Chinese medicine a more than 23-century history, using the principle of yin and yang. In its bare essence, harmony in the body promotes health; Chinese medicine restores that harmony, including relieving and reversing the form of arthritis known as gout.
Chinese Medicine Explained
Chinese medicine holds that illnesses stem from either a depletion or congestion within the body. Once the practitioner has determined the cause, treatment begins in order to adjust and harmonize the body with the use of such tools as herbs, roots, acupuncture and diet. In Chinese medical thought, organ networks control all of the body. These networks include the kidney, which controls fluid metabolism; the heart, which not only pumps blood through the body but also controls the spirit; the spleen, which helps the body take nutrients from food and fluids; the liver, which controls the blood; and the lungs, which set the body rhythm.
Gout Explained
Gout causes a sudden painful burning in the patient's joints, usually in the big toe, followed by swelling, redness, warmth and stiffness in the area. The accumulation of uric acid in the bloodstream turns into crystals, which accumulate not only in the big toe but in in other joints such as the ankle, heel, knee and even the wrist or fingers.
Remedies Used
Chinese medicine considers gout a disharmony of the liver---an organ closely associated with joints---caused by poor diet and stress. Practitioners often prescribe herbs such as turmeric, alfalfa, celery seed, ginger root and marshmallow root to help reduce the uric acid in the body. Further, a diet full of potassium-rich foods such as bananas and spinach, can help reduce the uric acid in the body, thus reducing gout flare-ups.
Another form of treatment is the drinking of a Kombucha tea. This tea has an additive that is akin to lichen. The lichen that is added to the tea will not impart a "mushroom" taste or flavor; in reality, it adds an apple-cider flavor to the tea.
There are many herbs and natural remedies that will help reduce the uric acid in a person's system. However, before a person decides to try Chinese medicine the help elevate gout, he or she should consult with his or her doctor to assure that any medication that has been prescribe will not interact with the herbal treatment. Further, a person should consult a naturopath or herbalist who has experience with herbs as a medical treatment to assure that there are no complications.
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