subject: Is This The Best Natural Cure For Gout? [print this page] Why are gout sufferers increasingly looking for natural cures for gout? After all, there are several effective gout treatments that your doctor can prescribe aren't there? So let's first look at mainstream gout treatment for a moment...
GOUT TREATMENT
For pain and inflammation, there are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), prescribed and over-the-counter, and, there are prescription drugs like Colchicine and Corticosteroids.
And since gout is caused by urate crystals in joints as a result of high uric acid levels in the blood, there are also prescription drugs like Allopurinol that can help to reduce uric acid to try to prevent future attacks.
Unfortunately, these drugs can produce some negative side effects in many patients. And the uric-acid-reducing drugs have to be taken long-term, the rest of one's life in some cases, because they are only effective whilst being taken.
So more and more gout sufferers are searching for natural gout remedies. But is there a natural cure for gout out there? Well, according to some researchers and patients there are quite a few contenders...
NATURAL GOUT REMEDIES
Water
For example, you have the very basic advice to drink at least 3 to 3.5 litres of water each day to help your kidneys flush excess uric acid out of your body. And by keeping your body well-hydrated you also help to prevent crystals forming in your joints.
Low Purine Diet
Then you have dietary adjustments to help reduce uric acid. This consists of changing to a low-purine diet: purines being chemical compounds in our bodies' cells and in the cells of much of our food that produce uric acid as they break down.
Typical high-purine foods to be avoided are; game, offal (organ meat), some fish and shellfish. You can eat; vegetables (but not mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower or spinach), lots of fruit, complex carbs., essential fatty acid foods, foods with high vitamin C, and low-fat dairy produce.
Herbal Remedies
You also have herbs such as alfalfa and burdoch which can help to neutralize uric acid. Others, like bilberry, can help to reduce inflammation and pain. Talk to your local herbalist or health food store for the complete list and their benefits.
Fruit
Some fruit can be very effective in reducing inflammation and pain and helping to lower uric acid too. For example, cherries have great anti-inflammatory properties as well as being able to reduce uric acid. Take 30 or 40 cherries per day. If you can't get fresh then get concentrated cherry juice from your health food store. Strawberries, blueberries and grapes are other strong remedies.
Vitamins / Supplements
Then we have vitamins like vitamin C that helps to improve uric acid excretion and also to reduce acid levels. This, of course, can be through consuming more high-vitamin C foods like mandarins, tangerines, potatoes, red bell peppers, red cabbage and so on, or, through taking vitamin C supplements.
[Note: Never make any significant changes to your diet without first talking to your doctor / physician. Follow their advice. And never stop taking any medication until they instruct you to.]
These are just some of the most discussed natural cures for gout you'll see in health forums etc. There are many more. And what you will also see in the discussion forums is that some people praise one remedy whilst others will swear by other ones...
CONCLUSION
The takeaway from this is that, as everyone's metabolism is different, it's better to take a broader approach to a natural cure for gout. In other words, instead of searching for the one home remedy -- a silver bullet if you will -- that will work for you, use a combination of the most effective ones according to studies and the experiences of other gout patients.
For example, although many people might promote cherries as the most effective in their experience -- and many do! -- whilst others may speak highly of vitamin C, or a certain herb, you may be better served by using more than one remedy and combining the benefits of several.
