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GOUT: natural treatments and remedies
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• What is gout?
• Causitive factors of gout
• How do I treat gout naturally?
• Suggested diet for gout
• Nutritional supplements for gout |
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What is Gout?
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A condition that presents with extreme pain, swelling and inflammation in a joint, frequently the big toe. The cause of gout is an inflammation in your joint resulting from an accumulation of urate crystals. Uric acid is a waste product formed from the breakdown of purines. These are substances found naturally in your body as well as in certain foods, especially organ meats — such as liver, brains, kidney and sweetbreads — and anchovies, herring, asparagus and mushrooms.
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Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine. But sometimes your body either produces too much or excretes too little of this acid. In that case, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like crystals (urate) in a joint or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling. The skin may appear tight and shiney. It is a hereditary disorder, 95% of sufferers are male and the first attack occurs generally at 30 years and over.
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Causitive factors of gout
- Stress
- Fasting
- High intake of purine rich foods
- Obesity
- Chemical type diuretics
- Alcohol
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| How do I treat gout naturally?
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| Suggested diet for gout
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Minimise foods that contain purines. Because uric acid is formed from the breakdown of purines, low-purine diets are often used to help treat conditions like gout in which excessive uric acid is deposited in the tissues of the body. The average daily diet for an adult in the U.S. contains approximately 600-1,000 milligrams of purines. In a case of severe or advanced gout, dietitians will often ask individuals to decrease their total daily purine intake to 100-150 milligrams.
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Foods highest in purine levels (over 1,000 milligrams per 3.5 ounce serving)
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| anchovies, herring, kidney, liver, mackerel, meat extracts, mincemeat, mussels, sardines, and yeast.
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Foods with very high purine levels (up to 1,000 mg per 3.5 ounce serving):
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Anchovies, Brains, Gravies, Kidneys,Liver, Sardines, Sweetbreads
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Foods with high and moderately high purine levels (5-100 mg per 3.5 ounch serving):
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| Asparagus, Bacon, Beef, Bluefish, Bouillon, Calf tongue, Carp, Cauliflower, Chicken, Chicken soup, Codfish, Crab, Duck, Goose, Halibut, Ham, Kidney beans, Lamb, Lentils, Lima beans, Lobster, Mushrooms, Mutton, Navy beans, Oatmeal, Oysters, Peas, Perch, Pork, Rabbit, Salmon, Sheep, Shellfish, Snapper, Spinach, Tripe, Trout, Tuna, Turkey, Veal, Venison
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Limit or avoid alcohol. Consuming too much alcohol can inhibit the excretion of uric acid, which in turn can lead to gout. Limit alcohol to no more than two drinks a day if you're a man and one drink a day if you're a woman. If you're having a gout attack, it's best to avoid alcohol completely.
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Achieve the ideal body weight as excess weight aggravates the condition. Gradual weight loss will lessen the load on affected weight-bearing joints. Losing weight may also decrease uric acid levels. Avoid fasting or rapid weight loss because doing so may temporarily raise uric acid levels.
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Low saturated fat intake
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Low sugar diet, especially fructose. (fruit sugar)
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| Eat cherries liberally, either juiced fresh or canned. These are effective for relief of symptoms and limiting the occurance of gout. One half pound of cherries per day (fresh or frozen) for two weeks lowers uric acid and prevents attacks. Cherries and other dark red berries (hawthorn berries and blueberries) contain anthocyanidins that increase collagen integrity and decrease inflammation. Cherry juice (8 to 16 oz. per day) is also helpful.
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Celery seed will helps to eliminate uric acid. Eat celery sticks liberally as well.
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Liberal fluid intake e.g at least 1200 mls of pure water a day is important as fluid helps dilute uric acid in the blood and urine.
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| Liberal consumption of complex carbohydrates, (low G.I foods), is recommended.
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| Nutritional supplements for gout
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Vitamin C : 8,000mg / day Ascorbate – (not ascorbic acid) or Ester C as an anti-inflammatory. Note that there is a small subset of people with gout who will actually get worse with this level of vitamin C.
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Essential fatty acids / fish oils 3,000 - 4,000 mg per day. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) inhibits pro-inflammatory leukotrienes. Dose is 1,500 mg per day.
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Folic acid 10 to 75 mg per day inhibits xanthine oxidase, which is required for uric acid production.
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Niacin. Avoid niacin in doses greater than 50 mg per day. Nicotinic acid may bring on an attack of gout.
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Vitamin A There is some concern that elevated retinol levels may play a role in some attacks of gouty arthritis.
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Bromelain (Ananas comosus)—proteolytic enzyme (anti-inflammatory) when taken on an empty stomach. Dose is 125 to 250 mg three times per day during attacks. Bromelain is from pineapple, so liberal amounts of pineapple in the diet may help
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| Herbs for Gout
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Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) reduces pain and inflammation. Dose is 1 to 2 g three times per day of dried powdered root, 4 to 5 ml three times per day of tincture, or 400 mg three times per day of dry solid extract during attacks.
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