Gout Attack! Western Medicine or Chinese Remedy?

GOUT ATTACK!
Western Medicine or Chinese Remedy?

Many people would be at a loss when the fearsome gout strikes them. Many would be puzzled over what to do next as the sheer physical and mental pain rages on. From folk remedy to traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine and self-medication, the alternatives are yours to choose but how to start with the best perceived remedy?

Gout is an ‘ancient’ disease and history shows that gout has been plaguing human beings since ancient Egyptian era some 7,000 years ago. Archaeological studies found that mummies excavated from the Egyptian pyramids contained urate crystals in their joints. The historical accounts by famous Greek physician, Hippocrates, one of the most notable medical figures in history, also stated the existence of gout.

For a few thousand years, many types of gout therapy have been practised throughout humankind history. They include heat therapy, cold therapy, herbal therapy and the application of pharmaceutical drugs. Renowned doctor of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Cangqi, introduced the ‘tea’ therapy, claiming that tea was the medicine for all diseases. He backed his claim by citing that tea not only could treat gout, but also boost the immune system and promote anti-aging for longevity.

In ancient times, people’s understanding of gout was virtually nil due to the lack of medical knowledge, not to mention treatment practices and medication. Therefore, when gout struck, they would resort to seeking divine help, hoping for a miracle. Psychologically, this might appear to be a little bit helpful but the actual problem was never solved.

Later, with the advancement of civilization, both Western and Chinese medical fields managed to develop some sorts of drugs to alleviate gout suffering. Furthermore, more and more non-medically substantiated folk remedies surfaced.

Folk remedy for gout may come in many forms, including coconut water, which was hailed as a savior for gout sufferers.

The ‘coconut’ remedy requires consumption of fresh coconut water from one to three coconuts each day, with intervals of one to two hours for two to three months consecutively. It is believed that such ‘coconut’ remedy could get rid of the gout symptoms ultimately.

If fresh coconuts are not available, peeled or canned coconut water is also acceptable. However, for best results, fresh coconut water is the first choice.

Moreover, cherries are also known as the savior of gout sufferers. This is because cherries contain natural anti-inflammatory properties, and it also can help reduce uric acid. Traditionally, ‘cherry’ remedy requires a consumption of 30 to 40 cherries once every 4 hours to produce the desired effects i.e to reduce uric acid levels.

In addition to fruits, folk remedy generally includes the clever use of herbs. Chinese plantain (scientifically known as Plantago asiatica) is one of those magical herbs used as a natural diuretic to discharge toxins and break down bodily stones. The preparation is simple. Just boil it and drink it, like a cup of tea. This herbal plant is believed to be able to cure certain illnesses and prevent their recurrence while promoting weight reduction for a healthy body mass index.

Apart from fruits and herbs, there is another intriguing folk remedy that involves soaking the feet in a tub of warm water infused with freshly chunked chillies. The preparation involves the heating of chilli chunks in a pot until it reaches certain ‘warm’ temperatures. Pour the chilli-infused heated water into a tub and soak your feet in it for about 40 to 60 minutes to relieve gout pain.

Over time, medical advances have pushed our understanding of gout to a whole new level with better medical concepts. More and more medical research with a wider scope keeps surfacing for the good of gout sufferers.

In the theory of Chinese medicine, medicine heals the body from illness. When one is sick, medicine helps boost his or her immune system to overcome the illness. Medicine can also be used to inhibit the growth of bad things in our body. We feel comfortable as we heal during the treatment process.

Gout is also traditionally known as the Arthralgia syndrome (Bi Zheng), White Tiger disease (Bai Hu Bing) or acute arthritis (Li Jie Feng). It is caused by a disorder of purine metabolism that leads to the disease. Joint pain associated with gout usually begins in metatarsophalangeal joints, followed by other joints around the feet, ankles, hands, wrists, knees and elbows. Other complications may include hypertension and renal colic (a type of pain caused by kidney stones), followed by renal failure and heart failure at a later stage. If this is left untreated and once it gets really serious, it will likely result in death.

Chinese medicine looks at gout from two different perspectives – it’s either externally or internally inflicted. The external factors include the invasion of the wind, cold, wet and hot elements that obstruct the normal functionality of the meridian system. On the other hand, the internal factors derive from the lack of vital ‘chi’ (Zheng Qi) or fatigue.

For gout treatment, the practice of Chinese medicine adopts a variety of herbs such as licorice, husked round-grained non-glutinous uncooked rice or japonica rice, cinnamon sticks, Chinese pearl barley (coixseed), Stephania tetrandra, Phellodendron amurense (bark extracted from the Amur cork tree), Achyranthes bidentata (Ox Knee or Niu Xi), ginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala (Bai Zhu), Wolfiporia extensa (poria/ China Root/ Fu Ling), and dried tangerine/ orange peels. The preparation involves boiling prior to being served as herbal drink. The application varies according to symptoms being addressed with the purposes of dispersing the heat or purging the harmful or excessive wet elements in the body, relieving numbness and pain, easing blood stagnation and invigorating the meridian system, nourishing the liver and kidneys, expelling the harmful wind and cold, to relieve gouty pain.

The practice of Western medicine is primarily based on the synthetic drugs to reduce inflammation and lower the blood uric acid levels, which will generally burden our internal organs with harmful side effects. For those suffering from gout of the late stage where stubborn tophi have formed, a removal operation is usually recommended and this invites certain risks as well.

Western medication for gout is divided into four categories, including medication for acute and chronic gout. Drugs for the treatment of acute gout are specifically designed to rapidly reduce joint pain to normalize joint mobility and functionality. This category of drugs consists of Colchicine (a medication commonly used to treat and prevent gout attacks), and Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) and painkillers.

For chronic gout medication, it’s generally aimed at preventing gout attacks, which is categorized into two types of medicine. Both of them, nevertheless, help excrete harmful uric acid and regulate renal function. The common drugs are Probenecid and Allopurinol.

Western medication helps relieve pain for acute gout sufferers and prevent the recurrence of arthritis, damage caused by high uric acid levels and development of kidney stones, and other uncomfortable symptoms.

Natural Gnaphalium (Cudweed Flower) as painkiller and uric acid reducer

SORNADO Tea Bag treatment for gout without burdening the body

The present medical studies suggest that gout cannot be cured completely, but it can be better managed through the right medications that control the uric acid levels to prevent joint inflammation. In other words, it’s a long-term process that keeps gout under control.

However, is western medication the best solution to gout treatment? How about the burden of such long-term medications to the body?

For gout victims, the medication must not create too much burden to the body while hoping for the best results. Therefore, one of the biggest concerns is the safety of those drug ingredients.

According to the “Bencao Shiyi” (Chinese Herbal Materia Medica) and “Tianbao Bencao” (Herbs of Nature’s Best) Chinese herbology literature, cudweed flower thrives on low-altitude dry or wet land and has long been known or its efficacy, historically. Cudweed flower is sweet and non-toxic. It contains pain-relieving and detoxification properties and helps restore renal function to ease joint swelling and pain.

Clinical studies conducted by the pharmacologists of DALTON, SORNADO Tea Bag’s manufacturer in Australia, show that drinking hot (cudweed flower) herbal drink would significantly help in uric acid reduction and joint pain relief. The manufacturer had even conducted a careful comparison between its very own Australian cudweed flower and others from other parts of the world. And it was concluded that the Australian cudweed flower of SORNADO Tea Bag contains richer anti-gout key ingredients to take on stubborn tophi (by breaking down and dissolving them) more convincingly. The 100% natural formula of SORNADO Tea Bag is a result of years of extensive studies that packs the natural goodness of Australia into the convenient tea-bag packaging for ease of preparation and consumption.

The 100% natural herbal and non-pharmaceutical formula of SORNADO Tea Bag packs a number of positive effects such as balancing uric acid levels, relieving pain, detoxification, repairing spleen and kidneys, promoting haematopoiesis and strengthening immune system. SORNADO Tea Bag is officially accorded with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) certification by the Department of Health, Australia for its efficacy in normalizing uric acid levels (Certification Number: AUST L203504).

The efficacy of SORNADO Tea Bag is derived primarily from remedying the root cause of purine metabolism disorder by controlling the production of uric acid while at the same time stimulating the decomposition of urates and discharge of uric acid. Overall. It helps restore uric acid to the normal levels to prevent acute gout attacks to fundamentally ease the pain.

According to the 2006 Tangdu Hospital Clinical Report by the Fourth Military Medical University, the uric acid reducing efficacy of SORNADO Tea Bag is 17.7 times higher than that of colchicine, as the findings of the year-long study reveal. The clinical trial had also proved that SORNADO Tea Bag is able to keep the gout recurrence rate down to below 40% and more significantly, it does not cause any side effects!

SORNADO Tea Bag is ideal for people with high uric acid levels and gout sufferers. It is also suitable for daily consumption by people who are concerned about their uric acid levels and daily health maintenance. Be it for treatment or healthcare, SORNADO Tea Bag is always one of your best companions!

The old cliché “prevention is the best cure” remains a golden piece of advice after all. You may not be troubled by gout for now, but your big appetite for a high-purine diet plus unhealthy lifestyle are the two risk factors that invite a gout attack. Put your health above everything else. Go for regular medical check-ups to make sure your uric acid levels are normal. More importantly, keep fit by exercising regularly to keep gout at bay.

Don’t get overwhelmed by gout. The choice is yours!