Relieving Gout

Anyone looking for gout relief is often overwhelmed by the many treatments for gout on the market today. If you are suffering from gout pain, you may be frantically looking for anything that can help reduce your symptoms. When gout comes on the pain can be severe, walking may be nearly impossible and your quality of life is diminished. The good news is with a little education, you can begin to find the gout treatment best for you.

Finding the right form of gout pain relief will help you feel better faster. Always make sure that you see your doctor first for proper diagnosis and to discuss any treatment methods you are thinking of using.

What Causes Gout Attacks?

In order to know which type of gout relief you need, you need to know what are the causes of your gout attacks.

Gout triggers can differ from person to person, and what triggers someone else’s gout, may not trigger yours and vice-versa. Keep a diary of what you do, what you eat, your weight, and your activities. Also, journal your pain and symptoms. This way you can match up what is making you feel bad. This will help you use the right gout relief methods for you.

Gout Relief Options

Most gout relief options focus on reducing the uric acid levels in your body, reducing inflammation, and reducing pain. When gout first strikes, you will need anti-inflammatories to help reduce the inflammation and pain that occurs. After the initial attack subsides, you will need to start doing something to start lowering the excess uric acid in your body. Some people with severe enough inflammation may need steroids to get them through the initial flare-up.

Important note: One medication not approved for gout relief option is, aspirin. Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory, but can actually raise the uric acid levels by stopping the kidneys from flushing out the excess. If you suffer from gout, do not take aspirin.

Over-The-Counter Gout Relief

Once you have checked with your doctor, one option for gout relief is over-the-counter medications. These come in pills, lotions, sprays, creams, and patches. They are designed to relieve pain or numb the affected area. Your doctor may even recommend over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like Advil or Motrin. Know that any medication can have side-effects or drug interactions, and you must check with your doctor first to make sure what you choose is okay to take.

Natural Gout Relief

You may decide to use one of the many all-natural gout relief options out there on the market. Choose carefully and make sure the product you choose has plenty of ingredients to help relieve and treat gout. It needs to contain ingredients to reduce inflammation, pain as well as, uric acid in the body.

You also need to check with your doctor before using natural remedies. These can be found online and in local health stores.

One important point in treating gout naturally is that you have to modify your diet. Omit any foods high in purines such as: red meat, organ meat, sardines, and alcohol. Foods high in purines raise uric acid levels because uric acid is a waste product of purine digestion.

Eating cherries is a known way to reduce inflammation in the body naturally. Cherries contain chemicals that block the effects of inflammation in types of arthritis. You need to eat at least ½ pound of cherries a day or drink cherry juice.

Wear properly fitting shoes. If you have pain in your big toe, you will need shoes that allow room for the swelling and reduce the friction to the area. During the first acute attack, you may just be comfortable in slippers for a little while.

Whatever you decide for gout relief, make sure you discuss it with your doctor, and follow your treatment plan carefully to prevent future attacks.