Home Remedies for Gout

Gout, not a fun disease, debilitating - gout attacks can strike at any time and last for days. If it isn't controlled it can do serious damage...long term damage to joints and tendons. It usually winds up in really high traffic joints, joints that do a lot of work....elbows, knees and the big toe. Men generally get it, women and children are spared as they can eliminate uric acid more efficiently.

Those who suffer from it have one thing in common. Too much uric acid in their blood. This is a two way street. Either the body is making too much of it or the kidneys aren't removing enough of it. The good news is that without O.T.C medications it can be controlled naturally!

What happens is that uric acid in crystalline form gets deposited in joints. In those without gout, the excess uric acid gets flushed out of the body during urination.

One key to controlling is restricting the amount of purines you ingest. This means you need to cut back on alcohol more specifically beer, seafood and red meat.

There are also characteristics of those inflicted with gout. Typically those who have gout are prone to excessive alcohol consumption, are heavy meat eaters and exercise very little or have jobs where they sit all day.

The American Medical Association has a hit list of the foods you need to avoid if you suffer from gout: Beer, organ meats, legumes, anchovies, yeast, mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach, asparagus. Eliminating these foods are the first step to getting a handle on it.

There are a variety of herbs that can help ease joint pain and inflammation that is associated with gout. For example, meadowsweet leaves and ginger root have been shown effective in relieving mild pain in inflamed joints. Peppermint in another commonly used remedy for gout as it contains analgesic properties.

Analgesics come from the word analgesia which means to reduce pain. Peppermint can be used as an external analgesic as it binds to the pain receptors. It doesn't cure the pain but helps to deaden it. Ibuprofen is also effective in gout relief as it has not only inflammatory but also fever reducing qualities.

A home remedy to help further is to introduce foods that that help the gout condition. Dark berries - they help reduce uric acid in the blood.
Tofu and eggs and nuts - replace the protein that you get from meat with these super foods.

Vitamin C and Vitamin C rich foods are commonly used to combat gout as they are believed to neutralize uric acid. Vitamin C supplements can be used or you can squeeze a lime or lemon and mix it with water. Have a cup after every meal. Most get relief within 10 days of using this therapy.

Another common folk cure for gout are apples, bananas and cherries. Apples contain a compound called malic acid which like vitamin C, neutralizes uric acid.

Epsom salt baths and foot baths can help too. As this salt contains magnesium which aids he body in removing toxins.

Some get relief from gout symptoms by using a combination of the above therapies. Keep in mind everyone's body is different so some of these therapies will work for some and not for others.

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