5 Ways To Treat Gout Naturally

Gout is a form of arthritis associated with severe, sudden pain in the joints along with inflammation and stiffness. It affects mainly the big toe but can also attack the ankle, elbow, wrist and fingers. The affected joints become tender and warm to touch and the nearby skin turns reddish.  Gout results from deposition of uric acid crystals in the joints. Hereditary factor plays an important role in the occurrence of gout however, some other factors like obesity, hypothyroidism, hypertension, excessive alcohol consumption, improper kidney function, having diet rich in purines like seafood, meat, beer etc can also lead to gout. Knowing the root cause of gout helps in treating it naturally without any side-effects.

Drink lot of water

A natural and a non-medicated treatment for gout is drinking simple, plain water. It’s found that Dehydration may trigger gout attack. Studies suggest that drinking water can help in keeping the body well- hydrated. Water helps in diluting the uric acid and flushing out excess uric acid from the body which is the root cause of gout. It prevents dehydration which helps in the proper kidney function, avoiding kidney infections and kidney stones which may cause the uric acid build-up. Water also helps to lubricate the joints. It increases metabolism and helps in weight loss. Drinking at least 7-8 glasses of water every day proves beneficial.

Eat Apples and Bananas

Apples are known to prevent the attack of gout. Apple and fresh apple juice avoid the precipitation of uric acid crystals. Apple is a rich source of malic acid which helps in neutralizing uric acid and thus it avoids crystallization of uric acid in the joints. It’s also rich in vitamin c which repairs and strengthens the connective tissues around the joint and decreases the damage done by sharp crystals of uric acid. It’s good to have apple along with raw carrot every day. Banana is also very helpful in treating gout. It’s found that the potassium content of banana liquefies the uric acid crystals which are later on flushed out of the body. Eat a couple of bananas everyday directly or mixed in yogurt.

Herbs to dissolve uric acid

Many herbs have an anti-inflammatory property and hence they act as natural pain killers. Herb like Boswellia Serrata is a powerful but natural remedy for gout. It’s known to reduce the inflammation and pain associated with gout. Devils claw is a herb that prevents the build-up of uric acid crystals and reduce the gout pains. Its anti-inflammatory and an effective pain reliever. Turmeric root powder is one of the top herb in treating strong gout pains it reduces the stiffness and pain in the joints. Celery seed is another herb which has an anti-inflammatory property it also act as a diuretic and neutralizes the uric acid effect in the body. Few other herbs like Bilberry extract, Alfa-Alfa are also found beneficial in treating gout.

Eat cherries

Both sweet and sour cherries are effective in gout as they have antioxidant properties. Cherries contain anthocyanins and bioflavonoids which are helpful in reducing the inflammation and flare up’s in gout. Eat at least 15-20 fresh cherries per day. In case fresh cherries are not available one can opt for canned cherries or concentrated cherry juice but its best to have fresh ones. Drinking cherry juice with some minced cloves of garlic is also a good and effective option.

Change your food habits

Diet plays an important role in treatment as well as prevention of gout. As the root cause of gout is uric acid build-up avoid eating sardines, organ meat and anchovies which are rich source of uric acid. Avoid high purine plant food like mushroom, lentils, peas, spinach, beans and cauliflower. Say good bye to coffee and other caffeine sources. Reduce alcohol consumption as alcohol causes dehydration and irritates the urinary tract. Alcohol may also increase the uric acid level in the blood that triggers gout attack. Avoid beer as its high in purine content. Avoid fruit juice with fructose added to it. In case of obesity the most important thing is to cut down extra weight. Eat lot of strawberries, seeds and nuts which neutralizes the uric acid.