Gout
Cure for Gout: Preventive Measures and Treatment
Gout is one of the most popular forms of arthritis for the ageing population. This is an extremely painful condition where excessive uric acid builds up between joints, more frequently in the big toe, the shoulders, fingers, knees and ankles. The accumulation of uric acid can cause tenderness and extreme pain for the patients.
Normally, the body can tolerate minimal amounts of uric acid as a result of the breakdown of purine, most of which we obtain from our diet. Purines are plentiful in sea foods, red meats and food rich in white flour. But through time, the uric acid produced from this process is eventually flushed out from the body through urination. So what are the causes of gout? Gout occurs when the body produces uric acid in excessive amounts or if the excretory system simply fails to excrete it substance from the body. As uric acid builds up in the blood, it slowly accumulates in the joints in a crystallized form all throughout the body.
In the past, the only measure for treating gout was simply controlling the patient’s diet. Foods rich in purines were usually removed from the diet. But today, aside from having simple restrictions in your diet, there are now alternative remedies for gout.
There are now therapies especially for gout which are more focused on relieving pain and preventing any future gout attacks. Drugs would include non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are simply taken orally. Although these drugs do not have any effect on the amounts of uric acid in the blood stream, it targets the inflammation of the affected are which is the main causes for pain. Another gout medication that patients can take is corticosteroid. This medicine can either be taken orally or directly injected into the affected area. This drug has the same anti inflammatory effect as the non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A patient taking these medications for gout will usually feel relief within a few hours.
But as with any other medications, these drugs also produce side effects. A few hours after taking the drug, one may experience nausea or abdominal cramps. So for those who do not want to go through all these hassles, you can always opt for natural remedies for gout.
Alternative medicines such as taking in vitamin C and munching on cherries can help reduce the amounts of uric acid in the blood. But for patients with kidney stones, Vitamin C may also alleviate their conditions so it is best for you to consult your physician to see if regularly taking in Vitamin C as an alternative medicine is effective and most importantly safe for you. It was also believed and some studies have also confirmed this is that eating low-dairy foods can help lessen the frequency of gout attacks.
For you who do not have this condition, then it would be best for you to take preventive measures so that you would never have to experience this condition. You can drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, maintain your weight and avoid drinking too much alcohol. In this way, uric acid buildup in your system will be less and so that your body can properly excrete such substances out of your system.
