Nutritional Therapy A Natural Cure For Gout

                

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Acupressure can provide wonderful relief for gout attacks and it can be used as a complimentary treatment with medication or with other natural remedies like nutritional therapy. Nutritional therapy is type of natural cure for gout that is based on the belief that food contains the natural medicines our body requires in order to obtain and sustain health.

How can nutritional therapy help gout? Although it is often used as a complimentary treatment with medication, nutritional therapy can help gout sufferers find relief from gout attacks by reducing inflammation. It can also prevent gout from recurring by lowering and controlling uric acid levels in the blood. In addition, proper nutritional therapy is safe to use for most people.

What is proper nutritional therapy? The term ?proper? has been used to clarify that like any other treatment; nutritional therapy can produce negative effects or be ineffective if used incorrectly, such as ?
- Ingesting too little or too much of one substance
- Ingesting something with ingredients you are allergic too
- Combining different products that may not be compatible

How is nutritional therapy taken? Nutritional therapy primarily includes vitamins and minerals and is usually taken in the form of a supplement.

What is the nutritional therapy prescribed for gout relief and prevention? The following is a list of some nutritional therapy recommended for gout sufferers, and includes the benefits and precautions associated with each ?

Folic Acid ? This is the synthetic version of Folate (a water-soluble B vitamin that is naturally found in dark leafy green vegetables and citrus fruits) that is used in supplements.
Benefits ? Studies have found that high doses of folic acid may help reduce uric acid levels.
Caution ? Extremely high doses of folic acid can lead to digestive stress and may not be safe for pregnant or nursing women, or those who suffer from seizures, kidney or liver disease.

Vitamin C ? This is an essential antioxidant water-soluble vitamin (found in citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables, etc.)
Benefits ? Studies have found that high doses of vitamin C can increase urinary excretion of uric acid, and lower uric acid in the blood.
Caution ? Taking extremely high amounts of vitamin C may change uric acid levels in the body which can result in an acute gout attack. High doses can also cause other side effects.

Bromelain ? A proteolytic enzyme (found in pineapple)
Benefit ? Studies have found Bromelain to be effective in reducing inflammation. It appears to be a more suitable choice over other prescription anti-inflammatory meds used to treat gout.
Caution ? Not recommended for those allergic to pineapples, pregnant women, those with high blood pressure, kidney or liver disease. This nutritional therapy may not be compatible with other medications and can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It is designed for short-term use.

Quercetin ? A bioflavonoid that acts as an antioxidant (found in onions)
Benefit ? Restrains xanthine oxidase, the enzyme that creates uric acid. Studies have found it to have anti-inflammatory affects.
Caution ? More studies need to be conducted to find out the true benefits and side effects of this nutritional therapy.

Other nutritional therapy that is recommended which may prove effective in relieving and preventing gout include:

- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
- Selenium
- Evening primrose oil
- Fish oil
- Aspartic acid

Keep in mind that you can obtain the above nutritional therapy by naturally incorporating them into your diet, as they exist in many foods.

Before starting a nutritional therapy regimen for as a natural cure for gout, you should consult your doctor about your decision and ask for specific recommendations and about proper dosage. It is also a good idea to have your doctor monitor your condition when taking anti-inflammatory supplements.

By Lisa McDowell. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover how diet can be used as an effective gout home remedy. You'll also find gout recipe options

Can Acupressure Relieve Your Gout Attack?

                

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Exercise is excellent at preventing gout, but it isn?t the best treatment when it comes to easing a gout attack. However, this doesn?t mean that you need to turn to medication to ease your pain and discomfort. There are plenty of alternative and complimentary remedies out there you may want to try first. One such alternative or complimentary therapy is acupressure.

What is acupressure? Acupressure, also known as a Shiatsu massage, is an ancient form of Chinese medicine that is based on the same principles as acupuncture. Essentially, the belief is that the body has approximately 2000 trigger points that are linked throughout the body via 20 different meridians. Qi (life energy) flows throughout the meridians between the surface of the body and its internal organs. Qi uniquely affects all of the trigger points it flows through bringing balance to both the mind and body.

When the body suffers injury or illness, qi becomes unbalanced. Thus by performing acupressure on the particular points of the body related to the affected area, these points can be used to direct the nervous system to release muscular tension and increase blood flow to the injured parts. In other words, balance is restored.

The main difference between, acupuncture and acupressure is the application. Acupuncture uses needles, while acupressure primarily uses fingers or thumbs to apply pressure to the trigger points to encourage circulation and self-healing in the body.

What are the benefits of acupressure for gout sufferers? Acupressure provides many gout sufferers with relief from pain, resulting from inflammation of gout-infected joints. Acupressure can also:
- Increase circulation
- Reduce tension
- Relieves stress
- Enables the body to achieve deep relaxation
- Maintain health

How to perform acupressure ? Acupressure is performed by applying gentle, but firm pressure to a specific trigger point with the finger, thumb or knuckle. Pressure is usually applied for 15 ? 30 seconds. You will know when the trigger point has been found as you will feel a sharp jolt, immediately followed by a tingling or numbing sensation. This sensitivity is normal, and usually decreases over time. When pressure is released, there is often immediate pain relief.

Although acupressure is a treatment that requires no equipment, oils, etc. to work, it is important that you know how to properly perform acupressure before applying it to yourself or others. There are plenty of online resources and self-help guides that can educate and teach you how to perform acupressure, but it is recommended that you seek treatment and instruction from a qualified and experienced acupressure therapist before engaging in acupressure on your own.

For instance, even though a diagram can show you every acupressure trigger point on the body, not all points can help you achieve relief from gout pain and discomfort. Every illness has its own specific trigger points that need to be targeted based on the ailment and the area of the body where one is experiencing symptoms.

For example, if you were to visit http://magnecare.co.uk, you would find a diagram of acupressure points and discover that the recommended trigger points to relieve gout pain are -
41 ?Located just above the inside ankle
63 ?Located on the lower back near the spine
65 ? Located in the middle of the buttock
66 ? Located on the backside of your hip
67 ? Located directly behind your knee
68 - Located in the middle of your calf

However, depending on where you are experiencing gout pain, not all of these trigger points need to be addressed.

To find a local qualified acupressure therapist, ask your doctor, a physiotherapist, the local hospital, or check the yellow pages. You can also search online by using your city name and ?acupressure therapist? as the keyword search.

Remember, if you want effective pain relief from a gout attack, acupressure must be performed properly.

By Lisa McDowell. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover the cause of gout treatments. You'll find out about both traditional and gout home treatment.

 

Gout vs Gender

                

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Gout is an acute form of arthritis that results in sudden and chronic attacks of severe pain and inflammation in the joints; primarily the big toe, feet and legs. Although anyone can develop this condition, gout is more common among men than women. In fact, compared to women, men are four times more likely to develop gout. It is estimated that of the one million Americans who have gout, more than 80% are men.

Why are men so much more susceptible to gout than women? Gout is linked to hyperuricemia (abnormally high uric acid levels). Men have a substantially higher amount of uric acid in their system than women. During puberty, uric acid production increases in males and continues to climb. Therefore, by the time men reach their 40?s, their uric acid levels have been high for a prolonged period of time and can result in gout.

Women, on the other hand, tend to only become more susceptible to gout after they experience menopause, and are more likely to develop the arthritic condition in their 60?s. This is because after menopause, uric acid levels in women reach the levels of men, due to the fact that their estrogen levels have dropped. Estrogen helps to keep uric acid production under control.

What is uric acid? It is a waste product your body forms after it has broken down purines, which are natural substances, found in every cell within our body and are in virtually all the foods we eat. Purines are essential to the body because they provide the chemical structure that creates genes. In addition, uric acid functions as an antioxidant in the body, as it protects blood vessels and prevents their linings from becoming damaged. Therefore, a certain amount of purines and uric acid are essential to maintain the health and wellbeing of our bodies.

However, if uric acid levels become too high within the blood or in other parts of the body, it can build up and accumulate and form uric acid crystals. These crystals can be deposited into the joints, and organs.

What causes high uric acid levels? There are different causes for high uric acid levels including:

? Overproduction of uric acid ? The kidneys are in charge of filtering uric acid and releasing it through urine. However, if the body is producing too much uric acid the kidneys cannot expel enough of it. On the other hand, uric acid build up can also result if the kidneys are diseased and don?t function properly; if the person has an inherited enzyme abnormality; or blood cancer.

? Over consuming foods high in protein ? Foods high in protein are also high in purines and include organ meats (IE kidney, liver etc.) fish (IE sardines, mackerel, herring, muscles and anchovies), and food containing yeast.

? Medication ? Certain medications, especially diuretics, have been known to cause high levels of uric acid.

Obesity, eating lots of salty foods and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can also contribute to high uric acid levels. Therefore, as you can see, due to the fact that men already have high levels of uric acid in their system, it doesn?t take much for a build up of uric acid to develop over time and progress into gout.

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Gout Symptoms

                

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Gout is a common disease and often presents suddenly with a painful joint. The most common and well-recognized symptom is swelling of the joint in the big toe where it joins the foot. This can be extremely painful and enlarged and if not treated the pain will last about 10 days and can cause lasting damage with repeated attacks. The area can be red, hot, inflamed and very painful or tender.

Kidney stones can form due to gout and can cause back pain. Other joints such as the knee, fingers and heel can also be affected. Some people get lumps on the rim of the ear or other parts of the body near joints under the skin and these are called tophi.

Over the long term there can be deformity of joints and there can be many large lumps under the skin. Nowadays with proper treatment this is less likely. The symptoms can last from three to ten days and often get better even without treatment. The next attack may occur many months or even years later. Usually (and fortunately) only one joint is affected at a time and the symptoms of the swelling and pain start within a day.

The definite diagnosis or determining if the arthritis is due to gout may involve drawing fluid from the joint and looking for crystals of uric acid.

People may have an elevated uric acid also called hyperuricemia but have no symptoms. Later they may develop acute gouty arthritis where the joint is affected. Almost three fourths of people with gout will develop it in the big toe at some point of time. In between attacks the gout is said to be in an interval or intercritical phase and finally some people get chronic tophaceous (with the tophi) gout.



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Simple Home Remedies for Gout Sufferers

                

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Most people have heard of gout, but I suspect many don't know what it really is. 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 their blood develops gout disease, but it does seem most do. Specifically, gout occurs when uric-acid crystals form around body joints like knees, fingers, elbows and especially big toes - in fact, for the vast majority of gout sufferers, the first sign of the disease is big toe pain! After salt-like crystals form, inflammation, tenderness, and even a reddish rash may occur around affected joints.

The disease has been noted and documented since the time of Hippocrates. Traditionally, it's been associated with exuberant living - eating and drinking well. And there is some indirect evidence to support this. For example, a long-term study noted that heavy consumers of meat and sea food were much more likely to develop gout. Additionally, significant alcohol consumption, especially in the form of beer, is also known to increase the risk of gout development.

Below are simple home remedies that may help to relieve pain and other symptoms linked to this sometimes debilitating disease. It's unlikely they will all work for or apply to you, so it may be worth experimenting with different remedies to find the ones that personally help alleviate your symptoms.

* An old study supported by a recent one and significant amount of anecdotal stories suggest drinking cherry juice may help alleviate pain caused by uric-acid crystal formation.

* Soaking the affected joint or joints in warm water, or having a warm bath, may also help.

* Drinking plenty of water may help eliminate uric acid from the body.

* Cutting back on alcohol and meat (especially red) consumption should reduce the level of digestive purines from which uric acid is formed.

* If you're overweight, slowly losing weight may also help.

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

These are just some simple remedies that may help curb gout attacks. Visit my website: www.gout-diet-tips.com for many more ideas.

Brad Watson is a freelance author, programmer and website-master. He loves researching and writing about simple ways to alleviate symptoms of many common disorders and diseases. To learn more about gout visit: www.gout-diet-tips.com