GOUT (VATA RAKTA)

DESCRIPTION

Gout is a very common and complex form of arthritis that can affect any person. It cause sudden and severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness, and tenderness in one or more joints, mostly occurs in the big toe. In Ayurveda, it is called Vatarakta that involving Vata dosha and their imbalance that affecting Rakta Dhatu – blood tissue.

CAUSES

• Gout occurs when urate crystals present in the body and accumulate in your joint, causing inflammation and intense pain. 
• Urate crystals form in the body when there are high levels of uric acid in blood and body produces uric acid when it split down into purines. Purines are substances that are found naturally in your body. 
• Purines also found in certain foods, including red meat and organ meats, such as the liver. Alcoholic beverages, especially beer, and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar (fructose) promote higher levels of uric acid in the body. 
• Uric acid normally dissolves in blood and passes into kidneys and urine, but sometimes too much uric acid produced by the body, and kidneys not capable to excrete too much uric acid through urine. 
• In this condition, uric acid can build up in the body and form sharp, needle-like urate crystals in a joint or the surrounding tissue that causes pain, inflammation, and swelling.

CAUSES ACCORDING AYURVEDA

Lavana – excessive intake of salts or salty foods in the diet.

Amla – excessive consumption of sour foods.

katu – excessive consumption of pungent foods.

kshara – excessive consumption of alkaline foods.

Snigdha – excessive consumption of oily foods in the diet.

Ushna – excessive consumption of hot foods

Ajeerna bhojana – intake of food in presence of indigestion.

Klinna – moist food in excess

Shushka – excessive consumption of dry foods.

Ambuja mamsa – excessive intake of aquatic animals’ meat.

Anupa mamsa – excessive intake of animal meat that living in marshy areas.

Pinyaka – excessive consumption of foods prepared with the paste of sesame.

Moolaka – radish

Kulattha – horse gram

Masha – black gram

Nishpava – flat beans 

Shaka – excessive consumption of green leafy vegetables.

Palala – excessive intake of dry meat.

Ikshu – sugarcane 

Dadhi – curds

RISK FACTOR

• Diet – Eating a diet rich in red meat and shellfish and drinking beverages sweetened with fruit sugar increase levels of uric acid, which increases your risk of gout. Alcohol consumption especially beer increases the risk of gout.
• Weight – If you are overweight, your body produces more uric acid and kidneys face more difficulty in eliminating uric acid from the body.
• Medical conditions – These include untreated high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, heart and kidney disease, and metabolic syndrome, 
• Certain medications – Low-dose aspirin, medications used to control hypertension such as thiazide diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and beta-blockers also increase uric acid levels in the body.
• Family history of gout – If other members of your family had gout, you are more prone to develop the disease.
• Age and sex – Gout occur more often occur in men as compared to women’s because women tend to have lower uric acid levels in the body. In men, gout develops between the age of 30 and 50, and in women generally, it develops after menopause.

AYURVEDIC APPROACH (PATHOGENESIS OF VATARAKT)

• When a person takes excessive foods and exposes to lifestyle activities that aggravate Vata and also used to long-distance rides on animals like camels, elephants, horses, the Vata gets severely aggravated by its own causes. 
• On other hand, Rakta and blood get vitiated Rakta quickly blocks the passage of Vayu and interferes with its smooth movements. 
• The Vata whose passage is blocked by Rakta further undergoes vitiation and further contaminates the Rakta or blood. 
• The blood which is vitiated by Vayu later burns the whole blood present in the body. The blood which is contaminated by vitiated Vayu leaves its place and moves towards feet.
• This vicious amalgamation causes serious painful symptoms comprising of a disease called Vatarakta. Later the pitta and Kapha join this amalgamation and making the disease more complicated. 
• The disease first manifested small joints of the foot. Later it spreads to the upper portions of the body causing itching, pain, and numbness. 
• In association with Kapha, this Vatarakta spreads all through the body in quick time like poison.

TYPES OF VATARAKTA

• Vata pradhana vatarakta – when Vata is severely vitiated in Vatarakta symptoms like pain, twitching, pricking pain, swelling which is dry and black, stiffness of body parts, aversion or aggravation of symptoms by cold, numbness, etc.
• Rakta Pradhan vatarakta – When Rakta is severely vitiated in Vatarakta, the symptoms like swelling, severe pain and pricking pain, the copper color of the skin, itching, and moistness predominate.
• Pitta Pradhana Vatarakta – When pitta is severely vitiated by Vatarakta, the symptoms appear like severe burning sensation, fainting, sweating, tenderness, pain, swelling, and suppuration will be predominantly found.
• Kapha Pradhan Vatarakta – when Kapha vitiated in Vatarakta, the symptoms appear like numbness, moistness, heaviness, unctuousness, and coldness will prevail.

• Vatarakta is also two types based on its location 

1. Uttana Vatarakta – This afflicts the skin and muscles, and the symptoms are also limited to the skin. In this type, the symptoms look like skin disease or including skin lesions and muscle pain.
2. Gambhira Vatarakta – This involves blood and other deeper tissues like bone and joints and also internal viscera. This is a systemic illness and the symptoms are more complicated.

TREATMENT

1. Pain-O-Kill Oil – Pain-O-kill oil is ayurvedic and purely herbal formulation. It help to relax your muscles and muscles cramps thus relieving pain. It balances all the three doshas of your body thus maintaining proper blood circulation. It provides soothing effect to the affected area of pain. It contains various herbs like Jivanti, Musta, Usher, Bilwa, Shatavri and Kantakari. All these herbs are natural pain relievers.
   Recommended Dosage– Take 2 teaspoonful’s twice daily before meal.
2. Easy Clean Tablet – Easy clean tablet keeps the stomach clean and removes constipation. Ayurveda states that if the stomach is not clean, then in a way, it is responsible for many diseases. So according to that, stomach cleansing is a medicine that prevents a lot of diseases. With the use of easy clean, we also get relief from gas problems. If someone has problems with gas, then the head is usually heavier than that. So the use of stomach protection gives relief from gas problem.
   Recommended Dosage– Take 2 tablet twice daily with normal water.
3. Nerve up tablet – These tablets are pure ayurvedic formulation. Nerve up tablets help in balancing the vata and kapha dosha. It acts as a nervine stimulant. It shows effective results in improving the central nervous system. It contains natural ingredients like shudha kuchala, shudha shilajeet, abhrak bhasma, praval pishti, shankh bhasma etc. It is very beneficial to relieve the swelling, tenderness, inflammation of the joints. This also helps in the treatment of joint disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, sciatica, etc.
   Recommended Dosage– Take 1 tablet twice daily.
4. Pain-O-kill Tablets – As the name suggests these tablets will kill the pain naturally. The herbs present in the formation of these tablets are Ashwagandha, Hadjod, Punarnava, Nirgundi, Methi, Garlic, etc. These herbs in combination show antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulator properties. The regular use of these tablets reduce body pain and acts on its root cause.
   Recommended Dosage:Take 1 tablet twice daily with normal water.
5. Uric care tablets – Uric care tablets reduces Kapha doshas impacting high URIC ACID levels of the body and acts as a potent diuretic. It helps reduce the pain while passing urine and clear the obstruction of urine. It is also used to treat cough, oedema, asthma and various kidney problems. It contains ingredients like gokhru, imali kshar, yavakshar, kalmi shora, nausadar, swarna gairik etc. This formulation possesses hypotensive, antimicrobial, aphrodisiac and diuretic properties.
   Recommended Dosage– Take 1 tablet twice daily.

PANCHAKARMA

1. Feet Lepam – The medicated paste prepared with various herbs is applied over the feet for treating the problems associated.
2. Janu Vasti (Knee jointsoil reservoir therapy) – This therapy is done for strengthening the joins & muscles of both knees. In this procedure a dough ring is made over your both knees. Lukewarm medicated oil is poured in this ring for 3 to 5 times with duration of 30 mins. All types of knee problems are treated with this therapy.
3. Patra Pinda Sweda (Leaf Bundle massage) – In this procedure, we heat or oil fry the leaves of the medicinal plant tied in a bolus to provide heat to the affected area of the body parts.
4. Shali Shastik Pinda Sweda (Medicated Rice massage) – In this procedure, the shastika shali rice is cooked in kwatha & dugdha. The pottalis are prepared with these ingredients. After that, with the help of these pottalis the patient affected area is massaged.
5. Swedana (Steam Bath) – In this procedure after massage with the medicated oil patient is given steam bath using a steamer or steam cabinet. It is done to profuse sweat from the patient body so that the toxins get eliminated.