Natural Alternatives Used to Treat Gout
There are various medications that can be prescribed by a doctor to relieve the symptoms of gout. However, since gout is a disease that can never be completely cured, it would mean taking these medications for years and sometimes even for a lifetime. It is important that you seek out medical consult the moment you start experiencing sharp persistent pains in your joints since a speedy diagnosis can help you to manage your current condition better.
It is difficult for many people to accept that they have to only take medications to help manage the symptoms of gout. Therefore, there are now holistic alternatives that you can opt for. Just check out some of the holistic treatments listed here as they are quite effective in helping you manage your current condition and even enable you to lead near normal life without the debilitating pain.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Most people will have some apple cider vinegar in their home because it can be used to treat a number of minor ailments like headaches, colds, hiccups and stomach acid. You probably didn’t know it is also super-effective for managing gout. In fact, it can reduce pain due to gout by up to 90%, while supplying your body with a boost of energy by removing lactic acid. It is loaded with the required anti-oxidants an also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent which is why it is so effective in reducing inflammation in the joints and lessening the pain that you may be under at the moment.
Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water about twice a day. Make sure that you keep yourself hydrated all day long and adding apple cider vinegar should help reduce the inflammation in your joints while washing out the excess uric acid from your system as well.
Baking Soda
Baking soda can help reduce the levels of uric acid in the body, which is the cause of gout in the first place. Taking a half teaspoon of baking soda and mixing it in a glass of water is the easiest way of doing it, although you can add a full teaspoon. You can keep doing this a few times after. Make sure not to exceed three teaspoons in a day.
The pain relief effects can be immediate or may take a day, but this remedy is usually effective. On the other hand, it may increase your blood pressure, which is why it’s not advised for those over 60 years old or those at risk of hypertension. Even for otherwise healthy individuals, it is not recommended to take baking soda more than two weeks continuously. Make sure that you consult a doctor before opting for this method since consuming baking soda over long periods can and will have a detrimental effect on your health.
Eat Cherries
A study was carried out with over 600 participants that showed that cherries can reduce the level of uric acid in the body. About 10 to 12 cherries or cherry extract, caused a 35% reduced risk in recurrent gout attacks.
The most effective ones were the black cherries; they are loaded with anti-oxidants and help to lessen the inflammation which should help to reduce the pain you may be suffering at the moment. It is advisable that you consume the cherries in the raw form or pulp the same and drink it as a juice.
Black cherries have found to be quite effective against Gout as other cherries are as well, and whichever method you use, they should help reduce your pain over a period of time and enable you to manage your current condition better.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice helps to alkalize the body and reduce the effect of uric acid. Take half a glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice and fill the glass with water. Alternatively, you can also add half a teaspoon of baking soda to the mixture to make it even more powerful.
This is one of the easiest natural methods for alleviating Gout symptoms and helps reduce the debilitating pain as well.
Just squeeze fresh lemon juice and drink it up each day; it should help to limit and inhibit the uric acid in your body and help prevent further inflammation of your joints. Moreover, drinking lemon juice should provide you with the required vitamins that your body needs, to help fight Gout effectively. Remember, it is important that you make fresh lemonade instead of opting to purchase the pre-packaged ones since those are often chemically treated resulting in loss of essential vitamins in the process.
Epsom Salt
Soaking the affected joint in a solution of Epsom salt and warm water can relieve pain at that joint. This can be done about once or twice in a week.
It is important that you seek out a medical consult since your doctor would be in a better position to explain how it works; the Epsom salts should help reduce the inflammation in your joints and enable you to manage your current condition better.
All that would be required is for you to bathe the affected parts of the body in lukewarm water, and this should help reduce some of the inflammation and the pain caused by the inflammation as well.
Eat complex carbs
You may want to opt for a healthier diet and eat more complex carbs, such as vegetables, whole grains, millets and vegetables. These are often loaded with anti-oxidants and can help to relieve some of the pain and inflammation that you are under, at the moment. Moreover, eating a purine less diet should have some beneficial effect on your joint pains, and you should be able to start feeling the effects of the gout diet plan right away.
Fish oil: You can purchase fish oil at any department store and start using it regularly in your cooking. It is loaded with Omega 3 and Omega 6 and while most sea food does contain high levels of purines, fisih oil does not. Any dietician should help confirm the same and the Omega 3 and Omega 6 should, over the course of time; help bring down the inflammation in your legs. While fish oil does not provide a cure to Gout, it does help to reduce the inflammation and pain altogether.
Celery
You can start consuming more celeries as part of your regular diet as celeries are loaded with anti-oxidants like phenolic acids, which can help to effectively reduce the uric acid build up in the body. You can consume the celeries as they are, or pulp it and use the extract, the effect would be the same. Over the course of time, you should be able to see the celeries at work, as it actively reduces the inflammation in your body and maintains the uric acid levels at the normal level.
Moreover, you can add celeries in some of your favorite foods and you should still retain the same health benefits.
Water
It is important that you keep yourself hydrated all day and drinking excess water should help to effectively wash out all the excess uric acid from your system. This is why it is important that you drink lots of water each day, ensure that you are kept hydrated all day long and this should serve to bring down the inflammation in your joints and lessen the debilitating pain.
And if you already suffer from any kidney disorder that inhibits the amount of fluids you can drink each day, then you may want to give this method a miss and opt for other alternatives.
Nettle tea
Nettles are quite effective in helping you deal with pain associated with Gout and inflammation. Nettles are loaded with phytonutrients and are an effective anti-inflammatory agent, so drinking nettle flavored tea on a regular basis should effectively help cause the inflammation to go down. And over a period of time, and with regular nettle tea, you should be able to reduce the debilitating pain and even lead a normal life.
Magnesium
It has been found that magnesium is very effective in treating Gout. So you may want to opt for a healthy diet plan to help manage your current condition better and when opting for healthier variants, try eating foods that are extremely rich in Magnesium. This can help you control your condition better and even lessen the pain that you are suffering from at the moment, on account of Gout.
These are some of the natural methods by which you can control your Gout and the debilitating symptoms and even lead a near normal life. It is important that you seek out medical consult and even consult a dietician for effective diagnosis and treatment at the earliest. The natural methods are to be taken in conjunction with the treatment that has been prescribed by your doctor and over the course of time, you should be able to effectively manage Gout, prevent it from flaring up and lead a normal life.
