What to Do About a Gout Attack

                

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Gout is an arthritic condition which is formed because of a uric acid concentration which is too high. The uric acid then forms crystals which settle in clumps within various joints in your body. This crystal formation is what creates inflammation in your joints, which results in pain that can become unbearable very quickly.

People who experience attacks of gout are generally those who indulge in a diet that is relatively high in meat content; especially red meat, fish and meat products such as liver, tongue and intestines. Had these people been properly balancing their diet to include a higher amount of plant product, they may not have experienced the gout attack at all, or in such a severe way. Also, people who are overweight suffer from high cholesterol, or who consume a great deal of alcohol tends to experience many of the same problems. There are certain medications that can incite a gout attack as well, including but not limited too many diuretics, an excess amount of Vitamin B, and certain drugs that are used to treat cancer in addition to cyclosporine and even low-dose aspirin.

A gout attack usually occurs at night, and tends to affect the big toe first and foremost. The toe, or in some cases, the joint, becomes hot and gradually very painful, and will become increasingly painful if palpated. Although gout attacks can affect many joints including the instep and the knee, the big toe is typically where the attacks begin.

If you believe that you are having a gout attack, the best thing that you can do is call your doctor in order to get medical treatment. You will want to put a hot pack or ice pack on the afflicted joint, and keep all weight off of it. Now is a stellar time for you to rest, and relaxing and applying heat or ice will significantly reduce the amount of pain. However, the sooner you seek out medical treatment, the sooner you will feel better all together, as the gout attack will not go away completely unless it has been treated medically.

If you do not get medical treatment for a gout attack, you may come to develop a condition which is called Tophi. This usually occurs after years of neglecting the attacks from gout. This is marked by soft tissue damage which is caused by uric crystals usually affecting the elbows, knees, hands and fingers. Another effect may be kidney stones, or kidney disease. If left untreated, the bone which attaches to the afflicted joint may be completely destroyed by the constant gout attacks.

Your doctor is your best advisor for your gout attack, as he or she may prescribe medication in order to help prevent more gout attacks in the future, and some of these medications may also break down the crystals to help you wash them out of your system.

Some things you can do to help prevent your gout attacks include but are not limited to losing weight, drinking plenty of fluids in order to wash out uric acid crystals, and to follow a low salt and low purine diet in order to keep cholesterol and purine-levels down. You may also want to avoid alcohol completely if you have a problem with drinking.

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A Diet Plan For Gout With A Cherry On Top

                

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Almost 90% of gout victims are men over thirty years old.

But women can also suffer from gout, especially if they take certain medications such as blood pressure drugs. Most women who suffer from gout are 60 years or older.

Gout is a form of arthritis caused by high levels of uric acid in the blood, tissues, and urine. The uric acid can form crystals which collect in joints such as the big toe. In fact, your big toe can become so painful and swollen that even the weight of a bedsheet can be agonizing.

If gout isn't properly controlled, it can cause kidney stones and even more serious kidney disease. Gout is also associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.

You should always consult a doctor for treatment of gout. But some of the drugs used for gout - such as allopurinol, colchicine, indomethacin, and prednisone - can cause serious side effects.

So you may want to discuss with your doctor if an alternative approach might work for you. An approach without the toxic side effects of gout drugs.

One dietary approach is simply to eat cherries. In the 1950s, Dr. Ludwig Blau discovered that he could keep his gout away by eating a minimum of 6 cherries a day. It helped his crippling gout so much that he was actually able to get out of his wheelchair and start walking again.

He discovered his "cherry cure" by accident. One day, he ate a large bowl of cherries and the next day, his foot pain was gone. He found that as long as he ate the cherries every day, his gout was controlled.

Many other people - some of whom have written to Prevention magazine - have also found relief by adding cherries to their diets.

Supposedly, if you already have crippling gout or if you feel a gout attack coming on, you should eat 15 to 30 cherries a day at first to get your gout under control, then 6 to 10 cherries a day after that to keep the gout away.

Red and black cherries - fresh, frozen or canned - have been used successfully to treat gout. Drinking several tablespoons of black cherry juice daily may produce the same effect.

It's best to eat the cherries or drink the cherry juice between meals.

So why do cherries work for some people with gout?

Because gout destroys the collagen that is needed to form connective tissue and cherries stop that destruction. Cherries also neutralize uric acid and have anti-inflammatory properties.

There are other changes you can make to your diet, too.

For example, eating a cup of strawberries may help to control gout.

You should also drink plenty of water to help flush the uric acid out of your body. Six to eight 8-ounce glasses a day is probably best.

Losing excess weight may also reduce uric acid levels, but it must be done gradually and under a doctor's supervision. Severe dieting or fasting can actually make your gout worse.

Many people also try to eliminate foods with high purine levels from their diets. Some of these foods may worsen gout by increasing your level of uric acid.

Some high-purine foods are meats, especially organ meats, gravies, herring, mussels, sardines, fish, and alcohol.

At least one study suggests that high-purine foods such as beans, peas, mushrooms, spinach and cauliflower do not make gout worse. But you should consult your doctor for the latest information and recommendations.

Important Disclaimer: This information is presented for educational purposes only. This isn't medical advice and it's not a substitute for any advice or treatment from your physician. You should always see your doctor before starting any new diet plan for losing weight or controlling gout.

Debbie Fontana is a full-time author and business owner who specializes in writing about health, weight loss, and nutrition. Discover how she used her delicious I Love to Cheat lifestyle diet to lose weight and reduce high blood pressure. If you also want to lose weight, she invites you to take a 100% risk-free trial of her I Love to Cheat lifestyle diet. For details, visit http://www.ILoveToCheatDiet.com

Home Remedies for Gout

                

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For an acute attack, there is no better remedy than a fast. The patient should undertake a fast five to seven days on orange juice and water. Sometimes the condition may Worsen in the early stages of fasting when uric acid, dissolved by juices, is thrown into the blood stream for elimination. This usually clears up if fasting is continued. In severe cases, it is advisable to undertake a series of short fasts for three days or so rather than one long fast. A warm water enema should be used daily during the period of fasting to cleanse the bowels. After the acute symptoms have subsided, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for further three or four days. In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of juicy fruits such as grapes, apples, pears, peaches, oranges and pineapple. Thereafter, the patient may gradually embark upon a well balanced diet consisting of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw vegetables. The patient should avoid all purine and uric acid producing foods and all meats, eggs and fish. Glandular meats are especially harmful. He should also avoid all intoxicating liquors, tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and their products, all canned and processed foods. Spices and salts should be used as little as possible. The cherry, sweet or sour, is considered an effective remedy for gout. This was discovered by Ludwig Blan some 45 years ago. Himself a gout sufferer, Blan found the use of cherries to be miraculously effective in his own case and published his own experience in a medical journal. Subsequently, many people with gout used this simple therapy with great success. To start with, the patient should consume about 15 to 25 cherries a day. Thereafter, about 10 cherries a day will keep the ailment under control. While fresh cherries are best, canned cherries can also be used with success. Foods high in potassium such as potatoes, bananas, leafy green vegetables, beans and raw vegetable juices are protective against gout. Carrot juice, in combination with juice of beet and cucumber juices should be mixed in 300 ml. of carrot juice to make 500 ml of combined juice. The juice of French or string beans has also proved effective in the treatment of gout. About 150 ml. of this juice should be taken by the patient suffering from this disease. Raw potato juice and fresh pineapple juices are also beneficial.

Krishan Bakhru is the editor of Home Remedies , http://www.home-remedies-for-heartburn.com and http://www.myanxietyguide.com