How to Treat Gout With Natural Alternatives
Shooting big toe pain, especially at night? Joints swollen and tender, perhaps reddened? Rapid heartbeat? Fever and chills? If these symptoms describe you, you may have gout, which is a form of arthritis. Gout comes from a buildup of uric acid in the body, causing swelling, inflammation, and severe pain. It readily responds to natural healing modalities that work by eliminating excess uric aid and reducing inflammation. Most of these treatments are available at your local supermarket. The cure is not only within easy reach, it tastes good.
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Things You'll Need
- Cherries or cherry juice
- Citrus fruits
- Turmeric
- Herbal teas
- Celery seed
Instructions
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Add cherries to your diet. Whether you eat them or drink the juice, cherries help with gout. Natural health experts recommend eating 10 to 15 fresh cherries or drinking a glass of cherry juice per day. Black cherries offer especially strong benefits to gout sufferers, as do blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and hawthorn berries. The darker pigment of these foods contains a flavanoid, anthocyaniding, which has both anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to neutralize uric acid.
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Consume fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C like leafy, green vegetables, citrus fruits, green peppers, and strawberries. Some gout patients have reported success over time from drinking the juice of one lemon in a glass of water each day sweetened with 1 tsp. of honey.
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Consume celery seed, whether it's through eating, juicing and drinking, or adding a few drops of the extract. Celery seed is both anti-inflammatory and hypouricemic (meaning it reduces uric acid). If you want highly concentrated quantities, purchase a supplement of celery seed extract. However, gout patients report good results from either eating celery or juicing it.
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Take advantage of healing herbs. Alfafa, stinging nettle, horsetail, and oat straw all assist in eliminating the excess uric acid in the joints. Trying drinking a cup of one of these healing herbal teas, or a few drops of an extract made from one or more of these herbs.
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Put turmeric on the frequently used spice rack next to the salt and pepper. Turmeric, an orange-yellow spice common in Indian cooking, helps reduce inflammation. Turmeric itself has a mild taste; it's the other ingredients in curry that add the spicy hotness, so feel free to add turmeric to many of the dishes you eat throughout the week. Many people also brew turmeric tea to increase their intake of this healthful herb.
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Tips & Warnings
Soak sore feet in Epsom salts for pain relief. If you want to take medication, ibuprofen is better for gout than aspirin.
Adding cherries and alfafa to your grocery list won't help much if cigarettes, beer, and junk food remain part of your diet. Eliminate the usual suspects -- cut down on smoking and alcohol. Try to avoid foods with high fat and/or sodium content. Gout occurs more frequently in sedentary people, so bringing more physical activity into your weekly routine is as important as eating right and taking the recommended herbs and supplements.
