Gout, a painful joint condition, is caused by an accumulation of uric acid in the blood. The disease usually appears in midlife and is primarily experienced by men.
Gout can be hereditary or the secondary to some other disease process.
The main symptom of gout is severe pain and swelling in joints. Although gout usually affects only one joint at a time, it can move from one joint to affect another joint.
What causes uric acid to build up?
The kidneys normally do a fine job of filtering uric acid out of the body. But with gout, the body makes excess uric acid or the kidneys fail to function properly, failing to rid the body of the uric acid. This causes the uric acid to begin to build up in the joints in the form of uric acid crystals.
This condition is very painful. The
accumulation of these crystals causes severe pain and swelling
in the joint. One of the most common sites for gout is in the big toe joint. However, gout can occur in an ankle, knee, elbow, wrist or finger.
Typically, the onset of gout occurs at night with excruciating pain, swelling and inflammation in the affected joint. Rich food and alcohol may contribute to the rise in uric acid and the increase in the severity of the symptoms.
What part does nutrition play in alleviating gout symptoms?
Luckily, there are several superfoods that are probably already a part of your everyday diet that can
help alleviate the symptoms of gout
.
The
pectin and vitamin C in apples
can help alleviate gout symptoms. The vitamin C helps to
strengthen the immune system
and the pectin helps the joints remain flexible.
Onions
protect the circulatory system and are a powerful antibiotic. They’re good for urinary infections, and their diuretic activity
helps with arthritis, rheumatism and gout
.
Beets
are richer than spinach in iron and other minerals, and the greens are helpful in cases of gout due to the fact that the iron helps to oxygenate and purify the bloodstream.
Cherries
can help alleviate gout. Recent research, published in the
journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism
, shows that eating cherries over two days reduced the risk of experiencing a gout attack by 35 percent, compared to not eating cherries.
The key ingredient in cherries and cherry juice that helps gout is flavonoids. Flavonoids help to reduce the uric acid levels in the bloodstream. Flavonoids also help to prevent the inflammation that results from gout.
There are a few possibilities for why these associations exist, researchers say. One is that vitamin C, which is found in cherries, can influence the amount of uric acid in a person’s blood, according to Dr. Allan Gelber, who co-wrote an editorial accompanying the study.
And let’s not forget
bananas
….
Can natural remedies help gout?
Yes, they can!
Gout-Gone
is a safe, non-addictive, FDA-registered natural remedy containing 100 percent homeopathic ingredients to
relieve gout symptoms, including swelling, inflammation and burning pain
in small joints, especially the big toe.
Gout-Gone
helps to support joint health and keep uric acid levels in the healthy range, without harmful side effects. This remedy contains a selection of homeopathic ingredients known to address discomfort associated with gout.
What else can I do to help alleviate gout symptoms?
It’s important to
drink plenty of water
to help keep the kidneys functioning and filtering the blood properly as well as to help prevent the formation of kidney stones.
It is also wise to avoid foods that are high in purines, as they account for approximately 50 percent of the uric acid produced in the body. Organ meats like liver, sweetbreads, brains, kidney, meat gravies, meat extracts, scallops, wild game, mackerel, herring, anchovies and sardines and cauliflower are all high in purines.
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