Acupuncture is an effective treatment modality for the alleviation of gout. Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine researchers combined auricular acupuncture with warm needle acupuncture and determined that the combined approach significantly enhances the efficacy of drug therapy. Drug monotherapy produced an 81.67% total effictive rate. Adding acupuncture into the therapeutic regimen of care increased the total effective to 95%. Equally as important, the fully recovered rate was significantly higher in patients that received acupuncture.
A 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS) for joint pain was used to assess pain levels. Blood tests were conducted before and after treatment to determine blood uric acid levels. The efficacy rates were classified into the following 4 levels:
Fully recovered: Symptoms disappeared, mobility restored, blood uric acid dropped by over 80%
Significantly effective: Symptoms markedly relieved, mobility markedly improved, blood uric acid dropped by 60% to 80%
Effective: Symptoms relieved, mobility improved, blood uric acid dropped by 40% to 60%
Ineffective: Symptoms persisted, mobility impaired, blood uric acid remained the same
In the acupuncture group, 28 cases fully recovered, 24 were significantly effective, 5 were effective, and 3 were ineffective. In the control group, 20 fully recovered, 23 were significantly effective, 6 were effective, and 11 were ineffective. The total efficactive rate was 95% in the acupuncture group, higher than that of the drug monotherapy group at 81.67%. [1]
VAS scores changed more significantly in the acupuncture group from 7.13 ±0.56 to 2.10 ±0.14, while the change in the drug monotheray group was smaller, from 7.09 ±0.58 to 3.37 ±0.26. Blood uric acid also had a bigger reductions in the acupuncture group, falling from 540.83 ±60.68 to 326.85±45.63. The figure for blood uric acid before and after treatment in the drug monotherapy group was 541.07 ±60.14 and 380.99 ±46.15 respectively. Based on the data, the researchers confirm that acupuncture helps to relieve pain in the joints, improve joint flexibility, and reduces blood uric acid levels.
For all patients in the study, alcohol and food high in purine was strictly forbidden for both groups. Gout (hyperuricemia) is a type of inflammatory arthritis wherein there is excess uric acid in the body. Uric acid is produced when purines are processed in the body. Uric acid crystals accumulate in the joints, bodily fluids, and tissues and may lead to inflammation and pain. Examples of foods high in purine are anchovies, grains, herring, liver, mackerel, mussels, sardines, and yeast.
The data confirms that acupuncture produces important clinical improvements. Given the level of structural damage, pain, inflammation, disability, and increased mortality risks associated with gout, the addition of acupuncture to a regimen of care is appropriate.
