Gout And Acupuncture
Prompted by the suggestion that acupuncture might help the itching associated with gout, I conducted a little research into acupuncture and gout, with surprising results.
Recent research suggests that various forms of acupuncture might help gout sufferers in different ways.
Acupuncture is commonly viewed as sticking needles into various parts of the body. Though needles are often involved, the aim is to stimulate energy flow in the body, and so other related techniques are often grouped under the acupuncture umbrella.
A detailed study of acupuncture is beyond the scope of this gout website, however I would like to draw your attention to 3 studies reported last year. I must rely on the abstracts from PubMed here, as all this research is reported in Chinese, which is beyond my limited linguistic knowledge.
Clinical application of acupuncture and moxibustion to the treatment of gouty arthritis and analysis on their therapeutic effects
This review notes:
In the present paper, the authors make a summary on the clinical application of acu-moxibustion therapy in the treatment of gouty arthritis in recent 10 years. Acupuncture needles often used are filiform needle, red-hot needle, moxibustion-warmed needle and three-edged needle. Clinical studies have showed that acupuncture therapy has a definite efficacy in relieving gouty arthritis and has its clinical characteristics, such as faster efficacy, lower relapse rate, etc. in comparison with medication.
Very little detail available, but an indication that acupuncture could bring some relief to gout sufferers.
Observation on therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture plus blood-letting puncture and cupping combined with diet intervention for treatment of acute gouty arthritis
- OBJECTIVE:
- To explore a more effective therapy for acute gouty arthritis.
- METHODS:
- Sixty cases were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. On the basis of diet intervention, the observation group was treated with electro-acupuncture at local points combined with blood-letting puncture and cupping, and the control group with oral administration of Probenecid (a uricosuric drug that encourages excretion of uric acid). Their therapeutic effects were observed.
- RESULTS:
- The effective rate was 96.7% in the observation group which was better than 86.7% in the control group (P < 0.01). After treatment, blood uric acid decreased significantly in the two groups (both P < 0.01), the observed group being lower than the control group (P < 0.01).
- CONCLUSION:
- On the basis of diet intervention, electro-acupuncture plus blood-letting puncture and cupping is a better therapy for acute gouty arthritis.
Unfortunately again, very little detail especially on the exact nature of the dietary changes. Blood-letting has already been shown to be beneficial to gout sufferers.
Observation on therapeutic effect of surrounded needling therapy on acute gouty arthritis
- OBJECTIVE:
- To compare clinical therapeutic effect of surrounded needling therapy and medication on acute gouty arthritis.
- METHODS
- Sixty cases of acute gouty arthritis were randomly divided into a surrounded needling therapy group and a western medicine group, 30 cases in each group. The surrounded needling therapy group was treated with shallow needling on local affected area as main and 4-5 distant acupoints as adjuvant, once each day; the western medicine group was treated with oral administration of Indomethacin and Allopurinol, thrice each day. They were treated for 15 days. The clinical therapeutic effects, the changes of serum uric acid content and the adverse reaction were observed in the two groups.
- RESULTS:
- The total effective rate was 93.3% in the surrounded needling therapy group and 80.0% in the western medicine group, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01); the serum uric acid contents before and after treatment were (516.85 [8.69 mg/dL] +/- 48.63) micromol/L and (293.77 [4.94 mg/dL] +/- 68.45) micromol/L in the surrounded needling therapy group, and (509.66 [8.57 mg/dL] +/- 51.11) micromol/L and (333.66 [5.61 mg/dL] +/- 89.22) micromol/L in the western medicine group, respectively, with significant differences before and after treatment in the two groups (both P < 0.05), and with a significant difference in the serum uric acid content after treatment between the two groups (P < 0.01). The surrounded needling therapy group had no adverse reaction, and the adverse reaction rate of the western medicine group was 46.7%, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01).
- CONCLUSION:
- Surrounded needling therapy is superior to the western medicine in the therapeutic effect on acute gouty arthritis, and it is a safe and effective method for acute gouty arthritis.
Remarkable! Surely this merits further investigation.
Have you experienced acupuncture as a cure for gout? Please share your views in the gout forum.
~GoutPal
Tags: acupuncture, lower uric acid