Gout

All treatments in the traditional medicine of Ayurveda are prescribed only after a careful diagnosis of the patient’s body constitution, family history, sex, age, stage of the disease etc.

The first consultation with an Ayurveda doctor, including the diagnosis will last for more than an hour. The basic step in the diagnosis will be to find the person’s body humour (Dosha) – Vata, Pita or Kapha, because it is the imbalance of these body humours that create every disease.

The dominance of dosha in a person is found by asking several questions on his behaviour, food habits, sleeping patterns, personal details like age, height & weight, place of life, profession, health problems and medical reports etc. Ayurveda diagnosis comprises of clinical and laboratory tests also. The doctor can decide if an Ayurveda treatment is helpful on providing these details.

Pulse, tongue, nail, and eye examinations are important diagnosis methods used to reveal a person’s body humour and its imbalance. This will help the doctor in treating the disease.

Pulse diagnosis in Ayurveda is not just counting the beats. It also reveals the health status of the entire body constitution, including the dosha imbalance and the health of the various body organs.

In tongue diagnosis, the doctor checks the general appearance, colour and coating of the tongue. In Ayurveda, as different areas of the tongue correspond to different organs of the body, the Ayurvedic practitioner can determine which organs of the body are out of balance by having a detailed tongue examination.

Nail examination is done to check the type, colour and shape of the person’s nail. Imbalances of doshas are easily detected on close examination.

In the eye diagnosis, the colour, size and even the shape of the eyes are important in determining the dosha dominance of a person. His mental status nervousness, anxiety, confidence level etc can also be learned through eye diagnosis.

Ayurveda Treatment approach is to increase natural healing ability of the body and not to attack the disease with something from the outside, like drugs or surgery, and cure the diseases in one or two days. It may take a few weeks to regenerate the health. The healing response is one of the most complex and coordinated activities within the human physiology and often cannot be strengthened without the patient’s personal conscious efforts.

After the diagnosis, the doctor sets out to treat the patient in a very systematic manner. This would include a set of appropriate Panchakarma treatments and Rasayana therapies .

The Panchakarma Treatments are meant to flush out the toxins, They are classified as pre-purification, main purification and post purification phases and include various types of therapies like oil massages, fermented liquid massages, medicinal enemas, herbal purification methods.

The Rasayana Therapies are meant to nourish the body, to bring the doshas back to balance and to regenerate the body.These comprise diet regulations, daily regimens, intake of oral medicines and ayurveda tonics, yoga and a stress free life. After the treatment the ayurveda doctors will advise you how to lead a healthy life. T he beneifts and results of the treatment are shown only after the Rasyana Treatment is over and docotrs advise is strictly followed. The results will manifest itself normally after 3 to 4 weeks as the body takes time to regenerate itself.

Pre-purification therapies
Pre-purification therapies are the first ones applied to loosen the toxins, open up the circulation channels and get the body ready for discarding these wastes. These methods are highly relaxing for the body and mind.

The following pre-purification methods are usually adopted in the treatment of Gout.
Snehapanam is an important pre purification therapy for gout which consists of oral intake of medicated ghee and sesame oil for a specified number of days. This unique treatment helps flush out the toxins from the body. Amaltas , guggul, ginger, neem, onion, chopchini, tribhala etc. are the ingredients used for its preparation.

Upanahasweda comsprises of the local application of a medicinal paste on the joints to treat pain and swelling.

Dhanyamladhara is a 45-50 minutes dhara or bath, using fermented herbal liquid that gives an analgesic effect. The treatment provides immediate joint pain relief and toxin excretion. horsegram Beaten rice, lemon, rice flakes,ginger , etc. are used for preparing the herbal liquid. Dhanyamladhara has been found to be highly effective in treating gout.

Main Purification Therapies for Gout

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This is the phase of elimination of toxins that were loosened at the pre purification treatment stage. These therapies are highly potential methods and are usually overseen by doctors. The commonly adopted Panchakarma treatments for gout are Vamanam, Virechanam and Vasthi.

Vamanam is also known as therapeutic vomiting. It is a treatment that eliminates the vitiated doshas (waste products) through the upper gastro-intestinal track. It expels and cleanses undigested food. Vamanam therapy is highly beneficial in treating gout. Herbs generally used in vamanam include -emetic nut, sweet flag, liquorice etc.

Virechanam consists of intake of safe herbal medicines leading to the elimination of the poisonous wastes through the anal route. This cleansing of the mid zone benefits the entire body system. The appetite and body strength increases making you a more active and energetic person.

Vasthi is an enema therapy and is considered the ace colon cleaning panchakarma treatment. In this form of treatment special medicines are introduced through the anal route for the evacuation of accumulated toxins and metabolic wastes. It is highly recommended in the treatment of gout.

These are body nourishing therapies to rejuvenate the body and mind after the Panchakarma treatments. They keep the enzymes in the tissue cells in their normal functioning condition, restore and balance the body functions and maintain the overall health and well being of an individual for much longer periods after the Panchakarma course. Rasayana includes oral medicines and diet regulation

Oral medicines for gout

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The oral medicines used for gout will be extracts of pure medicinal herbs, leaves, spices etc. These are prepared specifically to restore the lost balance and to provide the needed inputs to cure gout.

These oral medicines apart from reducing the blood uric acid level, also alleviates pain and swelling. Besides, these oral medicines for gout help to rejuvenate the joints.Kashayam and Arishtam - herbal decoctions and fermentations Lehyams - semi solid formulation are commonly prescribed. Guggulu, fenugreek, cinnamon bark etc are a few of the herbs and spices used in these oral medicines. Guggulu is especially suitable for increasing the white blood cell counts. It also helps to decrease the pain and swelling in the joints and has excellent rejuvenating properties.

Diet regulation will be suggested for patients suffering from gout during and after the treatment. Fresh organic fruits and vegetables are to be consumed. Patients suffering from gout should consume wheat, green gram, raisins, ginger, milk etc. They should, however, avoid consumption of fish, dried horse gram, ural dhal, curds, radish, mushrooms, Cauli Flower, Yeast etc. Alcohol consumption should also be strictly avoided.

Yoga and Life Style for gout

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Yoga and meditation are always beneficial and have always played a vital part in curing every type of disease. Patients suffering from gout are advised to do yoga and meditation regularly. Yoga exercises done every day replenish and rebalance the physical and emotional systems that are depleted by the everyday stresses that lie so heavy on our lives. Yoga makes it possible to rest on a strong base of confidence and strength within oneself.

Life style: Patients suffering from gout should avoid tension, worry and anxiety in their daily lives. It is advised that they avoid afternoon sleep and excessive exposure to sun’s rays. They should also avoid horse riding and other sports that call for the stretching of the joints. It is also recommended that patients take at least one or two weeks of rest after the Panchakarma experience. At this time the body is weak after a purification process and needs time to get back to normalcy. However, light yoga postures, meditations and breathing exercises are advised for gout patients.

General Information

The ability to properly digest food is very important to sustain health. Incompletely digested foods create toxins and impurities in the body and disrupt body functions. This process plays a major role in a wide variety of chronic conditions. Your Ayurveda Doctor will advise you how to increase your digestion power.

The nervous system controls your bodily functions, and the chronic condition is affected in some way when the nervous system activity becomes imbalanced. Vata is the physiological principle at the basis of nervous system. Imbalance in nervous system or Vata Imbalance worsens symptoms of chronic diseases. Yoga and meditation would help you to avoid stress situations.

It is important to have a lifestyle that does not disturb natural bodily rhythms. When we eat, sleep and exercise in constantly fluctuating and disturbing patterns, the body loses its natural balancing cycles and cannot cleanse or heal itself as effectively. Therefore, regularity in our daily routine can be extremely effective in reducing physiological imbalance to avoid chronic disease.