Archive for August, 2009

Gout Relief

August 4th, 2009 -- Posted in Gout Relief | 6 Comments »

 Nearly everyone at one time or another has heard of or read an article mentioning gout, but I expect many don’t know what gout really is. What is gout, 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 in their blood develops gout disease, but it does seem most do. As with any type of disease your primary care physician should always be consulted before trying any type of gout relief
 
    This disease has been noted and documented since the time of Hippocrates. Over the years gout has been associated with extravagant living, eating and drinking rich foods. And there is some indirect evidence to support this. For example, a long-term study noted that over indulgence of red meat and sea food found people were much more likely to develop gout. Additionally, significant alcohol consumption, especially in the form of beer, is also thought to increase the chances of gout development.  
 

Specifically, gout occurs when crystals of uric acid form around body joints. This takes place when elevated levels of uric acid in the bloodstream build up. Gout is characterized by excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain, as well as inflammation, redness, warmth, and stiffness in affected joints, like knees, fingers, elbows and especially big toes. This is more prevalent in men’s toes but can appear in other parts of the body and affects women too. 

 Listed below are some gout relief remedies that may help to relieve pain and other symptoms linked to this sometimes incapacitating disease. It is not likely they will all work for or apply to you, so it may be worth your time trying these different gout relief remedies to find the ones that will help alleviate or lessen your symptoms.

 

1)  Soaking the affected joint or joints in warm water or the use of heating pads have shown to help break down the crystal formations.

 

2)  Past and present studies have shown drinking cherry juice may help alleviate pain caused by uric-acid crystal formation.

          

3)  Drinking plenty of water can help lower or eliminate uric acid from the body by way of the urinary track. As a general rule of thumb the average adult should drink at least eight ounces of water eight times a day. 

 

 

4)  Cutting back or eliminating alcohol and lowering red meat consumption should reduce the level of digestive purines from which uric acid is formed.

 

 5)  If you’re overweight, slowly losing weight may also help.

 

6) A recent study suggested taking vitamin C supplements may reduce the risk of gout attacks, so this is also worth considering.

 

Here were just a few gout relief remedies that will help you lead a healthier and pain free life.

 

   

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Gout Toe Attacks Can Affect All Your Toes

August 23rd, 2009 -- Posted in Gout Toe | 3 Comments »

 

When people suffer from gout toe there is a range of gout symptoms that usually accompany it, burning, extremely painful to the touch, inflammation, all of these are signs of a gout attack. In most cases of gout arthritis attacks the big toe is more often the target. In fact there is no single type of joint inflammation (arthritis) related to gout.  Gout toe is not limited to just the big toe it can include the smaller toes. Gouty arthritis can seem to spread to other parts of the foot causing inflammation, Gout can affect both feet at the same time but it’s not as common as an attack on just one side of the body.

 Some the other areas of gout attacks can include the base of the big toe, arch of the foot, the ankle, and the knee. Gout can also affect the thumbs, fingers, wrists, and elbows. When an attack of gout toe occurs walking can become very difficult do to the fact that the big toe carries a portion of the body’s weight. A normal everyday routine we all take for granted, such as walking turns into an extremely painful task. This creates another problem, as we walk to compensate for an inflamed toe we put added stress on other parts of our feet leading to other foot disorders.

 Gout toe is a result of excessive amounts of uric acid in the bloodstream. These increased levels of uric acid turn into uric acid crystals that lodge in the cartilage and soft tissues surrounding the joints and in the joints of the body itself. These sharp crystals irritate the surrounding areas causing inflammation, pain, and redness associated with an acute gout attack.

 

 Elevated levels of uric acid (hyperuricemia) can result from high consumption of purine-rich foods. Diet is one factor that can contribute to high levels of uric acid. When trying to avoid purine-rich foods some examples to steer clear from would include: sweetbreads, sardines, anchovies, liver, beef kidneys, brains, meat extracts, herring, mackerel, scallops, and game meats. Other factors to consider when addressing diet would be water intake. Having sufficient amount of water daily will help the bodies natural function of passing excess uric acid out of the body via way of the urinary track. The average adult should drink eight ounces of water eight times a day (8 x 8 rule). 

 For gout toe relief some simple steps to alleviate the discomfort should include: using an ice pack to help reduce swelling and burning, switching over to heat is also a benefit as this will help dissolve the uric acid crystals lodged in the joint. The best way to overcome a gout attack would be to change your lifestyle to prevent an attack from ever occurring or lowering the frequency of the attacks. Changes in diet and a daily exercise routine have been proven to help in your overall health and to help with gout relief.

 

 

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Gout Medicine That Can Aid In Gout Relief

August 21st, 2009 -- Posted in Gout Medicine | 8 Comments »

Living with gout is not as hard as you might think, unfortunately for many there is no cure. Gout is incredibly painful, but there is a way to manage gout and still lead a productive life. If you are currently afflicted with gout there are ways to reduce your pain and suffering and not have to endure this agonizing disease.

 Close to one in every 20 arthritic person is diagnosed as suffering from symptoms of gout. What they all have in common is they are all looking for immediate relief. If you are one of the unfortunate victims of this disease you know how uncomfortable this condition is, and how urgent it is getting prompt gout relief. How does one ease the pain and discomfort, or at least temporarily?

 When an unexpected gout attack occurs, there’re types of gout medicine available. One type of pain reliever can come from taking analgesic medication like Tylenol to help deal with the pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are also very useful for handling this condition’s more pressing symptoms. Other drugs with anti-inflammatory effects like Colchicine can also be used to inhibit the pain.

 When the pain has been lowered to a tolerable level, additional gout relief can be achieved by using gout medicine containing probenecid, Probenecid Is a drug that promotes the excretion of uric acid by lowering levels of gout-causing uric acid. Probenecid works simply by helping your body discard excess levels of uric acid by way of the urinary track.

 It’s very unlikely that you will attain any long lasting gout relief, but adding these precautionary measures to this combination may reduce the occurrence of repeat incidents. Febuxostat and Allopurinol are just two examples of gout medicine to help your body from over producing uric acid. For many people, this effectively heads off any further flare ups and is almost as good as a gout cure.

 One thing to remember is that none of these are guaranteed to give 100% gout relief. Though they may deal with some of gout’s more direct symptoms, one sure way to deal with gout is still to change your diet. Cutting back on purine-rich foods such as red meat and seafood and lowering your daily in take of sodium can help reduce the frequency of your next gout attack. The gout medicine listed here was just another example of what is available to control and relieve gout symptoms. As always before taking any type of medicine for gout relief you should always consult your physician to make sure this is the best course of action for you.   

 

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What is Gout and How to Control It?  

August 20th, 2009 -- Posted in What Is Gout | No Comments »

What is gout? It’s the question a lot of suffering people are asking. Usually when sufferers start looking for answers about gout they have already started experiencing the agonizing affects of this disease. If they had inquired about this disorder a few years earlier a lot of needless agony could have been avoided.

So what is gout? Basically it amounts to have too much uric acid flowing in your bloodstream. When uric acid builds up to sufficient amounts it turns into needle like crystals that can lodge in various joints of your body. Increased levels of uric acid can also form what is known as tophi. Tophi come about when someone suffers from gout for many years. This condition takes the shape of white clumpy masses that build up in cartilage, joints, or skin. Whatever shape gout takes on both forms can cause a large amount of discomfort and pain.

 Let’s take for example a normal healthy body; it will pass uric acid from the body by way of the urinary track. However, there’re some conditions that can hamper this function. Beside the type of lifestyle, eating practices can have a large affect on the way this condition develops. This would be why doctors recommend a new diet for someone with gout. A blend of prescription medicines and a change in diet is usually the best formula to achieve some long-term gout relief.

 One of the drawbacks to having a prescribed diet for gout is that it limits the foods we consider to be extremely mouth-watering and like to indulge frequently. Establishing a regular exercise routine to include a full range of movement for the affected joints is very beneficial. Another change in eating habits would be to stay away from food rich in purine and salt to help lower the bodies production of uric acid, a contributing factor in gout sufferers.

 Many diets prescribed for gout have red meat and seafood varieties drastically reduced to lower purine intake. Foods high in sugar should be eliminated from gout diets because the fructose a simple sugar that is found in fruits and honey can contribute to the production of uric acid. When the foods that produce high uric acid levels are identified a diet low in sodium and foods containing low sugar like leafy green vegetables and drinking plenty of water should be followed.

 This all might seem like a drastic lifestyle change, but having a special diet for gout and adding in a exercise routine to your daily activities has been found to produce the best results for long term gout relief. One of the benefits to incorporating this change in your life is reducing the dependence on drugs in particular anti inflammatory for gout relief. By following your new diet you should be able to go back to a normal enough lifestyle with a better understanding of what is gout.

 

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How To Get Gout Relief

August 16th, 2009 -- Posted in Gout Relief | 1 Comment »

Numerous Americans are afflicted with Gout. Gout is metabolic arthritis. It can be extremely painful and can make walking a most agonizing experience. For many years people have avoided foods with a high purine levels or taken risky steroids to help give some form of gout relief. Home remedies are always worth a try, but will in some cases require trial and error. Here you will find some home remedies you can start today avoiding the costs of prescription drugs or the dangerous side affects that accompany many of them.

1) Drinking water is beneficial with gout relief. You should begin by drinking on average 2 to 3 liters of water a day. Water will help your body flush the uric acid from your bloodstream by way of the kidneys and the urinary track system to leave your body.

2) Hydrotherapy can be another useful gout relief remedy. This is particularly helpful with pain. Running cold water over the afflicted area or if available soaking the area can help temporarily relieving pain by reducing swelling and the burning sensation.

3) Making up a compress comprised of juniper oil has been found to be very beneficial to many gout sufferers. Placing this on the affected area will help brake down the toxic deposits

4) Taking activated charcoal in small doses will help reduce the uric acid levels in your bloodstream.

5) Doing targeted exercises for your effected joint can lessen gout symptoms. This will include doing a full field of motion of your joint. It may be necessary to do these exercises two to three times daily.

6) Certain foods can help neutralize the uric acid levels in your blood. In particular strawberries, nuts, grains, and seeds will all neutralize uric acid. Berries that contain significant amounts of vitamin C and minerals are recommended to help relieve gout.

7) Do not take aspirin, despite the fact that aspirin is a pain reliever. Aspirin has been shown to raise the uric acid level in your bloodstream.  This could increase your pain and inflammation of the affected joint.

8 )  Devil’s Claw is another anti-inflammatory that can help ease the pain. Devil’s Claw was first brought home by the colonists to help relieve arthritis.  The plants large roots were used to help reduce pain and fever. Be advised if you have Diabetes or using a blood thinning medicine do not take this herb.

Here were just a few suggestions that you can start today to try and find gout relief. As with many home remedies there is not always medical research to back up the findings. Before experimenting with any home remedies you should always consult your primary care physician to find out what is safe for you.

 

 

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