Gout can be an extremely debilitating condition that leaves the
sufferers with red, inflamed painful joints, using in the foot and
ankle. There are a number of ways to treat gout, but if you want to
avoid medication then why not try these gout pain natural remedies.
Firstly,
a brief outline of what causes gout. In essence gout is caused by the
build up of uric acid crystals in the blood that are then deposited in
the joints and soft tissues surrounding the joints. Uric acid naturally
occurs in our bodies, the problems start when there is excessive levels
present.
Your body can have an excess of uric acid for a number of reasons:
- It's can be down to a hereditary condition whereby your body struggles to process uric acid efficiently.
-
Your diet is high in purine-rich foods. Purine, when metabolized,
produces uric acid, so if you're eating lots of purine-rich foods the
body struggles to expel the resulting high levels of uric acid.
- Some medications can lead to increased levels of uric acid.
- Being obese can also increase uric acid levels
- Impaired kidney function can hinder the process of eliminating uric acid in via the urine.
There
are a number of gout pain relief natural remedies that you can use to
reduce the swelling and relieve the pain of a gout flare-up.
1. Water
The
simplest of the home remedies is water. We all know that we're supposed
to drink 6 - 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day, but we don't all do
it! However, as a gout sufferer it is vitally important to keep your
fluid intake up. Keeping the body hydrated dilutes the uric acid and
allows it to be easily processed by the kidneys and eliminated in the
urine.
If drinking that much water isn't very appetizing to you
then fruit juices and tea are okay alternatives. But try to drink as
much pure water as you can.
2. Icing
When
you have a gout flare up a great way to reduce the swelling and
accompanying pain is to ice the area. Keeping a cold compress pack in
the freezer makes this an easy task when gout strikes.
3. Warmth
Conversely,
other gout sufferers report experiencing relief when keeping the
affected area warm. Try wrapping a warm towel around the joint or
applying a warm wheat bag to the area. This can help to alleviate the
pain and many gout sufferers say it's a good way to help you get to
sleep.
4. Diet
changing your diet is a
longer-term remedy. It won't bring you immediate relief, but it will
reduce the uric acid in your system over time and help prevent further
attacks.
The focus of a gout friendly diet is to avoid food with
very high purine levels and replace them with foods which moderate to
low purine levels. Here are a few examples of what to eat and what not
to eat:
Gout Friendly Foods:
Fruit & fruit juices
Most vegetables
Eggs
Dairy products
Cereals
Foods to avoid:
Meat extracts
Shellfish (ie scrimp & mussels)
Offal
Gravies
Dried legumes.
5. Cherry Juice
1950
was the year that cherries were discovered to bring relief from gout
symptoms. Furthermore, recent studies on the anti-inflammatory
properties of cherries have produced similar positive effects. Cherry
juice is not a drug and therefore has not been submitted to the clinical
trials that medications have, however, many gout sufferers have found
relief from their gout symptoms while drinking
or taking cherry juice or extract.
