Uric Acid and the Tao of Gout

Since thousands years ago, ancient Chinese philosophers Tao Te Ching has already discovered this secret of well being and he called this teaching as “Tao”. This should remind you about the popular Taoism symbol which is a round circle divided by curvy line that breaks the circle into black and white zones. Each side has a small dot of the opposite color in it. It is will be good if you can Google the “Tao Sign” and take a look that the symbol before you continue reading this article.

The main philosophy of Tao is about keeping things in balance. You can see Tao effects in almost every aspect of life. The nature has its own balancing forces that maintain the equilibrium of the ecosystems. In the world of science, we have all sorts of laws and theories that exist in the form of equations that explain the importance of keeping both sides balance.

Then what does Tao has to do with your gout problem?

As a matter of fact, the ultimate solution to gout could lie within the simple understanding of Tao. You do not have to search further for any medicines, herbs or all sort funny home remedies to treat your gout problem. The answer could be as simple as keeping Ying and Yang of your body in balance. Forget about all those complicated modern gout related medical terms such as xanthine oxidase, allopurinol, NSAIDs, etc.

Our body has a series of built in functions that always try to maintain the stability of the internal body environment, in terms of temperature, water content, oxygen levels, and pH. This process is commonly known as homeostasis.

Your gout problem begins when your body homeostasis of pH cannot cope with the amount of uric acid you consumed over the years. Naturally, the body will break down the excess purine (that you took from your high protein meaty meals) to uric acid which then is sent to the kidneys for excretion through the urine.

But when the input of purine is too much and too fast, the cycle cannot handle the heavy load of uric acid for disposal through urine. When this happens, your body will kick start the emergency alternative route to hide the excess uric acid from becoming corrosive to vital organs. One of the popular dumping sites of uric acid is the synovial fluid of the joints. It usually starts with the joints at the lowest level which is big toes (gravity force in action).

In Asian health practice, we apply many theories from the Taoism to solve complex health problems. We call all alkaline elements as Yang, while all acidic elements are known as Ying. We strongly believe that all modern diseases including gout are rooted from just One source, which is Ying and Yang imbalance.

As long as those Ying (acid) toxics in your body is not neutralized by the same amount of Yang (alkaline) elements, your gout problem will always be there with you. Chances are high that you will get some other modern illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, and possibly cancer at later stage of your life, if you do not do something to reverse the imbalance.