Simple Home Gout Remedies
Gout is a painful condition for those who suffer with it. Natural gout remedies are extremely popular these days, because they are cheap, readily available and in most cases they are every bit as effective as taking medicine for this condition. Another very big plus for using home remedies for gout is that there are no side-effects from using them.
Gout is a type of arthritis, and people who have it are unable to get properly eliminate the uric acid from their body, causing symptoms such as a very painful big toe or sometimes other joints or parts of the body. The excruciating pain the sufferer experiences is most unpleasant. Unfortunately, gout medication is known to have severe side-effects and thus is not usually safe or even prescribed for long-term use.
Of course the first step in treating gout is to reduce certain risk factors and avoiding foods which are known to increase the risk of gout. Keeping alcohol consumption down to a low level, avoiding organ meat, and staying away from shellfish will help lessen your chances of coming down with gout. Being overweight is another risk factor with gout.
A very simple way to prevent gout is to drink 8 glasses of water a day as this will help your body to excrete excess uric acid. Once you have gout, there are very simple, common everyday remedies you can try. Traditionally, red clover has been used as a natural remedy for gout, although it may thin a person's blood and so it shouldn't be used if you're taking anti-coagulant medication. Another very popular home remedy for gout is cherries. Apparently, if you immediately eat 20 to 30 cherries as soon as you feel a gout attack coming on it can prevent it from happening.
Some home gout remedies work for some people but not for others, so you may have to try different remedies to find which one works best for you and what is best for your body. It's definitely well worth pursuing the option of home remedies for gout, though, because the alternative which is prescribed medication does not always work completely and has many serious side-effects. Popular gout treatment drug, allopurinol for example causes skin sores, liver damage, inflamed blood vessels and it has been known to damage the kidney. You would never find any gout home remedies doing this to your body!
Aside from using these remedies once you already have gout, there are other things that can be done to help prevent gout attacks. As mentioned above, drinking water is one preventative measure you can take, and others include; eating foods that contain high amounts of potassium, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, drink lemon juice in water after each meal, take have a teaspoon of baking soda with your meals, and have lots of sex! Yes, studies have shown that having sex reduces the amount of uric acid in the bodies of men.
And, if after all of your preventative measures, you still have an attack of gout just try one of the simple, natural home gout remedies. You'll get quick relief from your attack, and you won't have to suffer any of the distressing side-effects that you'd have if you took medication for it.
