Natural Remedies For Gout

Monday, December 5th, 2011 at 3:58 am

If you are looking for natural remedies for gout, you’ll be glad to know that gout is rarely a chronic condition. Most people suffer from recurrences once in a while and others never have another attack. Nevertheless, there are some that suffer repeat attacks. Luckily there are some natural healing remedies you can try.

If you’ve been recently diagnosed and are having acute gout symptoms, you are probably on prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). These medications are very effective in reducing inflammation and pain, but can be very harsh on your gastrointestinal system. Some patients follow a natural treatment for gout while taking drug medications to relieve pain.

Gout is caused by excessive uric acid in your blood, which turns into crystals that end up in joints. These crystals irritate the joint lining and cause intense pain. You can decrease the level of uric acid by avoiding alcohol and foods high in protein.

Good Foods For Gout

Fruits and vegetables, specially cherries and celery are excellent at preventing the type of inflammation responsible for gout by decreasing the acidity of your urine, thus avoiding uric acid build up.
Keep Hydrated. Drink lots of water, teas, juices and other non-alcoholic drinks to help dilute uric acid and urine elimination.
Take Vitamin E. Dr. Joseph Pizzorno Jr., founder and president of Bastyr University LNaturopathic Medical School in Kenmore, Washington, suggests taking 400 to 800 IU of vitamin E daily to reduce inflammation.
Fatty Acid Supplements, such as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) are believed to be excellent for reducing inflammation. Borage, black currant seed, and evening primrose oils are all good sources of GLA.

Gout Diet–Foods Not To Eat

If you want to follow a natural treatment for gout, the first step to consider changing is your diet. Avoid high protein foods such as meats, anchovies, herring, sardines, shellfish, dairy, fish and poultry. Also try to cut down on sugar and processed foods.

Eliminate Alcohol. Alcohol dramatically increases uric acid levels. Many patients have stopped their painful attacks just by avoiding alcoholic drinks.
Avoid taking high doses of vitamin C and Niacin. Dr. Pizzorno advises that taking large doses of these supplements can increase uric acid levels, however taking a multivitamin that contains these supplements should be fine.
Avoid High doses of vitamin A. Dr. Robert M. Giller, author of “Natural Prescriptions” even believes that taking more than 5000 IU of daily vitamin A should be either avoided or entirely eliminated.

Other Gout Home Remedies

Naturopathy. Dr.John Abruzzo of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, suggests hydrotherapy (hot tub soaks, hot showers or baths and swimming in a properly heated pool) or applying moist heat packs to the affected area. These natural therapies relieve stiffness and joint pain.
Ayurvedic Herbs. Researches at the University of Poona, India conducted a study with 42 patients, which concluded that an herbal formula consisting of guggul, turmeric, ashwaghanda and zinc was significantly effective at relieving pain.
Reduce your Stress Levels by practicing stress relieving techniques.
Control Your Weight. Obese people are more likely to get affected by gout. If you decide to lose pounds, do it gradually as it is reported that a fast weight drop can trigger gout attacks.

You may benefit by reading a step-by-step gout report with little known tips, altenative treatments, a list of the most effective natural remedies for gout and the proper way to use them, as well as prevention strategies and comprehensive gout information. Follow the link below to access this report.