Today we will talk about gout.
Gout is one of the most common forms of arthritis,
which we see in our clinic. And it affects males and females.
It affects mainly women after menopause
and in terms of men, it affects men independent from their age.
We have actually young males with gout and old males with gout.
So what is gout? Gout is a form of arthritis
Which is caused by elevated levels of uric acid.
When uric acid reaches critical concentrations
it forms crystals and the crystals are deposited in various joints
causing inflammation, pain and swelling of the affected joints.
What do we need to know about uric acid?
Uric acid is produced in the liver mainly
the main enzyme which is responsible for production
of urid acid is called xanthine oxidase. And most
of the drugs available on the market right now
are specifically targeting this enzyme.
Elimination of uric acid is mediated mainly through
kidneys, approximately 60-70% of uric acid
produced in our body is eliminated through kidneys
and the rest through the gastrointestinal tract.
So we are talking about 30-40%.
There is an enzyme which can also participate in
degredation of uric acid and it has a long name
Hypoxanthine-guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase
and there is an abbreviation for that enzyme; it's called HGPRT
This is a critical enzyme which is kind of opposite
of xanthine oxidase and this enzyme lowers levels of uric acid.
At this point there are not too many drugs available
to control these enzymes, but there are quite a few supplements available.
So what is interesting is that genetically in males,
activity of this particular enzyme is much lower than in females
and it's one of the reasons why young males have
much more problem with gout than young women.
When we are dealing with gout, there are two issues
which we need to discuss. Issue number one, how
do we deal with acute gouty attacks when a person or patient is in severe pain.
And number two how do we control uric acid level
from being elevated and how we can prevent the
development of crystals, and how we can prevent
flare ups of gout. We are not going to talk about
medications because you can find plenty of
information on the internet and in various publications.
Today we will talk mainly about natural way of dealing with gout
Actually, the number of natural supplements
available for gout is much more than the number of drugs
available for gout. So if a person or patient has an
acute gouty attack what do we do?
We are using herbs and supplements which have
strong anti-inflammatory activity. For example, in
our clinic we are using a very popular herb. It's called
Devil's Claw, in addition we are using an herb from
Amazonian rainforest from Peru, it's called Iporuru
Also we are using Boswellia/Curcumin for the same reason
and in addition, what's been shown is that
high-dose fish oil combined with Methylfolate
and Alpha Lipoic Acid can significantly reduce an acute
inflammatory reaction caused, or triggerd by uric acid crystals.
Next step is prevention of gouty attacks or maintenance of gout.
So how do we handle it? So there are several
natural remedies which are very efficient.
Number one is White Chinese Mulberry Extract
known as morus albus. So this particular
product has a chemically defined ingredient, which is called murine
and murine is a natural inhibitor of xanthine oxidase
it also stimulates the elimination of uric acid
through the kidneys. So it has double beneficial affect.
So murine is found both in roots and in fruits
of Chinese mulberry and we carry in stock highly
concentrated fruit extract.
The next product is Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Alpha Lipoic Acid has a unique property. So
Alpha Lipoic Acid stimulates the degredation
of uric acid and can be combined with White
Chinese Mulberry Extract as a very powerful
combination.
So in order to speed up the elimination of uric acid,
through gastrointestinal tract, we are utilizing
yucca root extract, which is known as Yucca Schidigera. And this product works as a soap
so it kind of washes out uric acid from the gastrointestinal tract.
In addition we have a brand product called liver detoxifier
which eliminates uric acid through liver via increased
elimination with bile and then through the gastrointestinal tract.
Finally, two oils, Black Currant Seed Oil and Krill Oil
can significantly reduce production of uric acid in
the liver and also benefit patients who are trying to lower uric acid.