Cherries Or Tart Cherry Juice
According to a , cherries whether sour, sweet, red, black, in extract form, as a juice, or raw are a very popular and potentially successful home remedy for many.
One 2012 study and another that same year also suggest cherries may work to prevent gout attacks.
This research recommends three servings of any cherry form over a two-day period, which was considered the most effective.
Try Natural Remedies For Gout
There are some nutrients that could be helpful.
- Proanthocyanidins can help neutralise uric acid and reduce inflammation
- Quercetin can reduce uric acid and may also provide relief
- Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation, so add a supplement if youre also cutting out certain seafoods that are rich in purines
- Heard about cherry juice for gout? Its proposed that tart cherry juice could temporarily lower blood uric acid levels, but more research is required to fully understand this link5
Home Care For A Gout Flare
If your doctor has diagnosed you with gout and given you medicine for a flare-up, take the medicine as directed when you know youâre having one. In most cases, that will probably be as soon as the first signs begin.
Your doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as celecoxib, indomethacin, meloxicam, or sulindac or suggest you take over-the-counter NSAIDs, like naproxen or ibuprofen. Depending on your medical history, your doctor may prescribe steroids or other medicines to reduce inflammation, such as colchicine .
In some cases, you already may be taking medicine like colchicine to prevent gout flare-ups. Your doctor may have also suggested:
If you canât take allopurinol or it is not effective, your doctor may prescribe . It should be used with caution, however, because it has been linked to increased risk of death from heart disease and from other causes.
Just because you have a flare doesn’t mean these medicines aren’t working. In the first few months that you take them, you may have an attack as your body adjusts to the drug. Your doctor will likely have given you something to take if this happens, too.
If youâve been taking preventive gout medicine for a long time and youâre having flares for the first time in a while, call your doctor. They may talk to you about changing your dosage or your medicine.
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Ways To Deal With Painful Gout Attacks
Its difficult to focus on work or other daily activities when youre experiencing gout inflammation and pain. Symptoms can last for a few days or even weeks, with the worst pain usually occurring in the first day or two.
While the best thing to do is talk to your physician, there are several steps you can take right away ease your gout symptoms:
Excess uric acid in the bloodstream can lead to the formation of uric acid crystals in one or more joints, resulting in gout.Read:All About Gout – Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Take Your Prescription Drugs
If you’ve had a gout attack before, your physician may have prescribed drugs to treat attacks. This may be your first line of defense or you may decide to use them only when NSAIDs fail to relieve your pain.
Prescription medications to treat gout include:
- Prednisolone oral tablets, which has been shown to work as well as NSAIDs and often doesnt cause the same stomach upset. Prednisolone is a type of corticosteroid and does carry other potential side effects, particularly if it is taken for longer than the recommended 5 days.4
- Colchicine, which has been shown effective in reducing pain and inflammation if taken in the first 24 hours of an attack. Always follow your physicians instructions regarding dosing to decrease your risk for potential complications and side effects.
Opioid painkillers, such as codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone, are not recommended to treat the pain caused by gout.
See Pain Medications for Arthritis Pain Relief
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Turmeric For High Uric Acid Levels In Blood
Turmeric is rich in curcumin which is an active anti-inflammatory agent and can help in reducing the inflammation of the joints affected by gout. A study done on mice showed that nanoparticles of turmeric have the potential to reduce the levels of serum uric acid in the body, thus reducing the pain.
Diagnosis And Tests For Gout
Gout and other forms of arthritis can mimic each other. Determining the presence of uric acid crystals is key to a diagnosis. Even though uric acid is the culprit for gout, testing uric acid levels through blood tests can be misleading, since many people with high uric acid levels dont develop gout.
Gout attacks typically start at night with sharp pains caused by the uric acid crystals. If you think you have gout, a visit to the doctor can help you know for sure. The doctor will try to locate the crystals to diagnose gout by extracting fluid from the joint. Analysis of the fluid reveals the presence of uric acid crystals.
Initial tests for gout involve patterns of joint use, checking for other characteristic symptoms, and examining a timetable for your pain. For chronic and long-term joint pain, X-rays and ultrasounds can show damage to the joints.
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What To Do During An Attack
You should:
- take any medication you’ve been prescribed as early as possible after you notice an attack this should start to have an effect within two or three days
- rest and raise the limb
- avoid knocking or damaging the affected joint
- keep the joint cool remove surrounding clothing and apply an ice pack, such as a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel
- ensure you’re well hydrated
Apply the ice pack to your joint for around 20 minutes. Don’t apply ice directly to your skin and don’t apply it for more than 20 minutes at a time because this could damage the skin.
If necessary, you can keep reapplying an ice pack to your skin during an attack, but you should wait until your skin has returned to a normal temperature first.
Applying Ice To Affected Joints
Applying a cloth-covered ice pack to the joint can help reduce gout-related inflammation.
Try applying an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel for 1015 minutes at a time to help relieve pain.
If gout is affecting the feet, a person can also use a pack of frozen vegetables covered with a washcloth, as this may drape more easily over the feet.
Heightened stress can worsen a persons gout symptoms. While it is not always possible to eliminate all sources of stress, the following tips might help:
- exercising, such as taking a brief walk, if the pain does not limit movement
- asking for time off from work
- journaling or reading a favorite book
- listening to music
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Foods Herbs And Supplements
The following have shown at least some promise for gout.
Coffee. According to the Mayo Clinic, theres evidence that drinking a moderate amount of coffee a day can lower gout risk.
Antioxidant-rich fruits. Dark-colored fruits like blackberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries, and especially cherries can help keep uric acid under control.
Vitamin C. Consuming moderate amounts of vitamin C is also connected to lower uric acid levels. However, very large doses of the vitamin can actually raise uric acid levels.
Other supplements. There are also herbal supplements that have been found to effectively reduce inflammation including devils claw, bromelain, and turmeric. These havent been specifically studied for gout, but they may help with the swelling and pain associated with an attack.
What Happens At Your Appointment
The GP may ask about your diet and if you drink alcohol.
They may refer you to see a specialist and arrange a blood test and scan. Sometimes a thin needle is used to take a sample of fluid from inside the affected joint, to test it.
The blood test will find out how much of a chemical called uric acid there is in your blood.
Having too much uric acid in your blood can lead to crystals forming around your joints, which causes pain.
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Ph Levels And Implications For Gout
A recent Japanese of acidity levels in urine came to some interesting conclusions. Researchers found that acid in the urine prevents the body from properly excreting uric acid.
Urine that is less acidic carries more uric acid out of the body.
This is good news for people with gout. When the level of uric acid in your blood decreases, it doesnt accumulate and crystalize in your joints.
Urine acidity levels are affected by the foods you eat. The Japanese study assigned participants two different diets, one acidic and one alkaline. The participants who ate the alkaline diet had more alkaline urine. The researchers concluded that an alkaline diet can help people with gout reduce the level of uric acid in their bodies.
Researchers found that sulfur-containing amino acids were a main determinant of urine acidity. These are abundant in animal proteins. So, people who eat lots of meat have more acidic urine. This confirms the old assumption that people who eat diets rich in animal protein are more susceptible to gout than people with diets rich in fruits and vegetables.
Its unclear whether adding ACV to your diet will affect the acidity of your urine. Vinegar was included in the alkaline diet used in the Japanese study, but was not the only component.
There are no scientific studies evaluating the use of apple cider vinegar in the treatment of gout. However, ACV may help you lose weight and reduce inflammation, which will reduce the amount of uric acid in your blood.
What Is Gout In The Foot
Gout is another form of arthritis where the joints get inflamed and started swelling. In most gout cases, it generally affects the feet and big toe, but it can affect fingertips, knee joint, and elbow in other types of gout.
Gout pain attack comes without any notification and can occur repeatedly. It damages the tissue slowly in the affected region.
Both men and women can experience gout pain, who overindulge food that increases the bloods uric acid level.
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When To Get Help For A Gout Flare
It’s always a good idea to let your doctor know that you are having a flare. Sometimes, you may need to follow up to make sure your treatment plan is working or if your symptoms don’t improve. Call your doctor if:
This is your first flare-up. There are several other conditions, such as a joint infection, that have some of the same symptoms as gout attacks.
You have a highfever and chills. Gout attack symptoms may include a mild fever, but a higher temperature may be a sign of an infection.
Your symptoms don’t get any better after 48 hours or don’t end after about a week. If you don’t start to feel somewhat better after a few days, call your doctor. They may suggest a different treatment. Most gout attacks will go away by themselves in several weeks, even without treatment.
Show Sources
Rebecca Manno, MD, MHS, assistant professor of medicine, division of rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Robert T. Keenan, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine, division of rheumatology and immunology, Duke University School of Medicine.
Scott Zashin, MD, clinical professor of medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School attending physician, Presbyterian Hospital.
Lan Chen, MD, PhD, attending rheumatologist, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Gout and Pseudogout Treatment & Management: “Treatment.”
Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center: “Gout — Treatments for Gout.”
Merck Manual: “Gout.”
What Are The Symptoms Of Gout
If you think you are suffering from gout, how can you be sure? One of the tell-tale signs of gout is excruciating swelling and pain in the big toe, usually resultant of an injury. Gout may affect other joints intermittently, though, most often it affects the joints in the foot and knee. If left untreated, gout can become a chronic condition.
If you do not treat gout symptoms, your body may produce something called tophi which are little crystals that form disfiguring lumps near your joints and can also produce painful kidney stones.
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Treating Gout At Home
This section on how to relieve gout pain is a very useful reference for those nights when you wake
up in agony. When you have a gout attack, you need to get the uric acid out of your system and treat
the pain.
Relax and keep your body calm.
Take proper medication.
For some people an over the counter anti inflammatory such as ibuprofen may be helpful but read the package insert carefully or discuss with the pharmacist.
Ice the affected area and elevate the joint.
If the pain is severe and doesnt diminish, its recommended to seek medical advice.
Exercise Diet & maintain Good Health
Gout is, no doubt, a painful condition. But, you can overcome it by following the above-mentioned self-care measures, dietary regime, and home remedies.
In addition to this, regular exercise is an important part of gout treatment. Exercise helps to maintain a healthy body weight, nourish the joint cartilage, and strengthen the joints.
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Take Caution With Supplements For Gout
As for the many supplements and other purported home remedies available for gout, including turmeric and bromelain, there is no significant evidence backing them up as of now, and theres no adequate evidence showing that supplements have any effect even comparable to that of medicines.
From my point of view, says Dr. Fields, the home remedy concept to gout is often harmful because it keeps patients from taking medications that we know are effective.
Lemon: Citric Acid Dissolves Uric Acid Crystals
Lemon is another fruit rich in vitamin C. It helps to heal sore joints as well as strengthens the connective tissues. Have a glassful of water added with lemon juice squeezed from half a lemon. Take it thrice a day.
Lemon juice consists of citric acid, which helps to dissolve uric acid crystals and prevent their deposition in the joints.
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Using Natural Remedies For Gout
Gout is a type of arthritis characterized by sudden, intense pain, redness, heat, swelling, and tenderness in the joints. Gout usually affects the large joint of the big toe, but symptoms can occur in your feet, ankles, knees, hands, and wrists. Attacks typically last about five to 10 days. Gout is more common in men than in women.
Gout is caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals, a waste product that’s formed from the breakdown of purinessubstances found naturally in the body and in foods such as organ meats, asparagus, anchovies, herring, and mushrooms.
So far, scientific support for the claim that any natural remedy can treat gout is limited.
Pain Relief Without Medicine
Use cold. If your pain isn’t too bad, try cold packs or compresses on the joint to lower inflammation and soothe the ache. Wrap ice in a thin towel and apply it to the joint for up to 20 minutes several times a day. Do not apply ice to your hands or feet if you have nerve problems from diabetes or other causes.
Rest the joint. It’s a good idea to rest it until the pain eases up. You probably won’t want to move it much anyway. If you can, raise the joint on a pillow or other soft object.
Drink water. When your body doesnât have enough water, your uric acid levels rise even higher. Stay hydrated to help keep those levels normal.
Watch what you eat and drink. Foods that are high in substances called purines, such as some seafood, organ meats like liver, and fatty foods, can raise the uric acid in your blood even more. So can fructose-sweetened drinks and alcohol — especially beer.
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Keep Asking Questions Until You Get The Answer You Need
The Medical Experts are all here to answer your questions online or with a phone call.
Baking soda will help you to relieve swelling and pain linked to gout very quickly. Here is what you need to do:
Preparation:
- At first, you mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with a cup of water.
- Then you drink it 3 times a day to get rid of gout as well as its pain.
- You should do this process for about 2 weeks.
- You have to make sure that you do not take this way more than three times a day and if you have hypertension, you must ignore this remedy.
Charcoal Therapy And Epsom Salt Therapy For Fast Gout Pain Relief
Other effective therapies for gout relief are charcoal therapy and Epsom salt therapy. Prepare a paste of half cup of charcoal powder in water and place it in the basin.
Put the aching foot in the basin and pour enough water to cover your foot completely. Keep the foot in a charcoal bath for about 30-50 minutes.
If the big toe is affected, Epsom salt therapy is quite helpful. Due to its content of magnesium, Epsom salt can help to eliminate toxins, waster products, and heavy metals from the blood. Soak your foot in a tub of Epsom salt.
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Elevating The Affected Joints
Gout can cause pain and swelling, especially in the feet, hands, knees, and ankles.
One way to reduce swelling is by elevating the affected joints. This encourages blood and fluid to move away from the joint and back toward the heart.
A person can also use an ice-pack in combination with elevation to reduce their gout symptoms.