Gout is an extremely painful and debilitating condition, so fast gout relief is extremely important for the sufferers of this incredibly painful type of arthritis. It is caused by uric acid crystals that form in a person's joints usually as a result of having high uric acid levels in the bloodstream. It commonly occurs in the big toe, especially for people suffering with an attack for the first time.
When someone keeps getting this condition it may also appear in ankle and elbow joints. Gout attacks tend to occur suddenly without warning as a flare up and then disappear with treatment and sometimes even without treatment. And as stated at the beginning, the reason victims want to be treated quickly when an attack occurs is that it is one of the most painful, if not the most painful, episodes people will have in their lives. This is why fast relief from gout is just so important.
When someone keeps getting this condition it may also appear in ankle and elbow joints. Gout attacks tend to occur suddenly without warning as a flare up and then disappear with treatment and sometimes even without treatment. And as stated at the beginning, the reason victims want to be treated quickly when an attack occurs is that it is one of the most painful, if not the most painful, episodes people will have in their lives. This is why fast relief from gout is just so important.
Gout Symptoms
Typical symptoms are that the joint will swell up and be quite severe in many cases. The area will feel very hot, be inflamed and be stiff for the duration of the attack. It will also be very, very painful. One or all of these symptoms can happen at any given time. And just to drive home the point, the pain is so bad in some cases that nothing can touch the affected area without causing extreme pain. This will include something as innocent as lightweight bed covers lying on the joint.
Gout Causes
High uric acid levels -- called 'hyperuricemia' -- that give rise to crystal formation in the joints and associated tissue is the main culprit. But there are a number of ways in which this can be triggered...
Diets that are high in purines can lead to high uric acid and so gout. Purines are chemical compounds that occur naturally in the body and in our foods. During the metabolizing process they break down and uric acid is produced as a byproduct.
If the kidneys are unable for some reason to process and eliminate uric acid, or the body is producing too much uric acid for the kidneys to deal with, then excess acid is retained in the body.
A major factor that can put you at higher risk is the consumption of alcohol on a regular basis, so cutting down on or avoiding this altogether will help the condition.
Other risk factors are certain medical condition and medications. For example, high blood pressure and medications for that condition, diabetes, narrowing of the arteries, high cholesterol, to name but some.
Although we don't fully understand the exact reason why, around 25% of gout sufferers have a family history of gout or arthritis.
Another major factor is when people are overweight. The more overweight the individual the more chance of a bout of gout. Regular exercise and weight loss is an excellent way to reduce the odds of suffering from this and medical professionals will try to twin this exercise with a good diet to try to cure the patient.
Gout Treatment
For medical relief the doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs. Different types of steroids can also be used at the start of an attack, but it will be up to the doctor to determine what is the best medication to give each individual. These pills usual get rid of it quite quickly but it can come back at anytime because these really don't address the root causes or triggers of gout.
And recurring gout does have to be taken seriously. Although the medical profession is at last taking gout, especially chronic gout, as a really serious condition there is no known medical cure for it. In other words, there is no drug that you can take that will prevent your gout from returning. What there are, are drugs that can help you manage the condition as long as they are being taken. This means long-term or even life long medication which many people don't want, especially if there are alternatives...
Recurring Gout
Unfortunately for gout suffers, once having had one attack, they are now much more likely to have more. And what is known is that recurring gout attacks can eventually cause permanent joint damage as well as other health issues such as kidney problems and high blood pressure. So finding ways to prevent recurring gout is just as paramount as getting fast gout relief...
Natural Gout Relief Tips
Many sufferers are finding that a more broad-based approach is required to help get gout relief. This includes drugs (if you wish to stick with them, many people prefer not to), dietary changes, some lifestyle adjustments and the use of natural home remedies (especially where drugs are avoided).
Gout Relief Through Diet
In terms of diet, it is known that high levels of purines in food can help to raise uric acid levels in individuals.
So changing to a low-purine diet is a logical first step in getting relief from gout. Typically, this means avoiding or, at the very least, reducing the intake of foods such as fatty red meat, game, organ meat, fish, shellfish, and poultry.
Instead, your diet should consist of lots of vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables) and fruits (especially cherries, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and pineapples). Note though, that you should avoid mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower, and spinach.
Make sure you eat essential fatty acid foods like nuts, seeds, flax-seeds, small portions of tuna and salmon, etc. Complex carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, cereals and breads should also be consumed, although you should avoid white flour products. Low fat dairy products are also fine. And eat foods such as red bell peppers, potatoes, etc., that are high in vitamin C. Plus, be sure to drink lots of water.
Gout Relief Through Lifestyle Changes
Being obese or sufficiently overweight is a major trigger for gout. Apart from the fact that there is more body tissue that can breakdown into uric acid during the metabolizing process, the excess weight puts undue stress and strain on the joints which can also trigger an attack. So it is advised to get down to your optimum healthy weight.
Alcohol has the ability to inhibit the amount of uric acid that your kidneys can process and eliminate from your body. This means that alcohol consumption can result in higher uric acid levels in your blood. If you suffer from recurring gout then you need to avoid alcohol. At the very least you should reduce its consumption drastically.
Natural Home Remedies for Gout Relief
Some of the most popular and effective home remedies for gout relief are....
1. Cherries. These have natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as being able to help reduce uric acid levels. Eat 30 to 40 cherries per day. During an attack try eating 30 to 40 cherries every 4 hours or so. If you can't get fresh cherries then cherry juice from specialist health food stores will do very well.
2. Vitamin C. This has the natural ability to reduce uric acid levels too. Eat lots of oranges, clementines, mandarins, etc. And vitamin C supplements from the pharmacy or health food store can be useful too.
3. Herbs. Herbs such as devil's claw, hawthorn, parsley, saffron, even nettle, etc. have various natural benefits that help to relieve gout symptoms and reduce or neutralize uric acid. Visit your nearest health food store or pharmacy.
4. Water. Help your kidneys to process and eliminate excess uric acid from your body by drinking 2 to 3 litres of water everyday. Drink glasses of water evenly throughout the day.
These are just a few of the natural home remedies for gout relief out there. You can find many more just by doing some research on the Internet.
You'll be able to see now just how important it is to, not only get gout pain relief, but also to ensure that you prevent recurring gout from causing you long-term health problems. And you can also see that there are natural alternatives available to you if you don't wish to go the long-term drug route. The choice is yours. But talk things through with your doctor before making any decisions.
