complementary
therapists therapiesguide.co.uk |
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The
Gout Page - Gout Relief and Prevention
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What
is Gout Reflexology
& Gout |
What
is gout?
Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis, and is probably
the most painful. It affects the joints of the body,and is caused by
a high level of uric acid in the blood, which results in deposits of
uric acid crystals in the joints.
High levels of uric acid in the blood, can cause recurring attacks of
joint inflammation (arthritis), deposits of hard lumps of uric acid
in and around the joints, and decreased kidney function and sometimes
kidney stones.
Uric acid will normally dissolve in the blood through the kidneys and
into the urine, but sometimes the kidneys are unable to cope resulting
in a high level of uric acid, or urates, in the blood stream. Urate
is a by-product of the breakdown of substances called purines which
occur naturally in the cells of our bodies and to varying degrees in
the food and drinks we consume.
Attacks of gout usually come on very quickly, often during the night.
Doctors describe this sudden flare-up of symptoms as acute. The frequency
of attacks will vary. Many people have an attacks every few years, others
can have attacks every few months. Often the frequency of attacks can
increase and possibly new joints will be affected.
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Where
do you get Gout.
Gout attacks the joints, normally it affects just one joint at a time,
the small joint at the base of the big toe is the most common site of
an acute gout attack of arthritis, but it does occur in the other toe
joints, fingers, wrists, ankles, elbows and knee joints.
Attacks sometimes occur slowly and you can feel them coming on, but
often they occur rapidly overnight, you wake up in the morning to find
the affected joint swollen, with reddish discoloration, and extreme
tenderness. Anything touching it can cause excruciating pain and if
it you are unlucky enough to have an attack in your foot walking becomes
agony.
The attacks can last for days or sometimes weeks and do not always seem
to any relate to your current lifestyle and diet.
Most patients with gout will experience repeated attacks of arthritis
over the years.
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Curing
Gout
Gout cannot be cured but an attack can be relieved and the chances of
an attack re-occurring can be reduced by embracing these basic suggestions:
-
Avoid very high or high purine foods. Try to limit your intake of
foods that are high in purines will help; these include red meat and
offal ( beef, game, kidneys, liver)
oily fish ( anchovies, fish roes, herring, mackerel, tuna, sardines)
foods rich in yeast extracts – e.g. Marmite, Bovril, Vegemite.) - Avoid excess Alcohol
- Drink lots of liquids, especially water this can reduce the risk of urate crystallising in joint tissues. Try to aim for at least 1 litre of fluid a day
- Regularly drinking coffee can help the liver process more urate
- Reduce your intake of soft drinks (they often contain high levels of sugar)
- Take frequent exercise
- Try to lose weight, if you need to, which is a very effective dietary treatment helping to significantly reduce your urate levels.
- Try to identify anything that brings on an attack of gout and take steps to avoid it in future.
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Gout
Relief :- Natural Remedies.
Using Natural Remedies to avoid and relieve gout attacks has seen an
increase in popularity in recent years Possibly the primary reason is
that most gout medications can have severe side effects, are not safe
to take long term or must not be used in conjunction with some other
medications. Natural remedies for gout tend to be safer to take, and
invariably have no side effects. There are many people that believe
that these gout natural remedies will work better than traditional gout
medicines.
Diet and Lifestyle for Gout Relief :-
It is possible to achieve relief from gout, or dramatically reduce the
chances of a gout attack, by natural means. Creating a suitable diet
and lifestyle are probably the most important factors.
For example, you:
-
Should drink plenty of water every day, water helps to prevent uric
acid crystals forming by keeping your body very well hydrated which
helps your kidneys flush excess uric acid out of your body.
-
Should eat a well-balanced diet, try to lose any excessive weight
to achieve an ideal body weight, do regular physical activity, exercise
can help the kidney function better.
-
Should eat foods that have low purine content, such as:-
Eggs, milk, butter, cheese, potatoes.
Low-fat and fat-free cheeses, yogurt and ice cream.
Cream-style soups made with low-fat milk, soups made without meat extract or broth.
Grain products such as bread, crackers, pasta, noodles, spaghetti, rice; nuts and seeds
Fruit, including fresh cherries (highly recommended), strawberries, blueberries, and other red-blue berries, bananas, mandarins, oranges.
Vegetables including kale, cabbage, parsley, green-leafy varieties.
Drink coffee, tea, cocoa, and carbonated drinks.
- Should
avoid drinking too much alcohol - especially beer, stout, port and
fortified wines.
-
Should cut down on foods that have a very high purine content, such
as: - Red meat, game, offal, processed meats (luncheon meat, sausages,
hot dogs etc.).
Seafood, especially oily fish such as mackerel, tuna, sprats, pilchards, sardines, herring and anchovies.
Shellfish, including shrimp, crab, mussels, scallops and lobster.
Various vegetables (asparagus, cauliflower, lentils, mushrooms, peas, oatmeal and spinach).
Rich foods, cakes, biscuits, sugar products and white flour products.
Fried foods and any food cooked in oil.
- Should eat plenty of fruits.
For several reasons fruits are outstanding resources in treating gout,
including being great resources for vitamin C, potassium, fibre, anthocyanins,
bromelain, quercitin, folic acid, and water. Fruits help decrease
painful swelling and help reverse joint damage, and many of these
properties also help prevent or reduce the incidence and severity
bringing pain relief for gout.
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Herbal
Remedies for Gout.
Two dietary supplements that are recognised as successful in helping
avoid gout attacks are:-
- Regularly taking supplemental amounts of Vitamin C does help many people avoid gout
- A
daily intake of 2-3 teaspoons of black cherry juice helps many people.
Herbs can also form part of a healthy diet and some herbs that are particularly useful for gout relief are :-
- Dandelion roots have been used as a medicinal herb for years often for treating joint inflammations. It has diuretic properties and is considered to be a cleansing as well as a nourishing tonic that can assist in minimizing the pain and inflammation caused by gout.
- Garlic helps the body as well as the heart and can relieve you of your painful gout symptoms.
- Bilberry or european blueberry is often used as a herbal remedy for Gout, it has been used for centuries to help with various ailments, they contain useful anthocyanins which are very important during a gout attack, anthocyanins help with blood flow to your joints which helps reduce painful swelling.
- Devil's claw (harpagophytum procumbens) has been used over the centuries as an herbal treatment, called devil's claw because of the shape of the seed after it is opened.This herb is useful for getting rid of gout because of it's ability to lower uric acid concentration and because it helps flush out toxic waste. It also can bring relief to people with chronic lower back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and arthritis, especially helpful to gout patients as gout is a form of arthritis.
- Mustard Seed - a herb that helps to stimulate the flushing of the digestive system removing excess fluids.
- Celery seed (Apium graveolens) helps kidneys dispose of the waste products and reduces the general acidity in the body. The seeds also produce carminative and mild tranquilising effects.
- Juniper berries (Juniperus communis) is an antiseptic and a diuretic that promotes healthy urinary tracts and a good urine flow. Excess water and toxins are expelled from the body when juniper berry is taken. Juniper berries help to prevent uric acid crystallisation and will aid in the expulsion of sediment.
- Rosehip
- Ginger
- Nettles
- Rosehip
- Chamomile
- Willow Bark
- Benzoin
- Boswellia
- Cats Claw
- Tumeric
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How Reflexology Helps My Gout Attacks
Being
a long time sufferer with gout, both in my feet and my hands. I have
tried various treatment suggestions prescribed by several doctors.
It took me some time before I realised what was causing the pain and
it was only after one particularly painful attack, that it became impossible
to put any weight on my standing foot and it even hurt when I was lying
down that I visited my doctor. He immediately diagnosed gout and prescribed
some medication, eventually the pain disappeared and I attributed this
to the pills I had been prescribed.
Gout however had not finished with me, it has been returning at intervals
for years now, the intensity and duration of the attack varies and even
which foot it chooses to affect. Luckily it has never been in both feet
simultaneously but on several occasions it has started in one foot,
cleared up and immediately flared up in the other (that’s what
I call vindictive). The pills prescribed by doctors (there has been
several of both) all act retrospectively and do not stop the gout reoccurring.
I have been offered a “pill for life” which could work but
the thought of taking a daily pill seems akin to permanently wearing
a stab vest just in case I get stabbed.
Research has shown me that gout is caused by having too much uric acid
in your body; the kidneys normally pass excess uric acid out of your
body via urine. This acid can sometimes crystallise and it is these
crystals that often deposit in a joint (usually at the extremities of
our limbs) that cause the pain and swelling associated with a gout attack.
This information also indicated that I should be taking a more alternative
approach; treat the cause not the symptoms. I tried popular dietary
recommendations, drink plenty of water and avoid eating too many foods
high in purines (kidney, liver, sweetbreads, and game meats) another
popular suggestion is to eat plenty of cherries (ironically in the UK
this is one of the few fruits that are not available all the year round
and although the tinned variety are a suitable alternative they soon
lose their appeal.
During this time the gout kept reoccurring and I had become adept at
recognising the early signs of an attack. Then suddenly it occurred
to me that I may have been looking at a possible solution all the time.
I own several websites dealing with Alternative Medicine and even this
one that features Reflexology.
Reflexology seemed the obvious answer, the pain was in my feet, and
it was crystals forming round the joints that were causing it. I contacted
a Reflexologist and explained the problem she agreed to offer some treatment
when I felt I was about to have a gout attack. That day happened and
I booked an appointment. The reflexologist massaged my foot at two points,
firstly at the reflex point that connected to the appropriate kidney
and then around the toe joint where there were signs of pain. The session
lasted about 40 minutes and left me pain free. Subsequent treatments
have left me convinced that Reflexology may not stop gout totally; but
it can stop the first signs of discomfort turning into a full blown
attack.Sometimes one treatment seems to be enough but quite often several
visits are required.
One word of warning that may seem obvious; I would not recommend having
treatment at the height of an attack when it is often painful to have
your foot touched by a light bed sheet.
David Bates www.therapiesguide.co.uk
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Gout
Information
Gout Diets and Food Suggestions.
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