Simple Home Remedies for Gout Sufferers
Most people have heard of gout, but I suspect many don't know
what it really is. Simply put, gout is a disease caused by
excessive levels of uric acid in the blood-stream
(hyperuricemia). Not everyone who has high levels of this acid
their blood develops gout disease, but it does seem most do.
Specifically, gout occurs when uric-acid crystals form around
body joints like knees, fingers, elbows and especially big toes
- in fact, for the vast majority of gout sufferers, the first
sign of the disease is big toe pain! After salt-like crystals
form, inflammation, tenderness, and even a reddish rash may
occur around affected joints.
The disease has been noted and documented since the time of
Hippocrates. Traditionally, it's been associated with exuberant
living - eating and drinking well. And there is some indirect
evidence to support this. For example, a long-term study noted
that heavy consumers of meat and sea food were much more likely
to develop gout. Additionally, significant alcohol consumption,
especially in the form of beer, is also known to increase the
risk of gout development.
Below are simple home remedies that may help to relieve pain and
other symptoms linked to this sometimes debilitating disease.
It's unlikely they will all work for or apply to you, so it may
be worth experimenting with different remedies to find the ones
that personally help alleviate your symptoms.
* An old study supported by a recent one and significant amount
of anecdotal stories suggest drinking cherry juice may help
alleviate pain caused by uric-acid crystal formation.
* Soaking the affected joint or joints in warm water, or having
a warm bath, may also help.
* Drinking plenty of water may help eliminate uric acid from the
body.
* Cutting back on alcohol and meat (especially red) consumption
should reduce the level of digestive purines from which uric
acid is formed.
* If you're overweight, slowly losing weight may also help.
* A recent study suggested taking vitamin C supplements may
reduce the risk of gout attacks, so this is worth considering
too.
These are just some simple remedies that may help curb gout
attacks. Visit my website:
http://www.gout-diet-tips.com/gout_diets/ for more gout dietary
information.