Remedies for Gout

When it comes to treating gout, there are quite a few remedies for gout you can use. Between prescription drugs such as Allopurinol or Colchicine, or over the counter medications such as Ibuprofen, you can also use natural gout remedies.

Some of these natural remedies for gout would include using cherries for gout, or most fruits for that matter due to their potassium and vitamin C content. Potassium and vitamin C have been found in studies to help lower uric acid levels.

Other options you can use to treat this debilitating disease are using herbal gout remedies. These would include such remedies as celery seed and its extract. Other available treatments would include a variety of home remedies for gout such as ice, baking soda, and preventative measures including losing weight.

Which method should you consider when choosing how to deal with this medical problem? That is primarily up to you and your physician and which method you are comfortable with. I've used all of these methods to varying degrees of success.

One concern with those who have this condition is they usually only try to fix the symptoms of gout and then go back to normal behavior when they are not suffering a gout attack. In the end, this will only lead to more problems down the road.

Ultimately, the best gout treatments methods are those that are even when it is not a painful incident you are dealing with it. Prevention is paramount for long term success. Neglecting this disease when it appears to be in remission eventually will destroy your joints, possibly permanently. Not to mention, the same problems that usually cause gout, also cause other more serious diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

If you have gout, visit your doctor and to talk about all the options available to you so you can prevent and treat this disease. The treatments you and your physician come up with may be different than someone you know who has gout. Depending on whether your gout is caused by too much uric acid creation or your inability to properly metabolize uric acid will determine what type of medication you use should you choose to go that route. Your physician will do a simple blood test to figure out which case you belong to. Even if you choose not to use medicine to fix your problem, you should still know what your uric acid levels are as a starting point to see how your methods are working for you so you can decide if you need to change course. Just because you have a gout attack after trying these gout remedies does not necessarily mean these remedies will not work for you, it takes time. In fact, if you use allopurinol, most physicians will give you an anti-inflammatory medication such as indocin because you will likely have an attack until the medication starts to work. This is not uncommon in many cures for gout. It simply takes time to help alleviate the underlying causes.

Natural Gout Treatments Anyone Can Use

5 Ways to Get Rid of Gout Pain

If you have ever had gout, here are 5 natural gout treatments you can use to get rid of gout while reducing the chances you'll have another attack. At the very least, these remedies for gout will help you reduce the intensity of future attacks.

1. Blueberries. Blueberries are a great natural gout treatment. Blueberries contain excellent anti-inflammatory properties known as anthocyanins. This useful flavonoid is not only good for gout but also other health problems like heart disease and cancer. Blueberries also possess vitamin C which lowers uric acid levels, the most important of all gout causes.

2. Pineapples. Another great way on how to get rid of gout pain is to eat pineapples. Pineapples help reduce pain and prevent further gouty arthritis attacks. They produce an enzyme called bromelain. Bromelain also helps reduce swelling. It can be taken as a supplement, but you should consult your doctor, especially if you are taking such medicines as aspirin and coumadin (Warfarin). Otherwise, bromelain can be a very effective alternative preventative therapy.

Pineapples also add potassium to your diet. Potassium helps the body eliminate uric acid. This fruit also contains folic acid. Folic acid is a B-complex vitamin and helps repair damaged tissue scarring caused during an attack. You can use this to supplement other natural remedies for gout that you use.

3. Strawberries. Strawberries main claim to helping with this arthritic disease is it's high quantities of vitamin C compared to many other fruits. Strawberries, along with pineapples also consist of quercitin. Quercitin can be bought as a supplement and reduces swelling.

4. Bananas. Bananas main ingredient for treating gout is potassium. Again, potassium is known to help turn uric acid crystals into liquid so the kidneys can eliminate them from the body. These crystals are what cause the pain and damage to joints during an attack.

5. Grapes. Grapes also contain anthocyanins. The darker the variety of grapes, the greater the quantity of these flavonols. So choose a darker grape if you are trying to overcome an attack or prevent a future one.

Using these 5 natural gout treatments will help you reduce or eliminate current and future attacks. I eat fruits regularly because of their positive effects on gouty arthritis and I have also used bromelain and quercitin, both with good results.

Until later,

Medic

Gout Treatments| Watermelons

Watermelon: A Gout Treatments Remedy You Can Enjoy


The dog days of summer are here. Gout foods you should avoid are being barbecued every day. But you can help your diet with watermelon. Watermelon plays a great role in any natural gout treatments plan. Supermarket floors are crowded with crates of watermelons this time of year, so they are plentiful in supply. Take advantage of this time of year.

Besides using gout treatments such as cherries, watermelons provide fresh alternatives to trying the same methods continuously. As much as I like cherries, after a while, I desire to try something different.

Three Ways Watermelon treats Gout


1)They Neutralize Uric Acid

Watermelons contain potassium. As we've discussed in previous posts, potassium neutralizes uric acid. A serving of watermelons contain virtually the same amount of potassium as a serving of pineapples. While it is only 2% of the daily allowance of potassium, using watermelon as one of your gout therapies will add up when combined with other efforts.

2)They lower Uric Acid

High levels of uric acid is the main culprit that leads to gout pain. Watermelons are great remedies in that they are full of vitamin c which has been shown to lower uric acid levels. According to wikipedia, watermelons are full of vitamin C. They have approximately 14% of your daily value per serving. Adding watermelons to other natural gout remedies such as grapes, pineapples, and blueberries, and you will be on your way to not only reducing your overall levels, but you'll be on your way to eating healthier and losing the weight the most gout patients need to lose.

3)They are full of water

The overwhelming majority of watermelons are made up of water. In fact, approximately 2/3 of watermelons are made up of water. Water works well on several fronts. First, it helps you to be hydrated which will help your kidneys pass your excess uric acid crystals which causes gout much easier. This will lower your levels. Secondly, water will help you to lose weight. Most people in today's society are dehydrated and this is true of gout sufferer's as well. Eating one piece of watermelon is like drinking one glass of water. Your cells will function more properly all the way around. You will feel better and be less likely to have an acute gout attack. It will also help you treat one if you do have an attack.

Watermelon is a great holistic food for gout and I highly recommend it, especially this time of year when watermelons are in season.

Until later,


Medic

Should You Use Cherries for Gout?

Why Cherries are Vital to Your Gout Treatments Plan

This is the last installment of our Natural Gout Treatments series focusing on fruits and how they treat gout. This gout treatments series started with pineapples and now we are going to finish with the king of therapies for gout and arthritis, cherries.


What makes cherries potent in their ability to get rid of gout?

First up is quercitin. Quercitin helps get rid of gout by preventing swelling. It prevents swelling by inhibiting the release and production of histamine. Histamine causes inflammation. You see this a lot in people with severe allergic reactions. That is one of the reasons why those who have minor allergic reactions are told to use Benadryl, because it is an antihistamine.

There is a total of 3mg of quercitin in sweet cherries with a significant more amount in tart cherries.

You can also take quercitin as a supplement, but do not do this if you are on antibiotics. Make sure you tell your physician if you are taking quercitin so you can avoid any unnecessary complications from antibiotics.

Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are what cause the dark colors in cherries. Anthocyanins are plentiful in cherries. "Twenty cherries provide 25 milligrams of anthocyanins, which help to shut down the enzymes that cause tissue inflammation in the first place, so cherries can prevent and treat many kinds of pain," says Muraleedharan Nair, the lead researcher on the cherry project at Michigan State University. The anthocyanins also may protect artery walls from the damage that leads to plaque build up and heart disease. In fact, the latest research shows that anthocyanins do a better job of protecting arteries than vitamins C and E.

--Wang, H. et al. 1999 Anti-oxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Anthocyanins and their Alglycon, Cyanid, from Tart Cherries. Journal of Natural Products 62(2): 294-296.


There are approximately 80-300mg of anthocyanins in pitted darker varieties of cherries so you may want to eat darker cherries more frequently than lighter varieties of cherries.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has been a recurring theme in this series as all the foods in that have been mentioned contain Vitamin C. Read about how vitamin C is one of the best treatments for gout and how it is essential to helping you get rid of gout. Cherries contain 7mg of vitamin C per serving.

Fiber

Another reason using cherries for gout is beneficial is due to fiber. Fiber helps you in your fight to lose weight which is a common factor with those who have gout symptoms. The average serving of cherries contains 2g of fiber. While this is not a huge amount ( recommended daily dose of fiber is 24g), it will get you started.


Cherry facts

Michigan produces 70-75% of all tart cherries in the United States with Montmerency cherries being the most harvested. I use King Orchard's Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate, also out of Michigan (2 oz. per day on average) as part of my gout treatments regimen except for mid-summer when cherry fruit stands come out in force. Then I eat all the fresh cherries for gout I can handle. The fresh cherries make a nice break from drinking the cherry juice. If you don't like cherry juice, another option is to take cherry concentrate in pill form.

For more information on cherries, here is an informative article on cherries and their great natural pain killing abilities. The source is from one of the great writers for "Mike the Health Ranger" at naturalnews.com. I am a regular reader of Mike's and if you are into natural remedies for whatever ails you or concerns you, I very highly recommend his site.

How effective is Cherry Juice for Gout?

Cherry juice is very effective for all the gout causes that we are aware of. I use cherry juice concentrate all the time. As long as the company you choose has quality cherries it will not matter which product you use. I personally have used Michelle's Cherry juice and King's cherry juice for gout and both have worked very well. I did not notice any difference in their effectiveness.

How much should you use? I use the concentrated formula because it is much cheaper. It can be around 7-8 dollars for a regular cherry juice and the same sized concentrated juice can cost around 19-20 dollars. That is quite the savings. A regular bottle will last me a day or two, while the concentrate will last me around a month. I simply pour 1-2 oz. in a regular sized glass and fill it full of water. If you use a small glass the cherry flavor can be a bit overwhelming. I do this once in the morning and once at night. If I feel that a gout attack is imminent or am feeling "twinges" I take another glass during the day. I believe cherry juice and gout go hand in hand if you want to get rid of the pain associated with this disease.

Which cherries should I choose?

Tart cherries for gout seem to have the most scientific basis for usage. Darker varieties have more anthocyanins so that is something to consider as well. Ultimately, they all will work fairly well. I personally usually use montmorency cherries.

Conclusion

When it comes to cherries and gout, whether you use tart cherries, bing cherries, or black cherries for gout, they are worth their weight in gold when it comes to gout remedies for this very painful type of arthritis. From helping with inflammation to lowering uric acid levels, they are the complete package. If you have gout and cherries are not part of your gout cures arsenal, make them part of it today.



Until later,

Medic

Gout Treatments-Part 5|Blueberries

3 Ways Blueberries Help You Get Rid of Gout Pain

This is part five of a six-part installment on natural gout treatments. Click on the link for the beginning of this natural gout treatments series if you haven't had the chance to read the other parts of this series yet. So far we've discussed pineapples, grapes, bananas, and strawberries.

Todays post focuses on why blueberries should be a part of your gout treatments plan.

Anti-inflammation

One of the main causes of gout is inflammation. Effective gout treatments should contain foods that have anti-inflammatory properties, and blueberries go to the root of the problem. Blueberries contain potassium which as we've seen throughout this treatments for gout series reduces inflammation and helps reduce uric acid levels. Blueberries have around 77mg of potassium per serving.

Anthocyanins

Blueberries also contain anthyocyanins. Anthocyanins are what give the blueberries their dark color. These have very powerful anti-inflammatory properties and are very good at fighting disease. This is also why cherries for gout are so well thought of.

The cause for swelling in affected joints is the formation of excess uric acid crystals and anthocyanins help reduce swelling by lowering your urate levels. Not to mention all the other benefits and cancer-fighting antioxidants that blueberries have, you can't go wrong eating these tasty treats.

A government study of anthocyanins in blueberries found that blueberries contained 7.2mg in fresh varieties, 4.3mg in dried varieties, frozen 1 month 8.1mg, and frozen 3 months 7.9mg. They are not quite as potent as cherries at 25 mg of anthocyanins per 20 cherries, but still quite good.

Vitamin C

As we've seen in earlier posts, vitamin C plays a very important role in treating gout. Vitamin C has been shown to lessen serum uric acid levels. Blueberries don't have a lot of vitamin C (around 10mg per serving), but they contain enough of the other elements such as anthocyanins that they are worth eating to help get rid of gout.


Overall, blueberries are an excellent choice to add to your gout treatments plan. Next up, and last in our series are the king of gout treatments, cherries.

Until later,

Medicman

Gout Treatment News

New Natural Gout Treatment Being Tested At Science Competition

I thought I'd take the quickly mention one of the possible new treatments for gout some of you may wish to keep an eye on. There is a science competition taking place in the United States and a group of Malaysian students is going to test a natural remedy that Malaysians have used for centuries for differing maladies.

The article stated, "Fatimah Thohirah Abdul Halim from SMK Wangsa Melawati said
she spent a year researching the potential benefits of local plant kelempayan
(Neolamarkcia cadamba) for the treatment of gout. "Kelempayan has always been used in traditional Malay treatment. We could be looking at the cure for gout
without nasty side effects as it is derived naturally," she said. " This competition is slated to begin tomorrow through May 16th. You can read the whole article here.

Until later,

Medicman

Gout Treatments-Part 3|Bananas

Simple Ways Bananas Improve Your Gout Symptoms Naturally

This is the third installment of our series on gout treatments. The first two remedies mentioned in this series were pineapples and grapes. This series is meant to give you alternative gout treatments to consider so you can reduce or eliminate the sharp fiery pain that is so common among episodes of this painful disease. So how can bananas help improve your pain?


A Gout Treatment that Reduces Inflammation.

Bananas are loaded with potassium. Potassium is very critical when it comes to properly treating this condition. As has been mentioned in other posts, potassium helps to liquefy uric acid. The pain from gout is mostly caused by inflammation due to increased uric acid crystallization in the joints, most commonly in the big toe, but this can occur in other joints as well. The liquefying of those crystals helps them to move out of the joint and be processed for urination by the kidneys (your renal system). Your kidneys act as an equalizer and help bring the body into balance by lowering your body's uric acid content to normal (in medical terms this is called homeostasis).

Bananas have a moderate level of potassium. Whereas pineapples and grapes both have potassium, but are lower, bananas have around 10% of your daily recommended allowance for potassium (3500mg). The average banana contains approximately 358mg. Adding bananas to a fruit mix of pineapples and grapes would really help you get closer to increasing your potassium levels to where your body is able to properly eliminate the excess crystallization that is causing you pain. Another benefit to potassium is that it also helps prevent your body from becoming too acidic.

You can supplement potassium, but I seriously advise you to seek a physician as potassium needs to be kept in proper balance since it plays an important role in your heart rhythm regularity.


A Gout Treatment that Reduces Uric Acid Levels

As mentioned above, excess uric acid leads to crystallization in the joints. If you have gout banana helps combat this because they are loaded with vitamin C which has been shown to reduce uric acid levels by 10% when taken in enough quantities (500mg was the test quantity). An average serving of bananas contains approximately 15% of your daily total, although the recommended total is less than the 500mg used during the test results showing the decrease in uric acid due to vitamin C usage.

Vitamin C also helps with repairing connective tissue in your joints that the crystals are tearing down. This is vital in getting rid of gout pain .

Conclusion

Bananas, just like pineapples and grapes cannot beat gout alone. With their ability to go to the heart of gout pain by helping to reduce swelling and the crystallization that causes swelling bananas should be part of your natural treatments for gout program.

Until later,

Medicman

Gout Treatments-Part 2|Grapes

How Grapes are Helping Gout Sufferers Reduce Their Pain

How many times have we heard that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables are crucial in our ability to get rid of gout. The fact that fruits are so effective as natural remedies for gout is the reason for this gout treatments series.

Next up on the list is grapes. Grapes are another natural gout remedy that is not commonly used as a gout treatments therapy. As with pineapples, grapes by themselves will not get rid of gout, but they have a lot of potential when used with other therapies. There are quite a few ways that grapes can help to relieve gout pain. The following list contains the properties of grapes that help ease your pain.


Water

One of the benefits of eating grapes are they are made up mostly of water. In fact, they are roughly 2/3 composed of water. As we've seen in an earlier post on proper hydration as an effective natural gout treatments solution,water helps flush the extra uric acid out of your system, while helping to reduce inflammation. As I mentioned in that post, you can also help supplement your water intake by eating water dense foods, such as grapes. Water is an excellent gout treatments therapy no matter what form you take it in.


Quercitin

Quercitin is a flavonoid. Flavonoids are known to have beneficial anti-swelling abilities. Obviously, this is a major benefit in getting rid of gout pain as swelling is what causes the majority of a person's gout discomfort. As an extra benefit, quercitin is noted be a great cancer fighter due to it's ability to help fight off tumor growth. You should consider other foods with quercitin such as cherries, the king of gout treatments, to help ease gout attacks. Quercitin also comes in supplement form.


Anthocyanins

Anthocyanins are also flavonoids. Flavonoid compounds are thought to block the pain messages carried by the COX enzyme in the body. So, anthocyanins, as with quercitin helps to reduce swelling and block pain receptors simultaneously. They are found in dark skinned fruits, such as red grapes and cherries. The best grapes to take in your gout treatments arsenal are red grapes as white grapes were not found to have hardly any levels of anthocyanins.


Potassium

Grapes, as with bananas also contain potassium. Whereas, bananas contain approx. 115mg of potassium per serving (100g or 3.5 oz), grapes contain approx. 191mg per serving. Combine these two fruits in a fruit salad to help you work towards your daily totals for potassium and fruit consumption.

As mentioned in the last post about pineapples and gout, potassium helps put uric acid into a solution versus being crystallized, which helps your kidneys excrete the excess uric acid out of your system.


Alkalinity

Grapes are considered, as well as bananas to be alkaline inducing foods. Your body works on a pH balance and it is healthier for the body to be in an alkaline state versus an acidic state. Part of the problem with gout is the acidic nature of your blood. Grapes are fairly alkaline, despite having acids in them. It is the soluble salts such as salt of potassium in the grapes which make them alkaline. This helps neutralize the uric acid in your body thereby helping reduce your gout symptoms.

Vitamin C

Grapes also contain vitamin C which are a vital part of any gout treatments therapy. The vitamin C content in grapes is not huge, around 10mg, but it is helpful. Whereas grapes have more potassium than bananas, bananas have more vitamin C than grapes. Vitamin C is noted for preventing purines from forming into too much uric acid.

Conclusion

It is possible to find healthy natural gout treatments to cure your painful gout symptoms. Grapes are a great way to mix variety into your diet and is why grapes should be considered as one of the important cures in your gout treatments therapy.

Until later,

Medicman