Gout

This is a form of arthritis that commonly affects men and also women after their menopausal stage. Gout is defined as severe pain in the joints that usually happens in the big toe.  There is redness, swelling, and tenderness in the affected area. People who experience Gout define the pain as intolerable. The cause of Gout is the high uric acid in the body that produces urate crystals. These urate crystals accumulate in the joints that cause the inflammation and severe pain. Excessive consumption of food with purine such as anchovies, organ meat, and mushrooms can lead to the release of more uric acid.

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Mugwort (Artemisa Vulgaris) [1, 7, 8, 9]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It has been proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has been discounted due life-threatening side effects

Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that mugwart helps to treat symptoms of gout. More research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Molybdenum (Mo, Sodium Molybdate) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Molybdenum has any affect on the treatment of gout)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Aconite (Aconitum Napellus, Monkshood, Fu-Tzu):

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself, and it not recomended for use because it is EXTREMELY TOXIC and can cause irregular heartbeat, heart failre, and death, even when only used only on the skin.

Recommendation: strongly against (Due to the lack of therapeutic effect on gout , and due to its harmful effects, Aconite is NOT RECOMENDED)

Grade of Evidence: high quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/molybdenum

3. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/molybdenum/

4. Hassouneh B, Islam M, Nagel T, Pan Q, Merajver SD, Teknos TN. Tetrathiomolybdate promotes tumor necrosis and prevents distant metastases by suppressing angiogenesis in head and neck cancer. Mol Cancer Ther. 2007;6:1039-1045.

5. Cassileth B. The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to Alternative and Complementary Therapies. New York, NY: W.W. Norton; 1998.

6. Nakadaira H, Endoh K, Yamamoto M, Katoh K. Distribution of selenium and molybdenum and cancer mortality in Niigata, Japan. Arch Environ Health. 1995;50:374-380.

7. Anliker MD, Borelli S, Wüthrich B. Occupational protein contact dermatitis from spices in a butcher: a new presentation of the mugwort-spice syndrome. Contact Dermatitis. 2002;46:72-74.

8. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/mugwort

9. Fetrow CW, Avila JR. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004.