Functional Medicine approach to treating Gout

Before you read this blog, make sure you have read our blog on ‘Gut dysbiosis is one major cause of Gout’.

What is Gout?

Gout is a very uncomfortable, essentially an inflammatory condition, which can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints. It can affect joints and tendons if left untreated. It is a kind of inflammatory arthritis.

A gout attack may come after an illness or injury. The first sign of gout is often pain in the big toe. It usually affects one joint at a time, but it can spread to other joints making them appear red and swollen.

Conventional approach to treating Gout:

In conventional approach, without diagnosing underlying reason, a gout patient is prescribed with certain painkillers, anti inflammatory drugs and steroids. This can provide short term relief but in the long run can further exaggerate the problem and can lead to serious health ailments. Usually, a gout patient is put on a protein restricted diet. It is important to note that proteins are very important in maintaining the immunity of the body.

Functional Medicine Approach to treating Gout:

Conventional medical treatment suppresses inflammation to manage the symptoms. However, simply suppressing it will not address the underlying causes, but it does point us in an important direction – find the inflammatory triggers and promote inflammatory relief.

In Functional Medicine we believe that every problem has an underlying reason, so the first step is to ascertain the basic cause behind the problem by taking a detailed history of the patient. We believe that the environment both outside and inside the body plays a great role in human health. Gout is very much a lifestyle-based multifactorial condition; however, there can be some deeper issues at hand. For example, along with other lifestyle considerations, fungal infection and gut dysbiosis can be prominent causes of elevated uric acid levels in the human body.

Steps to treating gout:

1. Identifying and eliminating potential food allergens, including dairy, wheat (gluten), soy, corn, nightshades, preservatives, and food additives. This can be done through proper food sensitivity testing and elimination diets.

2. Identifying and addressing hidden infections-Fungal infections, parasites, viral & bacterial

3. Work on gut mucosa healing

4. Identify the heavy metal toxin load in the body. This can be done by a Hair sample analysis test for heavy metals.

5. Identifying and addressing inconsistent sleep or rest and lack of simple exercise.

6. Switch to a nourishing anti-inflammatory diet.

PROTEINS ARE NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL

Uric acid is a by product of purine metabolism

Here are 8 nutrition guidelines to follow if you have Gout

1. Eliminate sugar and all processed, refined foods from the diet.

2. Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as cherries, blueberries, blackberries), and vegetables (such as squash, spinach).

3. Consume foods high in potassium like celery, broccoli and mixed greens (like kale and chard or locally available greens).

4. Include more high fiber foods, including apples, sweet potato, root vegetables (such as yams and turnips).

5. Eat foods rich in magnesium and low in calcium, such as brown rice, avocado, and banana.

6. Lemons are a very effective liver stimulant and aid in dissolving of uric acid. It also aids in stimulating digestive juices, hence helping in better digestion.

7. Use healthy cooking oils, such as coconut oil and ghee. Avoid seed oils.

8. Drink 8 glasses of sun charged water daily to help flush uric acid from the body. Dehydration often triggers a gout attack. If water is being poorly absorbed, add mineral drops to the water.

By identifying the root causes, you will start to get a whole new perspective about Gout and answers for the base of our treatment. As you work on lifestyle changes, dietary changes and supplementation on the basis of the requirement of your body, right prebiotics & probiotics for gut healing, you will see your health moving towards a positive direction!

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References:

1. Rogenmoser, S., & Arnold, M. H. (2018). Chronic gout: Barriers to effective management. Australian journal of general practice, 47(6), 351–356. https://doi.org/10.31128/AJGP-11-17-4384

2. Kakutani-Hatayama, M., Kadoya, M., Okazaki, H., Kurajoh, M., Shoji, T., Koyama, H., Tsutsumi, Z., Moriwaki, Y., Namba, M., & Yamamoto, T. (2015). Nonpharmacological Management of Gout and Hyperuricemia: Hints for Better Lifestyle. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 11(4), 321–329. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827615601973