” Adi, why are you still sitting on the floor?”, I asked Adi after seeing everybody was about to leave the meditation hall, while he was still sitting.

Lately, I have heard people around me complaining about having gout. Even those in the tender age of the 20s have suffered from it. Usually it only attacks people above 40 years old. Mostly men suffers from gout.

I saw his face twitching in pain, ” It’s not only I can’t get up, I am having difficulty to walk. Look at my toe, it’s swollen. Damn!

” Woooaaaa….that’s quite a swell there. That surely is GOUT!”, I saw his foot in awe.

Let’s take a look at what gout is and get rid it once and for all!

According to Ayurveda, an ancient healing system that is 5000 years old, gout is a caused by unhealthy life style and also genetic disease. It is a form of arthritis. An unhealthy life style is very much related to an unhealthy diet and also the lack of exercise in one’s life. However, there are people who are regularly doing exercise but still getting gout. Again, it is because of a poor diet. So basically, it’s about the food that we eat!

In Ayurveda the it is said that gout is the result of a vitiated Vata dosha which affected the rakta dhatu (red blood tissue). So what happens is that the uric acid is accumulated in the joints. This is also related in the disorder of the kidney. Therefore it vitiated the red blood tissues. First it attacks the toe and after that it spreads to the other joints.

The causes of the vitiated blood are:

1. Indigestion
2. Overconsumption of oily, salty, sour and spicy food
3. Too much intake of alcohol
4. Overconsumption of seafood
5. Lack of sleep
6. Obesity
7. Sedentary work

The causes of the increase in the level of uric acid in the blood are:

1. Genetics
2. Overconsumption of alcohol
3. Overconsumption of meat, inners, spinach, seafood and beans

These food contains too much purines.

Avoid (High)

Beer, anchovies, inners, meat, coconut milk, yeast, sardines, macarels, herrings, scallops, seafood, red beans

TIPS To Prevent and Cure Gout:

Eat fresh seasonal fruits (except avocado, durian, pineapple and bananas) The best fruits are berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and cherries.

Adopt a vegetarian diet. It is very healthy because it can alleviate gout. However avoid consumptions of spinach, morning glory, tempeh, casava leaves, asparagus and string beans

Avoid all dairy products especially yogurt. Best to drink rice milk.

Always have your greens except the ones being mentioned above and avoid gravies and meat stocks

It is best to avoid processed food such as white bread and sugar. It can worsen the condition

Avoid fried oily foods, salty, sour and spicy food

Take 50 ml of ghee everday if possible

Add more ginger, garlic, cumin, fennel, corriander, cardamom  and cinnamon to your food

Exercise well but avoid exercises that strains the joints. Exercise is important the keep the joints mobile

Lose weight if one is over weight. Your weight makes a difference

Drink enough water to flush out all the toxins and to help the kidney function properly

Get adequate sleep

If your toes are swollen, you may have a cold compress (in SOS). However, the best thing to do is to soak it in luke warm water with a drop of apple vinegar

It is recommended to get an ayurvedic abhyanga massage

Hopefully these tips will be helpful to you and your friends or families who has gout. Get well soon!