What are some natural remedies for gout?

Question

I have it in one knee and both big toes. I am fit and run 20-25 miles per week and it has not affected this yet but I want to stop it early. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I had bad gout in my big toes and I used to run 50 - 60 miles a week. It didn't really impair me but it was a nuisance and I also used to get severe leg cramps. They both have gone away. I was always partly vegetarian but when I became a complete vegetarian and focused on raw foods that is what has apparently cured both. I also think drinking alcohol might have been a factor because I have largely cut back on that also, though I did not drink excessively and it was mainly beer. I also greatly increased my Hatha yoga sessions. So perhaps that played a part also.  I have also moved to a much hotter country and so have been drinking much more water, much more liquids. Perhaps that is a factor also. But it was only when I read your question that I realized that my gout and leg cramps have completely and permanently gone away!

Answer 2

Try organic apple cider, with mother in it ( mother is the sediment at the bottom ) drink this with water after every meal. Two tabel spoons each time should suffice.

If you drink beer? stop it immediately as this is full of purines.

Take celery pills that have celery oil in them as these are great anti imflammatory properties.

Drink 2 litres of water a day to flush your system out.

I have a large free Gout website called Gout Aware that is full of information for you.

visit  http://www.gout-aware.com

Answer 3

I believe cutting certain products out of your diet will help prevent outbursts of gout. Shellfish for example.

Answer 4

Limit your protein intake.  Drink lots of fluid.  And eat lots of cherries or drink cherry juice!  This stuff works very well for helping with gout.

Answer 5

Signs and symptoms



The Gout, Cartoon by James Gillray (1799). The artist memorably illustrates the excruciating pain and swelling that are symptoms of the disease.Gout is characterized by excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain, as well as swelling, redness, warmth, and stiffness in the affected joint. This occurs commonly in men in their toes but can appear in other parts of the body and affects women as well. Low-grade fever may also be present. The patient usually suffers from two sources of pain. The crystals inside the joint cause intense pain whenever the affected area is moved. The inflammation of the tissues around the joint also causes the skin to be swollen, tender and sore if it is even slightly touched. For example, a blanket or even the lightest sheet draping over the affected area could cause extreme pain.

Gout usually attacks the big toe (approximately 75 percent of first attacks); however, it also can affect other joints such as the ankle, heel, instep, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers, and spine. In some cases, the condition may appear in the joints of small toes that have become immobile due to impact injury earlier in life, causing poor blood circulation that leads to gout.

Patients with longstanding hyperuricemia (see below) can have uric acid crystal deposits called tophi (singular: tophus) in other tissues such as the helix of the ear. Elevated levels of uric acid in the urine can lead to uric acid crystals precipitating in the kidneys or bladder, forming uric acid kidney stones.

Diagnosis

A definitive diagnosis of gout is from light microscopy of fluid aspirated from the joints (this test may be difficult to perform) to demonstrate intracellular monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The urate crystal is identified by strong negative birefringence under polarised microscopy and its needle-like morphology. A trained observer does better in distinguishing them from other crystals.

Hyperuricemia is a common feature, although urate levels are not always raised.[1] Hyperuricemia is defined as a plasma urate (uric acid) level greater than 420 μmol/L (7.0 mg/dL) in males (or 380 μmol/L in females). However, a high uric acid level does not necessarily mean a person will develop gout. Urate{{}} is within the normal range in up to two-thirds of cases.[2] If gout is suspected, the serum urate test should be repeated once the attack has subsided. Other blood tests commonly performed are full blood count, electrolytes, renal function, thyroid function tests and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). This helps to exclude other causes of arthritis, most notably septic arthritis, and to investigate any underlying cause for the hyperuricaemia.

[edit] Pathogenesis

Gout occurs when mono-sodium urate crystals form on the articular cartilage of joints, on tendons, and in the surrounding tissues. Purine metabolism gives rise to uric acid, which is normally excreted in the urine. Uric acid is more likely to form into crystals when there is a hyperuricemia, although it is 10 times more common without clinical gout than with it.[3]

Purines can be generated by the body via breakdown of cells in normal cellular turnover, or can be ingested in purine-rich foods such as seafood. The kidneys are responsible for approximately two-third of uric acid excretion, with the gut responsible for the rest. It may be possible that defects in the kidney that may be genetically determined are responsible for the predisposition of individuals for developing gout.

There are also different racial propensities to develop gout. Gout is high among the peoples of the Pacific Islands, and the Māori of New Zealand, but rare in the Australian aborigine despite the latter's higher mean concentration of serum uric acid.[4] In the United States, gout is twice as prevalent in African American males as it is in European-Americans.[5]

A seasonal link also may exist, with significantly higher incidence of acute gout attacks occurring in the spring.[6][7]

Hyperuricemia is considered an aspect of metabolic syndrome, although its prominence has been reduced in recent classifications. This explains the increased prevalence of gout among obese individuals.

Gout is a form of arthritis that affects mostly men between the ages of 50 and 60. The high levels of uric acid in the blood are caused by protein rich foods. Alcohol intake often causes acute attacks of gout and hereditary factors may contribute to the elevation of uric acid. Typically, persons with gout are obese, predisposed to diabetes and hypertension, and at higher risk of heart disease. Gout is more common in affluent societies due to a diet rich in proteins, fat, and alcohol. When it follows as a consequence of other health conditions such as renal failure, it is often regardless of the person's lifestyle.[8] Lin, et al have statistical evidence linking gout to lead poisoning[9] and lead level in the body is significantly correlated with urate excretion and gout.[10] It is known that lead sugar was used to sweeten wine, and that chronic lead poisoning is a cause of gout,[11][12] which condition is then known as saturnine gout, because of its association with alcohol and excess.[13]

Gout also can develop as co-morbidity of other diseases, including polycythaemia, leukaemia, intake of cytotoxics, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, renal disorders, and hemolytic anemia. This form of gout is often called secondary gout. Diuretics (particularly thiazide diuretics) have traditionally been blamed for precipitating attacks of gout, but a Dutch case-control study from 2006 appears to cast doubt on this conclusion.[14]



Gout with tophi on elbow and knee.

[edit] Treatment

[edit] Acute attacks

The first line of treatment should be pain relief. Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, the drugs of choice are indomethacin, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), oral glucocorticoids[15], or intra-articular glucocorticoids administered via a joint injection.

Colchicine was previously the drug of choice in acute attacks of gout, as it impairs the motility of granulocytes and can prevent the inflammatory phenomena that initiate an attack. Colchicine should be taken within the first 12 hours of the attack and usually relieves the pain within 48 hours, although side effects (gastrointestinal upset such as diarrhea and nausea) can complicate its use. NSAIDs are the preferred form of analgesia for patients with gout.

A randomized controlled trial found similar benefit from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and oral glucocorticoids; however, less adverse drug reactions occurred in the glucocorticoids group.[16] In the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs group, each patient initially received diclofenac (75 mg) intramuscularly, indomethacin 50 mg orally, and acetaminophen 1 g orally. The patient was received a 5-days of indomethacin (50 mg orally every 8 hours for 2 days, followed by indomethacin 25 mg every 8 hours for 3 days), and acetaminophen 1 g every 6 hours as needed. The glucocorticoids patients received prednisolone 30 mg orally, and acetaminophen 1 g orally. The patient was then given prednisolone 30 mg orally once per day for five days.

Before medical help is available, some over-the-counter medications can provide temporary relief from pain and swelling. NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can reduce the pain and inflammation slightly, although aspirin should not be used as it can worsen the condition. This is because aspirin raises plasma uric acid levels even at low doses by inhibiting uric acid secretion in the renal tubules[citation needed]. Aspirin also reduces vasodilatation due to inhibition of prostaglandin PGE2 and PGI2 synthesis in the renal medulla and glomeruli respectively (see mechanism of action of aspirin). This may be a contra-indication for the use of aspirin for gout pain as well.

The anti-hemorrhoidal ointment Preparation H can reduce gout-induced skin swelling temporarily. Ice may be applied for 20 to 30 minutes several times a day, and a randomized controlled trial found that patients who used ice packs had better relief of pain without side effects.[17] Since gout is caused by crystals, it has been suggested that keeping very well hydrated and heating the affected joint in hot water (rather than cooling with ice) will promote the dissolution and clearance of the urate crytals.[18] Keeping the affected area elevated above the level of the heart also may help. Professional medical care is needed for long-term management of gout.

Due to swelling around affected joints for prolonged periods, shedding of skin may occur. This is particularly evident when small toes are affected and may promote fungal infection in the web region if dampness occurs, and treatment is similar to that for common athlete's foot.

Some sufferers of gout report an aggravation of the condition in the knees and toes associated with long periods of immobility, such as when sitting at a computer desk for long hours. Sufferers who notice early swelling or early pain may appear to be able to arrest the aggravation when medical treatment is applied before the condition gets worse. Where this is the case, a medically prescribed anti-inflammatory oral treatment taken with food and bed rest may provide relief within 6 to 8 hours.

Another possibility is acetazolamide, one of the first diuretics discovered. This drug inhibits the action of carbonic anhydrase on the proximal convoluted tubules within the kidneys, which effectively inhibits reabsorption of bicarbonate, thus alkalinizing the urine. After two to three days of usage, the diuretic effects of this drug decline because of increased downstream reabsorption of ions and water by the renal tubules; however, the alkalinization of urine persists, and this basic urine attracts weak acids such as uric acid and cystine into the urine, thus incre

Answer 6

cut out organ meat such as liver, and red meat cherries are a natural cure for gout eat about ten per day always works bing and queen anne work best

Answer 7

According to Linda Page's :Healthy Healing" in treating gout :

Reduce caffeine, white flour, fried foods & high saturated fats , red meat, & avoid fructose in food or drink.  Eat 75 % fresh foods to balance uric acid in your body.  Drink 4 glasses of black cherry juice (organic) & 6 glasses of purified water daily .  Eat plenty of cherries & other dark fruits , bannanas , strawberries, celery, brocolli, potatoes & greens to put uric cystals in solution so they will be eliminated.  Avoid red meat, gravies, broths, sweetbreads, organ meats, mushrooms, asparagus, dry peas, legumes, spinach & Rhubarb, sardines, anchovies, lobster, oysters, clams.    Avoid alcohol.       There it is......(pg. 398) Also, Apply the herbs plantain,ginger, or fresh comfrey compresses to inflamed area.

Answer 8

celery capsules (supplements)

nat phos and nat sulph biochemic cell salts (used alternatively)