Got gout but don’t believe in alternative therapies? You just might want to change your mind ffter reading this.
Alternative Therapies for Gout
There are many alternative therapies available to gout victims. Sometimes these are called complementary therapies because they can be used in conjunction with conventional medicine. And they are increasingly being sought after by gout patients.
Although the medical profession is gradually changing its tune about alternative therapies, there is still a major distrust of them in medical circles, particularly in the drug industry, where natural remedies and techniques can’t be patented.
Nevertheless, aside from their effectiveness, alternative therapies for gout have many benefits, an obvious one being that they are pretty much free from any bad side effects.
Now, there are those who say that any perceived benefits are ‘all in the head.’ But even if this were so, isn’t that a good thing?
If the eliminaton of gout happens even partly because of a more positive attitude, isn’t that a great result? Gout is no different from any other illness where a positive attitude in the patient does help to speed-up recovery.
But alternative therapies are more than that; some do have measurable results. Here are just a few therapies that you may wish to follow-up on in your area….
1. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is being used much more widely nowadays and is even sometimes advised by physicians in certain cases. This is a very ancient oriental healing system that uses long, fine needles that are inserted into the body at specific points. The actual points used are dependent on the condition that the therapy is trying to address.
When a gout patient goes for acupuncture therapy, the acupuncturist will place needles not only in the specific points that affect the particular joint with the gout symptoms, but also other specific points that affect the underlying issues that trigger gout. So that they are able to both get rid of the symptoms and also prevent future episodes.
2. Acupressure
Again this is an ancient oriental therapy that combines acupressure theory and massage. The therapist in this case uses the palm, thumb and fingertips of the hands, to apply pressure through firm massage on the same pressure points as described above in acupuncture.
3. Homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies are extracted from mineral, animal and plant substances. They can come in the form of tablets, capsules, ointments, etc. The concept is that you cure ‘like with like.’ For example, if a certain homeopathic extract produces symptoms of a cold in a healthy person, then it is believed that that same extract, diluted many times before being made up into the particular medicant, can be used to cure a person with a cold.
4. Mineral Tissue Salts
These are believed to be particularly effective where the body is too acidic. Which is good, because gout patients’ bodies are usually overly acidic. Dr. W. Schuessler isolated the original 12 mineral tissue salts in 1880. He identified that these were essential for proper body cellular funcionality, and that any deficiency in one or more of these would gave rise to specific health issues depending on which mineral tissue was deficient. He found that, by taking that particular mineral tissue, the balance could be restored and the health issue resolved.
Today, there are over thirty mineral tissues that can be used in this therapy. For gout patients, the most appropriate are No.10 Nat Phos (sodium phosphate) and No.4 Ferr Phos (iron phosphate). You should be able to get these from pharmacies or good health food stores near you.
The above are just four of the many alternative therapies for gout out there. For example, there’s Ayurveda, meditation, hypnotherapy, relaxation, bioelectromagnetics, hydrotherapy, and more.
And there are many other natural remedies that you can utilize including; herbal remedies, lifestyle adjustments, dietary changes, dietary supplements, holistic medicine, and so on, which you can read about throughout this website.
