High Uric Acid level? Follow Ayurvedic Medicine for Uric Acid

Are you feeling pain in your toes recently? It has gone now but after a few days it reappears and now it has reached your lower limbs joints. Pain is getting severe day by day. Burning sensation while passing urine. Joints are swelling. Then you might be suffering from high levels of uric acid in your blood. Then it could be Gout. High levels of uric acid in blood  is termed as hyperuricemia. This condition can develop further in Gout.

Nitrogen-containing purines are the parent compound which ultimately break down in uric acid. It’s natural for the body to contain some amount of purine. Uric acid is nothing but a metabolic waste which generally dissolves in the blood and is excreted by our urinary system with the help of the kidney. Kidney flushes it out as a byproduct of urine.

However, if the amount of uric acid increases or the kidney malfunctions, then it starts depositing in your joints in crystallised form. According to a news article in “ The Telegraph “, in 2012 about 0.3 % of the population in India were suffering from Gout. Gout belongs to the class of arthritis. Most of the people go for allopathic treatment, but we do have uric acid treatment in Ayurveda.

Conventional or Allopathic Treatment for URIC ACID

Most of the people use westernised medicinal therapy. They consist of synthetic chemicals which in the long run do have side effects. There are many types of treatment for gout.

1. By activating purine inhibitors- Xanthine oxidase inhibitors obstruct the production of xanthine ( a type of purine ) and reduces the level of uric acid in blood.
2. Use of Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), colchicine and corticosteroids- They reduce the inflammation in your joints.
3. Probenecid- It helps the kidney to remove acid from blood.
4. Dietary restrictions- Reduction for high nitrogen food like meat, dairy products and alcohol intake.

Dietary reduction is fine, but the above mentioned drugs in the long run will have side effects. So people turn to alternative medicine. You guessed it right. Here comes Ayurvedic medicine. Let us see the ayurvedic remedies for uric acid treatment.

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The Ayurvedic way of treating Gout!

Ayurveda believes that high levels of uric acid can be due to Vata dosha imbalance. Ayurveda treats high uric acid levels by cutting food which are high in purines like cabbage, bell peppers, brinjals, beans, beetroot and red meat or certain types of fish. Uric acid deposition can be due to many other side conditions like stress, genetic, kidney disorder. Best way is to cut down the purine production. There are several herbs which can act as ayurvedic uric acid medicine.

Herbs and Spices

Ayurveda also recommends a few superfoods and herbs for the treatment. Main symptom of gout is arthritis, so keeping inflammation in check should help. Here are a few superfoods and herbs mentioned below. Research is still going on and the results are based on a few studies. They can be used as potential candidates for ayurvedic treatment of high uric acid.

1. Triphala- It is a combination of three fruits namely amala, bibhitaki and haritaki. Main impact of Triphala is that it is anti-inflammatory. It is decrease the inflammation of joints
2. Giloy- Medical benefits of giloy stem juice are stated in few studies. It helps in countering the production of uric acid levels in blood. Animal studies show anti inflammatory and anti analgesic activity.
3. Neem- We all know blood purifying benefits of neem. Some studies show anti-inflammatory properties. However its application as an anti gout agent is still under debate.
4. Bitter gourd- Its a general medicine used to treat the Vata dosha and often prescribed for gout.
5. Cherries and dark berries- They are rich in antioxidants and they reduce the uric acid level in blood. They may reverse the production of uric acid.
6. Turmeric- It is the allrounder of Ayurveda. It has numerous medicinal benefits ranging from anti-cancer, anti inflammatory, anti bacterial.
7. Ginger- It acts as a cousin brother of Turmeric and has many benefits. It is one of the household remedies for gout.

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Dietary Restrictions

Apart from ayurvedic remedy for uric acid, one needs to follow dietary restrictions to lower the uric acid level. Ayurveda recommends reduction of meat products and high nitrogen food. They increase the amount of uric acid. There is a start difference between western and ayurvedic medicine about dairy product usage. Ayurveda suggests to avoid dairy products while western medicine allows usage of low fat reduces uric acid level.

It will be good if purine rich food is avoided. Some seeded vegetables, vegetables with crystals and non veg food like meat and seafood. All these goods give rise to uric acid as a by-product. To be more precise, you need to restrict beef, pork, turkey, shell fist, mutton, cauliflower, cabbage, mushroom, green peas etc.

Avoid sugar food and beverages. While uric acid is linked to nitrogen rich protein foods, recent studies also show that sugar is also a potential cause. Food articles containing corn syrup, sugar syrup, saccharine are among others. Few researches show that sugar can also increase the uric acid level in blood. Sugar does not directly produce uric acid but it stimulates the purine metabolism.Thereby increasing the uric acid.

Carbonated drinks and energy drinks contain high levels of sugar such as fructose and glucose. The refined corn syrup contains a mix of sugars in the range of 40-50% which is a high contributor for increased uric acid level. Fructose absorption is faster and rich in the blood level quickly. This spikes the blood sugar level and increases the purine metabolism.

Alcohol can put a lot of pressure on the liver to filter out. It will make your body more dehydrated. After level, the kidney will come into pressure to filter out the alcohol first and this may increase the level of uric acid and other by products in the blood.

Instead you should eat whole grain food, citrus fruits, lean protein and fibrous food. They will reduce the fat production, help in weight reduction and rescue the blood sugar level.

Exercise and Weight Reduction

Exercise is for all season. It is believed that few light exercises as well as yoga supports your health and improves your blood circulation. It reduces the stress in the blood vessels in the long term. Yoga is better recommended because it reduces the stress levels. Also exercise will reduce the uric acid in blood. Uric acid is most likely to be secreted by skin in the form of sweat.

Fat cells make more uric acid. If you are overweight then the chances of uric acid production will increase. Fat digestion puts more pressure on the liver and further on the kidney to filter out the uric acid. So losing weight is one of the quick ways of reducing the uric acid level.

But if you are overweight or obsese and find it difficult to lose weight then you must avoid high fat food. You can consult a dietician to choose your correct food type and plan.

Apart from that improvement in the lifestyle will also help in treatment of gout. Proper sleep, drinking enough water, reducing anger, sleeping in day time and excessive travel should be avoided. Water and fibery food will reduce stress level. You can put a water drinking alarm if you are too busy.

So what’s the Conclusion?

Now you know there are a number of medicines for uric acid in ayurveda, but there is limited scientific evidence about their specificity of gout treatment. They are in general good for health. It is always recommended to have any kind of medicinal treatment under medical guidance. Choice of herbs or ayurvedic supplements or any kind of dietary or lifestyle changes should be under expert supervision.

Most of the time there will be no side effects but this has to be further investigated. Better to consult an ayurvedic doctor. Now you know a little bit about the uric acid treatment by ayurvedic method. Hope this helped you. For further knowledge about your dosha contact our experts.

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