfish and drinking beverages sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose) increase levels of uric acid, which increase your risk of gout. Alcohol consumption, especially of beer, also increases the risk of gout.
- Weight – If you’re overweight, your body produces more uric acid and your kidneys have a more difficult time eliminating uric acid.
- Medical conditions – Certain diseases and conditions increase your risk of gout. These include untreated high blood pressure and chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and heart and kidney diseases.
- Certain medications – Low-dose aspirin and some medications used to control hypertension including thiazide diuretics, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and beta blockers also can increase uric acid levels. So can the use of anti-rejection drugs prescribed for people who have undergone an organ transplant.
- Family history of gout – If other members of your family have had gout, you’re more likely to develop the disease.
- Age and sex – Gout occurs more often in men, primarily because women tend to have lower uric acid levels. After menopause, however, women’s uric acid levels approach those of men. Men are also more likely to develop gout earlier usually between the ages of 30 and 50 whereas women generally develop signs and symptoms after menopause.
- Recent surgery or trauma – Experiencing recent surgery or trauma can sometimes trigger a gout attack. In some people, receiving a vaccination can trigger a gout flare.
Complications
- Recurrent gout – Some people may never experience gout signs and symptoms again. Others may experience gout several times each year. Medications may help prevent gout attacks in people with recurrent gout. If left untreated, gout can cause erosion and destruction of a joint.
- Advanced gout – Untreated gout may cause deposits of urate crystals to form under the skin in nodules called tophi. Tophi can develop in several areas, such as your fingers, hands, feet, elbows or Achilles tendons along the backs of your ankles. Tophi usually aren’t painful, but they can become swollen and tender during gout attacks.
- Kidney stones – Urate crystals may collect in the urinary tracts of people with gout, causing kidney stones.
Gout in Ayurveda
There are many joint related disorders explained in Ayurvedic textbooks, of which, grossly Vatarakta signs and symptoms can be co-related with Gout.
Treatment principles
- Vatarakta chikitsa (pitta-raktadhika vatarakta chikitsa)
- Pitta Vata shamana oushadhas
- Pachana-dipana oushadhas (koshtha & dhatu level)
- Rakta prasadana oushadhas
- Visha hara oushadhas
- Mutrala- shopha hara oushahdas
- Shula hara oushadhas
Panchakarma Treatment modalities
- Lepana
- Kashaya Dhara
- Abhyanga
- Dhanyamla dhara
- Kayaseka (taila)
- Virecana
- Raktamokshana- jalouka
- Yapana vasti (pitta shamana)
- Kshira vasti
Kashaya/ Swarasa:-
- Amita shadangam Kashaya
- Amrithottaram Kashaya
- Ardhavilwam Kashaya
- Bala guluchyadi Kashaya
- Dasamula kshira kashaya(Dhara)
- Guggulutiktakam kashaya
- Guluchyadi Kashaya
- Karaskara kshira Kashaya(Dhara)
- Kokilakshaka paniya Kashaya
- Kokilakshakam Kashaya
- Mahamanjishthadi Kashaya
- Manjishthadi Kashaya
- Päcanamrtam Kashaya
- Punarnnavadi Kashaya
- Räsna saptakam Kashaya
- Rasnaerandadi Kashaya
- Satavari chinnaruhadi Kashaya
- Satavryadi Kashaya
Arishta/ Asava:-
- Amritarishta
- Nimbamritasava
- Punarnavasava
- Sudarshanasava
- Saribadyasava
Churna:-
- Amrtayolepa churna (pt)
- Ardhavilwa churna
- Avipatti churna
- Ellumnisadi churna
- Guluchipatradi churna
- Jadamayadi churna
- Kokilaksha churna
- Prapoundarikadi churna
- Shaddharana churna
- Triphala churna
- Triphalayolepa churna (pt)
Gulika / guggulu:-
- Amrita guggulu
- Chandraprabha gulika
- Gokshuradi guggulu
- Kaisora guggulu
- Karutta vattu
- Panchanimbadi gulika
- Punarnnava guggulu
Taila (ext/int):-
- Bala Guluchyadi taila
- Dhanwantaram taila & avartti
- Eranda taila + milk (virechana)
- Guluchi taila
- Kshira guluchi avartti
- Kshirabala taila
- Madhuyashtyadi taila
- Narayana taila
- Nimbamytadi éranda
- Panchamla taila
- Pinda taila
- Punarnnavadi taila
- Sahacharadi taila
- Vatasani taila
Ghrita:-
- Guggulutiktakam Ghrita
- Karaskara Ghrita
- Mahätiktakam Ghrita
- Pancatiktakam Ghrita
- Rasnadi Ghrita
- Tiktakam Ghrita
Lehya:-
- Chyavanaprasha
- DAshamula haritaki lehya
- Kalyana gula
- Kushmandavaleha
- Madhusnuhi rasayana
- Shatavri gula
- Sukumaram lehya
- Trivith lehya
Bhasma/ rasa preparations:-
- Chandrakala rasa
- Kasisa bhasma
- Swarnna bhasma Swarnnamakshika bhasma
- Vatagajankusha rasa
- Yogendra rasa
Lifestyle and home remedies
- Choose healthier beverages – Limit alcoholic beverages and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose). Instead, drink plenty of nonalcoholic beverages, especially water.
- Avoid foods high in purines – Red meat and organ meats, such as liver, are especially high in purines. Purine-rich seafood includes anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, trout and tuna. Low-fat dairy products may be a better source of protein for people prone to gout.
- Exercise regularly and lose weight – Keeping your body at a healthy weight reduces your risk of gout. Choose low impact activities such as walking, bicycling and swimming which are easier on your joints.
TREATMENT PROGRAM INCLUDES:
- Initial Consultation with Ayurveda Doctor and daily follow up consultation
- Accommodation
- All Ayurvedic Meals (Breakfast, Lunch & Supper) & herbal drink.
- Advice on Diet & Lifestyle Management
- Ayurveda Therapies – Customized for each client.
- Yoga (once a day – Yoga Asanas, Breathing, Meditation and Relaxation)
RESERVATION DETAILS:
- We are committed to keep up the quality of our treatment programs and we take only a limited number of patients each month.
- So we advise you to reserve your treatment programs a minimum one month in advance.
- The 50% charges of the treatment programs should be paid in advance to reserve the treatment programs.
- The advance deposit will be deducted from the total treatment programs and the balance must be paid on the first day of the treatment program.