Chinese Medicine Key Acupoint Massage Relieves Gout Attacks

As the autumn wind blows and crab legs become plump, it is the perfect time to enjoy autumn crabs and hot pot. However, many delicious dishes carry the risk of gout attacks, especially Gao Pulin's seafood hot pot, which is nicknamed "goutModern medicine attributes gout to abnormal uric acid metabolism caused by dietary and genetic factors, but Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approaches it from a different perspective, believing that gout is closely related to small intestinal dysfunction. In addition to medication, stimulation of specific acupoints can also effectively relieve symptoms.
Gout: Modern Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspectives
Gout is a common rheumatic autoimmune disease. Modern medicine believes that dietary habits and individual constitutions lead to abnormal uric acid metabolism, resulting in persistently elevated uric acid levels in the blood. Excessive uric acid can deposit in the joints, kidneys, heart, and other areas, forming uric acid crystals. When crystals accumulate in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues, they trigger an inflammatory reaction characterized by redness, swelling, heat, and pain, hence the name "metabolic arthritis."

Traditional Chinese medicine refers to gout as "tongbi" and believes that its cause is related to eating habits and physical constitution. According to the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, "the three qi of wind, cold and dampness come together to form bi", gout is often a "tongbi" disease, that is, the main cause is cold evil. Clinically the pathogenesis of gout is characterized by damp heat, phlegm and blood stasis, and internal accumulation of turbid toxins, which leads to stagnation of qi and blood, causing severe joint pain Symptoms include redness, swelling, heat, and limited movement. If damp-heat and phlegm stagnate for a long time, it is more likely to cause joint deformation and even form tophi.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective: The Relationship between Small Intestinal Function and Gout
Classic Chinese medicine texts often explain the pathological mechanism of gout from the perspective of "damp-heat, phlegm, and blood stasis." However, deeper exploration points to dysfunction in the small intestine. The small intestine has the function of "separating the clear from the turbid," separating the essence of digested food from the waste products, absorbing and utilizing the essence while excreting the waste products. If the small intestine malfunctions and is unable to effectively expel dampness and turbidity, these turbidity and dampness stagnate, accumulating over time and eventually settling in the joints, forming tophi. This process is similar to the preparation of a paste: impurities are mixed into the body's fluids. Burned by internal heat, these impurities gradually solidify, making the fluids turbid and sticky, obstructing the circulation of qi and blood. They eventually settle in the joints, forming crystals. Therefore, Chinese medicine calls gout "turbid stasis and arthralgia," an accurate description of its pathological characteristics.

Acupoint conditioning: wrist bone point and triple burner meridian
In addition to medication, acupoint massage is an important adjunct to traditional Chinese medicine treatments for gout. The Wangu point, a point on the Small Intestine Meridian, is known for its ability to clear dampness and heat, restoring the small intestine's ability to separate clear and turbid fluids, making it a key acupoint for gout treatment. Furthermore, since gout also presents with the "turbidity and stasis" characteristic of fluid stagnation, it can be combined with the treatment of the Sanjiao meridian. The Sanjiao meridian, which runs through the body and is responsible for the circulation of food, body fluids, and vital energy, effectively clears turbid qi from the body. Combining the Wangu point with the Sanjiao meridian can achieve even more significant therapeutic effects.

Summary: Gout prevention and treatment should address multiple aspects, including diet, lifestyle, and physical conditioning. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers new insights into gout treatment, including acupoint massage, which can effectively alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. However, any treatment should be performed under the guidance of a professional physician.