Home Remedies For Gout | Gout Diet
Gout is an arthritic condition that causes swelling, pain, and inflammation in one or more joints of the body. It can affect joints in your heel, ankle, wrist, or elbow, amongst others. Gout is caused by high levels of uric acid in the body. Uric acid is usually passed out of the body through the kidneys. However, in the case of gout, the level of uric acid is high if the kidneys do not expel it fast enough, or if your body produces it in high amounts.
In addition to allopathic medication, there are also many natural remedies that can be used to alleviate the symptoms off gout.
Mild cases of gout go away after 2 weeks if treated properly. However, if left untreated, the chances of gout recurring in a severe fashion are high. Moreover, high levels of uric acid can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
In order to avoid gout in the future, you should avoid high levels of alcohol and soft drinks that are high in fructose. Both these drinks cause a build up of uric acid. Maintaining an adequate fluid intake also helps prevent acute gout attacks. You should try drinking at least ten to twelve glasses of water everyday. Dietary changes can also help reduce gout attacks. Purine rich foods such as meat, legumes, and spinach should not be consumed regularly. This is because the chemicals found in purine are converted into uric acid by the body. Additionally, patients should avoid medications that contain aspirin, because aspirin prevents the kidneys from excreting uric acid.
- A simple way to ease the pain associated with gout is to lightly exercise the affected limb. Lightly lift or raise the affected limb a couple of times to reduce the swelling to some extent.
- An ice pack is usually used to reduce the inflammation on the joint and also to reduce pain. You should not apply ice directly to your skin as it can damage your skin.
- In most medicinal treatments for gout, pain killers are used to tackle the pain while anti-inflammatory agents deal with the swelling. Lastly, medications are given for managing the chronic underlying metabolic imbalance.
Natural Remedies For Gout Treatment
In addition to allopathic medication, there are also many natural remedies that can be used to alleviate the symptoms off gout.
- Celery seed is used quite often to combat gout. Celery seeds are reputed to calm muscle spasms, thereby reducing the pain from swelling. The seeds are also an anti-bacterial and anti-microbial agent, thus decreasing chances of infection.
- The cherry juice remedy is one of the most popular home remedies for gout. Cherries contain flavonoids, which help reduce uric acid levels in the bloodstream.
- Another natural remedy is the use of garlic. Garlic protects the kidney from toxicity and helps to decrease the chances of gout.
Mild cases of gout go away after 2 weeks if treated properly. However, if left untreated, the chances of gout recurring in a severe fashion are high. Moreover, high levels of uric acid can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
In order to avoid gout in the future, you should avoid high levels of alcohol and soft drinks that are high in fructose. Both these drinks cause a build up of uric acid. Maintaining an adequate fluid intake also helps prevent acute gout attacks. You should try drinking at least ten to twelve glasses of water everyday. Dietary changes can also help reduce gout attacks. Purine rich foods such as meat, legumes, and spinach should not be consumed regularly. This is because the chemicals found in purine are converted into uric acid by the body. Additionally, patients should avoid medications that contain aspirin, because aspirin prevents the kidneys from excreting uric acid.