Gout Remedies Available for You to Use
There are several gout remedies that are available for you to use. You can use prescription medications, such as Allopurinol, Colchicine, and Indocin. You can also use natural remedies for gout such as eating plenty of fruits for their vitamin C and potassium. Another option are herbal remedies for gout, such as celery seed and its extract. Then there are the countless home gout remedies such as ice, nonprescription anti-inflammatory medications, and general health improvement techniques such as losing weight.
Which should you choose. That is primarily up to you and your physician and which method you are comfortable with. My hsuband used to get gout quite often. He has used all the methods we've described in this blog to varying degrees of success.
The biggest problem with gout patients, I believe, is that they tend to only attack the gout symptoms and forget about this disease while it is not affecting them. That will only lead to more attacks. The best gout remedies are those that work on gout even when it is not a painful incident you are dealing with. Preventative maintenance is the key. Over time, if you neglect to prevent and treat gout before an attack occurs, you will eventually destroy your joints and if not taken care of properly, this damage can become permanent. So, please take care of yourself.
I recommend that anyone who has gout goes and visits their doctor to discuss all your options in regards to preventing and treating this problem. For one thing, your treatments for gout may be slightly different than someone else with gout. Gout is usually caused by excessive uric acid concentration. However, this can occur for a couple of reasons. In some patients, their uric acid levels are so high the body cannot process all the excess and crystallization occurs and an attack soon follows. On the other hand, some people have very high uric acid levels and never get gout. Some people have normal levels of uric acid and still get outbreaks. Why is this? Because their body cannot properly process the uric acid it does have. So there are essentially two reasons why someone can get gout. A simple test that your doctor can do will help you determine which case you belong to and you can receive appropriate treatment.
Knowing which case you fall under will help your physician decide which medications are appropriate for you. And if you decide you wish not to use prescription medications this can help you determine which gout remedy to use.
Are your kidneys the problem or uric acid accumulation from too many purines in your diet the problem? If your kidneys are the problem, then you know you consider remedies that will help your kidneys function better. If your are having a problem with too much uric acid, you can consider changing your diet to reducing high purine foods and eating foods that help to neutralize or reduce this acid such as foods high in potassium and high in vitamin C. This is one reason why cherries are so successful in fighting gout. They contain potassium and vitamin C.
Once you have an attack, if you choose not to use medication, you can focus on foods that reduce swelling and provide pain relief such as pineapples. However, as always before trying something new, seek your doctor's advice. Most gout remedies are not dangerous, however, there are a few that can be under certain circumstances and it is important to seek proper medical counsel to avoid these instances.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Home Remedies for Gout
Gout Home Remedies to help Eliminate Gout Pain
There are countless gout remedies that any person should be able to use at home. Some of these therapies are preventative and some of them are helpful in reducing the pain if an acute gout attack occurs.
A controversial one is using ice. My husband used to get gout and he used ice and found it was very helpful. He would lightly put the ice on for up to 20 minutes. If you decide to give ice a try, it is important that you limit the ice to 20 minutes at most to avoid frostbite. You should also place a thin towel in between the ice and your skin to avoid freezing your skin. This can cause permanent damage if you do not do this. When using ice, for gout or an injury, try to remember, 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off.
While some people suggest ice, others do not. The reason for this is that cool temperatures can help crystallize the uric acid. This is something we are trying to avoid. Again, the ice will provide some relief, but there is the possibility of future attacks.
Weight loss
Most people with gout tend to be overweight. This double whammy can be due to overweight people eating foods that cause gout and increase weight. Examples would be hamburgers, hot dogs, and bacon. By reducing these types of foods you should lose or at least maintain your weight. This should also help your kidneys not to be overworked which your kidneys are a major factor in whether you can get rid of uric acid properly or not. So anything that is good for kidney health is something you should consider.
Drink Plenty of Water
Speaking of kidney health, it is very important to drink plenty of water in order to maintain healthy kidneys. Kidneys help get rid of excess urates which will help reduce your chances of getting gout. This is the ultimate in home remedies for gout because anyone can drink plenty of water. Many gout patients though are addicted to sodas and need to wean themselves off of sodas as they dehydrate you, thus raising your uric acid concentration and also raising your risk for a gouty episode.
NSAIDs
If you do get a gout attack, you can attack your gout symptoms while at home without taking prescriped medicine. One way is to take an anti-inflammatory such as Aleve (my husband's favorite choice), ibuprofen, or Motrin. Either one works well. Avoid aspirin as this can actually make your gout attack worse. If you must take aspirin due to physicians orders due to heart disease, you may need to take prescriptions. Ask your doctor what should work best for your situation.
Regular exercise
Exercising regularly helps keep your joints in shape and helps reduce weight which are two important factors in keeping gout at bay. Joint health is achieved by helping the collagen eliminate harmful byproducts and this can be accomplished by regular exercise. After seeing your doctor to determine your ability of what type of exercise is safe for your health condition, you should aim to start slow and avoid exercise that creates hard pounding on your joints, such as jogging and aerobics. Swimming is very good for your joints and is one my husband does to help improve his health.
Other natural gout remedies people have used are apple cider vinegar. I have heard people say this has helped them, while others claim there is no scientific evidence this works. The jury is out. Give it a try and see for yourself. It is not harmful for you to do so. It may give you pain relief. You can usually get a good apple cider vinegar at a natural health food store.
As you can see most of these ideas are fairly simple to implement and is based on living a basic healthy lifestyle. If you go slowly you should see the best results. If you do try and do too much, you probably will get a gout attack as you will throw off the percentage of uric acid levels in your body until your body gets used to it's new weight.
Using these therapies a long with herbal gout remedies can not only help ease your pain, they can also help you reduce your uric acid levels and reduce the chances of future gout attacks.
Trish
There are countless gout remedies that any person should be able to use at home. Some of these therapies are preventative and some of them are helpful in reducing the pain if an acute gout attack occurs.
A controversial one is using ice. My husband used to get gout and he used ice and found it was very helpful. He would lightly put the ice on for up to 20 minutes. If you decide to give ice a try, it is important that you limit the ice to 20 minutes at most to avoid frostbite. You should also place a thin towel in between the ice and your skin to avoid freezing your skin. This can cause permanent damage if you do not do this. When using ice, for gout or an injury, try to remember, 20 minutes on, 40 minutes off.
While some people suggest ice, others do not. The reason for this is that cool temperatures can help crystallize the uric acid. This is something we are trying to avoid. Again, the ice will provide some relief, but there is the possibility of future attacks.
Weight loss
Most people with gout tend to be overweight. This double whammy can be due to overweight people eating foods that cause gout and increase weight. Examples would be hamburgers, hot dogs, and bacon. By reducing these types of foods you should lose or at least maintain your weight. This should also help your kidneys not to be overworked which your kidneys are a major factor in whether you can get rid of uric acid properly or not. So anything that is good for kidney health is something you should consider.
Drink Plenty of Water
Speaking of kidney health, it is very important to drink plenty of water in order to maintain healthy kidneys. Kidneys help get rid of excess urates which will help reduce your chances of getting gout. This is the ultimate in home remedies for gout because anyone can drink plenty of water. Many gout patients though are addicted to sodas and need to wean themselves off of sodas as they dehydrate you, thus raising your uric acid concentration and also raising your risk for a gouty episode.
NSAIDs
If you do get a gout attack, you can attack your gout symptoms while at home without taking prescriped medicine. One way is to take an anti-inflammatory such as Aleve (my husband's favorite choice), ibuprofen, or Motrin. Either one works well. Avoid aspirin as this can actually make your gout attack worse. If you must take aspirin due to physicians orders due to heart disease, you may need to take prescriptions. Ask your doctor what should work best for your situation.
Regular exercise
Exercising regularly helps keep your joints in shape and helps reduce weight which are two important factors in keeping gout at bay. Joint health is achieved by helping the collagen eliminate harmful byproducts and this can be accomplished by regular exercise. After seeing your doctor to determine your ability of what type of exercise is safe for your health condition, you should aim to start slow and avoid exercise that creates hard pounding on your joints, such as jogging and aerobics. Swimming is very good for your joints and is one my husband does to help improve his health.
Other natural gout remedies people have used are apple cider vinegar. I have heard people say this has helped them, while others claim there is no scientific evidence this works. The jury is out. Give it a try and see for yourself. It is not harmful for you to do so. It may give you pain relief. You can usually get a good apple cider vinegar at a natural health food store.
As you can see most of these ideas are fairly simple to implement and is based on living a basic healthy lifestyle. If you go slowly you should see the best results. If you do try and do too much, you probably will get a gout attack as you will throw off the percentage of uric acid levels in your body until your body gets used to it's new weight.
Using these therapies a long with herbal gout remedies can not only help ease your pain, they can also help you reduce your uric acid levels and reduce the chances of future gout attacks.
Trish
Disclaimer
**Disclaimer**
While all the remedies on this site have been used by others to varying degrees of success, this site is meant only as an information site. It is not meant for medical advice or to be used in place of a physician's counsel. Not all items on this list have FDA approval as being successful in treating gout and I recommend heavily that you seek your physician's counsel before treating this or any disease. I am not liable for any damage done by you by using any of these remedies.
While all the remedies on this site have been used by others to varying degrees of success, this site is meant only as an information site. It is not meant for medical advice or to be used in place of a physician's counsel. Not all items on this list have FDA approval as being successful in treating gout and I recommend heavily that you seek your physician's counsel before treating this or any disease. I am not liable for any damage done by you by using any of these remedies.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Natural Remedies for Gout
Grapes are one of many excellent natural remedies for gout. They are very effective at helping to lessen the severity of your gout symptoms. When mixed together with other great remedies, they have a cumulative effect and can help you either reduce the frequency of or actually help you get rid of gout in the long run.
Grapes have several ways they contribute in treating gout. These include quercitin, water, potassium, vitamin C, and anthocyanins. One of the ways grapes treat this disease is with quercitin. Quercitin is a very strong flavonoid. They help fix the main painful gout symptom, inflammation. Flavonoids are considered to be very effective at reducing swelling.
When too many uric acid crystals settle in your joints they cause irritation and inflammation. Quericitin helps fight this problem. This helpful flavonoid can be purchased as a supplement.
Grapes are useful for helping gout due to their high water content. Getting adequate amounts of water in your body helps your body to work more properly. This treats gout by enabling you to get rid of extra uric acid crystals which would otherwise settle in your joints causing you great pain.
Potassium is another way grapes are a great natural gout remedies. Potassium helps your kidneys to excrete uric acidmore easily. Grapes contain approximately 190mg of potassium a serving (100g). One serving will give you around 5% of your daily allowance so grapes alone will not give you enough potassium. Many other fruits such as cantaloupes and peaches contain potassium, so eating plenty of fruits will help you treat gout.
Grapes are able to assist in reducing or eliminating gout pain because they are filled with vitamin C. Grapes consist of approximately 20% of your daily needs for this potent vitamin. Vitamin C is very effective at fighting this arthritic condition. One study discovered taking Vitamin C during a 2 month period reduced uric acid levels by around 10 percent. They found vitamin C helps prevent purines from turning into uric acid. Being able to control your uric acid is very important because most gout patients are unable to keep their levels under control.
Anthocyanins are another reason grapes are great gout remedies. Anthocyanins are flavonoids and help control swelling. Does the color of the grape make a difference? Some would say yes. The higher the anthocyanins found in the grape, the more beneficial the grapes are in reducing swelling. Darker grapes would be better as they contain greater amounts of anthocyanins.
Grapes are not the only way to treating gout. However, they are a big part of treating it. Other fruits should be added to your dietary plan so you get a well balanced variety in your natural remedies for gout plan.
Grapes have several ways they contribute in treating gout. These include quercitin, water, potassium, vitamin C, and anthocyanins. One of the ways grapes treat this disease is with quercitin. Quercitin is a very strong flavonoid. They help fix the main painful gout symptom, inflammation. Flavonoids are considered to be very effective at reducing swelling.
When too many uric acid crystals settle in your joints they cause irritation and inflammation. Quericitin helps fight this problem. This helpful flavonoid can be purchased as a supplement.
Grapes are useful for helping gout due to their high water content. Getting adequate amounts of water in your body helps your body to work more properly. This treats gout by enabling you to get rid of extra uric acid crystals which would otherwise settle in your joints causing you great pain.
Potassium is another way grapes are a great natural gout remedies. Potassium helps your kidneys to excrete uric acidmore easily. Grapes contain approximately 190mg of potassium a serving (100g). One serving will give you around 5% of your daily allowance so grapes alone will not give you enough potassium. Many other fruits such as cantaloupes and peaches contain potassium, so eating plenty of fruits will help you treat gout.
Grapes are able to assist in reducing or eliminating gout pain because they are filled with vitamin C. Grapes consist of approximately 20% of your daily needs for this potent vitamin. Vitamin C is very effective at fighting this arthritic condition. One study discovered taking Vitamin C during a 2 month period reduced uric acid levels by around 10 percent. They found vitamin C helps prevent purines from turning into uric acid. Being able to control your uric acid is very important because most gout patients are unable to keep their levels under control.
Anthocyanins are another reason grapes are great gout remedies. Anthocyanins are flavonoids and help control swelling. Does the color of the grape make a difference? Some would say yes. The higher the anthocyanins found in the grape, the more beneficial the grapes are in reducing swelling. Darker grapes would be better as they contain greater amounts of anthocyanins.
Grapes are not the only way to treating gout. However, they are a big part of treating it. Other fruits should be added to your dietary plan so you get a well balanced variety in your natural remedies for gout plan.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Herbal Remedies for Gout
Herbal Gout Remedies that Help Get Rid of Gout
There are quite a few excellent herbal remedies you can use to help you get rid of gout. The main factors we are looking at from herbs to help us with gout are herbs that reduce swelling, improve kidney function, and lower uric acid levels.
Herbal Remedies for Gout that Reduce Swelling
Celery seed is a very effective herbal gout treatment. It is an excellent choice because it works on several fronts to help get rid of this painful condition. First of all, it helps to reduce inflammation in your affected joint. Second, celery seed helps your kidneys excrete uric acid more efficiently and helps to alkalize your blood. This important herbal therapy helps you get rid of uric acid because it is a diuretic.
Because this potent herb is a diuretic, you need to make sure you are adequately hydrated. Water is extremely important in maintaining kidney health and function, so make sure you are drinking enough water or eating enough water dense foods.
Celery seed can either be taken as a spice in a food or as an extract. Do not eat the seeds by themselves as they are bitter and hard to ingest.
While mostly men have gout, women can suffer from this painful disease, too. If you are one of these women and you are pregnant, do not use celery seed during your pregnancy. The seeds are able to stimulate the uterus, which raises the possibility of miscarriage or premature birth. If you do not have these two conditions, celery seed should be very helpful for you. It is recommended that you take 35-75mg per day and some naturopaths have suggested as much as 150mg.
Turmeric is another herb you can use to help you treat gout. This works because tumeric helps reduce inflammation. I have used turmeric with decent success. This herb is a member of the ginger family and has many medicinal properties. It has been seen in studies to reduce swelling and inhibit pain receptors, thus lowering your gout pain. The way this works is it is believed that turmeric acts on the adrenal glands. The adrenal gland then makes more cortisol which works on reducing the swelling.
Grape seed extract is an excellent overall herbal therapy and another of these herbal remedies for gout you can use to reduce swelling. It contains bioflavonols which are known to reduce swelling. Grape seed extract is considered safe as a dietary item and is used in Europe for many many diseases because of it's anti-inflammatory effects.
Bilberry is another anti-inflammatory herbal therapy you can use to help get rid of gout. It works because of the anthocyanins which help it reduce swelling in your joints. It can be used as an extract, tea, or dietary supplement. You should use with caution if you are a diabetic as it can lower your blood sugar.
All of these herbal remedies for gout should be used in conjunction with your physician. Especially if you are taking prescription medications. This is to avoid any possible interactions with medications.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Remedies for Gout Welcome
Welcome to my remedies for gout blog.
My family has had terrible trouble with gout in the past and this blog shares some of the remedies and treatments I've used to help my family get over this painful problem. Please join me as I show you how I was able to treat gout using natural remedies and therapies that anyone can use.
*Disclaimer*
I am not a physician. These remedies for gout worked for my family. This does not mean they will work for you. Every one is different. For example, I know people that cherries do not work for, but most gout sufferers I know use cherries successfully.
This blog is meant as an information site, not a treatment plan. Consult your physician on any concerns you may have regarding you or your loved one's gout condition and treatment.
Sincerely,
Trish
My family has had terrible trouble with gout in the past and this blog shares some of the remedies and treatments I've used to help my family get over this painful problem. Please join me as I show you how I was able to treat gout using natural remedies and therapies that anyone can use.
*Disclaimer*
I am not a physician. These remedies for gout worked for my family. This does not mean they will work for you. Every one is different. For example, I know people that cherries do not work for, but most gout sufferers I know use cherries successfully.
This blog is meant as an information site, not a treatment plan. Consult your physician on any concerns you may have regarding you or your loved one's gout condition and treatment.
Sincerely,
Trish
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