The gout patients know the gout pain that no one else can understand. The extreme pain is dreadful and itgives restless nights tothe patients. The modern medication is not a full time treatment, as it only helps during the gout attacks, not to mention that all the modern medicines definitely come with some side effects as well.
Knowing the Common Symptoms and Causes
Before going into the gout remedies, it is important that you understand the gout symptoms and its causes. Gout is a medical condition that can be characterized by few symptoms that are easily visible to human eye.
Major gout symptoms include –
- Severe soreness,
- Inflated joints, and
- Stiffness in joints along with redness.
It is similar to arthritis and it predominantly affects the male populace, although a decent percentage of women also suffer from it too.
Uric Acid – The Major Cause of Gout
The main reason that leads to gout is the high levels of the uric acid in the blood plasma or the blood stream. The uric acid in the blood transforms into the uric acid crystals, which later accumulates in the joints.
The inflammations are the result of the repulsion caused by the body’s defense system to avoid the acid crystals as they are foreign substances in the body. The major question that rises is – where does this uric acid come from? Well, the answer is that the uric acid is a byproduct of the breakdown of chemical substances called ‘purines’ that exist in our bodies naturally and also in the food that we consume.
However, the uric acid dissolves in the blood and is removed by the kidneys on timely basis though urine but at times, they fail to do so. This can happen for two reasons, firstly, the kidneys are not functioning properly or the body is producing too much uric acid that it hard to manage for a kidney.
Drinking water
Drinking a lot of water can help prevent many deadly and severe diseases and gout is one of them. Try to intake 3 to 4 liters of water daily as this will help the body to flush out the uric acid present in the body in the blood stream. A well hydrated body reduces the formation of the uric acid crystals in the body which in turn can reduce the gout pain and probability of gout attacks.
Optimal Body Weight
It is highly important to maintain optimal body weight. It has been proved that being overweight is a major risk when you’re fighting gout. So, shedding some weight would certainly help you out.
Hot and Cold Compress
The hot and cold compress can be a good reliever for the inflammation and joint pains. Use these whenever necessary as they are proven to be very effective.
Avoid Consumption of Alcohol
It is very important for a gout patient to avoid alcohol as it increases the chances of attacks manifolds. The beer tends to increase the chances of an attack to 50 percent. And, if you really need something to quench your thirst, choose only wine, that too in very small quantities.
Sammy Perry is a health expert who also maintains various blogs on health issues and their prevention. To know more about gout and its symptoms, you can check http://goutsymptomsguide.org.