P. Sze 
I take my acupuncture pen with me everywhere – and for good reason! Even I, an acupuncture pen enthusiast, am consistently taken aback by the incredible range of benefits the device holds.
In fact, I recently discovered that you could use an acupuncture pen for gout!
Gout can be a particularly painful condition that negatively affects the daily lives of sufferers’.
Whilst there are many treatments available, using an acupuncture pen provides a holistic type of relief with very few risks or side effects.
To learn more about how to use an acupuncture pen for gout, take a look at the ultimate guide below.
What Is Gout?
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation and pain in your joints. It’s usually triggered by high levels of uric acid in your blood. Uric acid is a waste product from your liver.
When your kidneys aren’t able to get rid of excess uric acid properly, it builds up in your bloodstream.
Your immune system responds by trying to flush this uric acid out of your body through your urine. But when it doesn’t work, it ends up building in your joints.
That’s why gout attacks tend to strike at night because at this time your body isn’t working as hard.
How Does Gout Develop?
The first sign of gout is often joint pain. You might feel like you have a fever, but there are no signs of infection. Then, redness and swelling appear in one or more joints.
Finally, crystals form inside the joint. These crystals cause the joints to swell and stiffen, making movement painful.
If you’re prone to gout, you may already know what triggers it.
For example, if you drink too much alcohol, eat lots of foods with purines (like anchovies), or take medications such as diuretics, you could be at risk. Over 10% of men over the age of 80 develop gout.
Symptoms Of Gout
The most common symptoms of gout are sudden, intense pain and swelling in the toes, feet, ankles, knees, or elbows.
If there is a sudden flare-up of pain and inflammation in a joint, it’s called an acute attack of gout.
Efficacy Of Acupuncture For Gout Treatment
Studies have shown that acupuncture does reduce pain and improve function in patients with acute gout flares.
In fact, acupuncture has proven to be one of the best ways to relieve the pain of gout. It has had over 93% success rate in a study of 60 patients in China.
Currently, long-term research on the efficacy of acupuncture for gout treatment is lacking. As such, it isn’t possible to comment on whether acupuncture can actually work as a preventative measure.
However, there is enough evidence to be confident that acupuncture can work to relieve the symptoms of gout significantly.
If you opt for traditional acupuncture treatment, make sure to find a licensed practitioner who specializes in treating gout.
This is because traditional acupuncture is a complicated treatment and could potentially result in side effects if it is not completed properly.
If, on the other hand, you opt for acupuncture pen treatment, you can do this yourself from the comfort of your own home.
Whilst there is little evidence regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture pen treatment on gout, the clinical trials, randomized trials, and studies conducted on the efficacy of traditional acupuncture as a treatment for gout are very positive.
If you need a bit more convincing, check out these articles titled Do Acupuncture Pens Work and Acupuncture Pen for Arthritis.
How To Use An Acupuncture Pen For Gout
Now that you are excited about the potential benefits of acupuncture pens let’s get into how to use an acupuncture pen for gout relief.
The most important thing you need to do is to locate the areas you plan to target with your acupuncture pen.
These acupoints will largely depend on your specific needs. However, we’ve listed a few popular acupressure points for gout to get you started. Take a look below.
Acupoint: GV-8 (Other Names: The Governing Vessel-8/Jin Suo/Muscle Spasm)
GV-8, or Jinsuo, is situated on the top half of the spine. On the back, on the posterior midline, in the depression below the spinous process of the 9th thoracic vertebra。
This acupressure point plays a major role in reducing gout symptoms.
It also reduces back stiffness and gastric pain, so it should be your first choice if you suffer from arthritis.
Acupoint: Bl-18 (Other Names: Urinary Bladder-18/Gan Shu/Liver Transporter)
BL-18, or Ganshu, is also situated next to the spin in the middle of the back, under the spinous process of the ninth thoracic vertebra, at the width of the left and right two fingers.
It works to adjust the function of the liver, which, in turn, reduces gout symptoms significantly.
To learn more about this point, take a look at this article about back pressure points massage.
Acupoint: Bl-23 (Other Names: Urinary Bladder-23/Shen Shu/Kidney Transporter)
BL-23, or Shenshu, is located on the lower back. Find the center point that is directly opposite your belly button. You can find the pair of BL-23 1.5 cun on both sides of this center point.
This point becomes an effective acupoint when hyperuricemia affects the function of the kidneys. It also works to aid significantly with lumbar pain.
In fact, when it comes to pain and chronic pain, this acupressure point is very useful. To learn more, take a look at this article about acupressure points for back pain due to gas.
Acupoint: SP-9 (Other Names: Spleen-9/Yin Ling Quan/Yin Mound Spring)
SP-9, or Yinlingquan, is one of many acupressure points in the leg. It is located on the top of the calf. You can find the acupoint at the inner side of the calf, in the depression below the medial condyle of the tibia.
This point is thought to have preventative properties due to its location on the spleen meridian. It is also understood to significantly reduce pain.
