Gout - Information and Treatment

Gout develops in a person gradually or suddenly with severe symptoms. Symptoms develop suddenly and usually involve only one or a few joints. The pain frequently starts during the night and is often described as throbbing, crushing, or excruciating. Excruciating pain in the "Big Toe" in the recent past may indicate Gout.

The affected joint appears warm, red, and tender. The pain at the joints may subside in several days, but may recur at irregular intervals. Subsequent attacks usually have a longer duration.

In some people, it may progress to chronic gouty arthritis, while others may have no further attacks.

The disease of Gout is caused by the accumulation of too much uric acid in the body. Substances called purines are broken down and the outcome is an abundance of uric acid. Purines can be found in tissues all over the body. Purines can also be found in many foods that we eat such as liver, anchovies, peas, and green beans. Generally uric acid is naturally dissolved in the blood. The uric acid passes through the kidneys in the body and then exits the body in the urine. Sometimes though uric acid builds up in the blood when:

1. The body naturally increases the amount of uric acid it produces.

2. The kidneys, for some reason, do not do their job of purifying the blood and does not exit enough of the uric acid from the body.

3. A person eats a diet that consists of foods that have high levels of purines.

When the uric levels in the blood are very high it is then called hyperuricemia as most people that have hyperuricemia do not go onto develop gout. Gout can develop though if there are large amounts of uric acid crystals form in the body.

There are some reasons you can be more likely to get gout.

1. If you have a family history of gout you are more likely to be afflicted with the disease.

2. If you drink a lot of alcohol or have a drinking problem in which you drink a large amount on a regular basis than you are more likely to get gout.

3. People who have a weight problem also are more likely to become afflicted with gout. The more obese a person is the higher the chances that they will get gout.

4. Considering that foods high in purines can cause gout it goes without saying that by consuming large amounts of foods high in purines will increase a persons chance of developing gout.

5. If you have had an organ transplant than you are more likely to have gout than those who have not had any organ transplants.

6. Being exposed to lead in any way will increase a person's chance of getting gout.

7. If you have an enzyme defect within your body that does not naturally break down purines. By not breaking down the purines the uric acid crystals can start to form throughout the body.

8. There are some medicines that if taken can increase your change of getting gout such as diuretics, cyclosporine, levodopa, and even aspirin.

9. By taking the vitamin of niacin you increase your chances of developing gout.

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Preventing acute gout attacks is equally as important as treating the acute arthritis. Prevention of acute gout involves maintaining adequate fluid intake, weight reduction, dietary changes, reduction in alcohol consumption, and medications to reduce hyperuricemia.

Maintaining adequate fluid intake helps prevent acute gout attacks. Adequate fluid intake also decreases the risk of kidney stone formation in patients with gout. Alcohol is known to have diuretic effects which can contribute to dehydration and precipitate acute gout attacks. Alcohol can also affect uric acid metabolism and cause hyperuricemia.

Dietary changes can help reduce uric acid levels in the blood. Since purine chemicals are converted by the body into uric acid, purine rich foods are avoided. Examples of foods rich in purine include shellfish and organ meats, such as liver, brains, kidneys, and sweetbreads. You should eat lots of berries and fruits as they absorb the uric acid.

Weight reduction can be helpful in lowering the risk of recurrent attacks of gout. This is best accomplished by reducing dietary fat and calorie intake, combined with a regular aerobic exercise program.

There are three aspects to the medication treatment of gout. First, pain relievers such as acetaminophen/Tylenol or other more potent analgesics are used to manage pain. Secondly, anti-inflammatory agents such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), colchicine, and corticosteroids are used to decrease joint inflammation. Finally, medications are considered for managing the underlying metabolic derangement that causes hyperuricemia and gout. This means treating the elevated levels of uric acid in the blood with medications that reduce these levels.

Physical examination of the joints shows swelling, redness and warmth.

=> Joint fluid analysis shows uric acid crystals.

=> Uric acid (in blood test) may be elevated above 7.5 mg/dl.

For the majority of people that have the unfortunate occurrence to get gout it most often strikes in the area of the big toe. Many times the gout attack can be severe and very painful as it often awakens one from sleep when the attack occurs. The big toe which is inflicted with gout is extremely sensitive and sore and often times warm and swollen.

Gout can be broken down into four main stages:

1. Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia is the first stage of gout in which you will not feel any symptoms but gout is starting to form. In stage one the uric acid levels are higher and it needs to be taken care of so that the uric acid does not precipitate out of blood and then become crystallized in kidneys or the joints.

2. The second stage of gout is acute gout or acute gouty arthritis. It is at stage two when gout starts to do damage to the body. High levels of uric acid make it so it is impossible for the blood to keep it in a form that is dissolved and it begins to crystallize and then be deposited in joint spaces. This is when pain and swelling then occurs. Attacks generally happen in the evening and if not treated can last for weeks at a time. If not treated still the attacks become more severe and last for longer periods of time.

3. The third stage of gout is Intercritical gout as this is the time when an attack of gout has subsided. In stage three there are no symptoms but it is because the body's immune system is stabilizing itself for more attacks on the uric acid crystals which form because of the high concentration of blood. If the person afflicted with gout does not get treatment by stage three the disease can be hard to control.

4. The fourth and final stage of gout is chronic gout which is the worst and most destructive stage of the disease. By stage four the gout has caused permanent damage to the joints and in some cases the kidneys as well. At stage four the affiliated joint can become deteriorated and cause extreme pain which can be crippling. In extreme cases the kidney can lose its functions which can lead to kidney failure and death.
Gout is a disease like many others which builds upon itself if not treated at the beginning stages. By seeing the symptoms early and being checked by a physician you can reduce the chances of gout reaching the latter stages.

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Can gout be cured naturally?

Curing gout naturally takes time, especially if a body has accumulated toxins over a lifetime, but it will be well worth the effort. Cleansing your system of accumulated toxins promotes proper functioning of your body and puts you on the road to natural good health.

Here's what you can do:

1. Maintain a healthy weight and diet. It is not recommended to be 30 pounds (or more) overweight, as this increases the risk of gout.

2. Loose weight if you need to. By loosing weight you reduce the pressure on weight-bearing joints and also lower uric acid levels. You don't want to use practices that encourage rapid weight loss such as fasting as it can raise the uric acid level temporarily.

3. Avoid excessive eating of high protein foods. It is suggested for a person to eat no more than six ounces of lean meat, fish and poultry, especially those who already have gout. A high-protein food increases the blood level of uric acid.

Natural treatment for gout

Eating simple and natural food in proper combination and preparation helps your body restore and maintain vibrant health. The best diet for people with gout is 80 percent raw food or if possible organic food; these include live foods like sprouts, wheat grass, and fresh picked garden salads, and more grains, fruits. berries and vegetables in place of protein.

The protein you need can come from non-animal food sources like legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils. Nuts are also essential and can include almonds, apricot nuts, and hazelnuts, as well as seeds such as hemp seed hearts, flax, and sesame.
A substance in some foods known as purines is a danger to gout patients and should be limited or avoided as much as possible.

The foods that contain high levels of purines include (avoid these food),

=> Organ meats like liver, brain, kidney, tongue, tripe, and sweetbread

=> Anchovies, herring and mackerel

=> Meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, fish roe, scallops

=> Peas, lentils, and beans though they have small amounts of purines, they should still be avoided by people suffering from gout.

Balancing the pH in a person's body is a crucial factor in curing gout; proper pH produces a healthy immune system and internal environment. Healing of chronic illness occurs when the blood is restored to normal or slightly alkaline pH.

Exercise is another essential for curing pains caused by gout. Stretching increases and maintains a range of motion in the joints and helps to strengthen and stabilize them. This also increases the endurance and stamina of the body overall.

Reducing repetitive use of joints, and avoiding sports injuries by including proper warm-ups are also important, as it choosing suitable sports equipment for exercising.

Another way is treat gout naturally is to avoid alcoholic beverages; consuming excessive alcohol like beer inhibits the excretion of uric acid and can lead to gout. It is advised for a male to have two drinks of alcohol per day, one drink per day for women. It is best for a person who is having a gout attack to refrain from drinking alcohol.

Drinking water and is also a natural way of curing gout because it has the ability to dilute uric acid in both blood and urine.

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The causes of gout attacks can be attributed to many different things. Foods high in purines are a common culprit. Things like salmon, seafood and alcohol. Also, offal meats (parts of animals we eat other than muscle, like liver and kidney's) are suspected of causing gout because of their high purine content.

For reasons unknown to doctors, about 75% of gout sufferers' first start to feel an attack in the joint of the big toe. Other likely joints that might signal a gout attack are the ankle, knee or elbow.

The pain associated with gout comes from two different sources. There is the sharp, stabbing pain caused by the crystals that get caught in the toe joint, as well as the pain caused by the swelling and inflammation of the tissues around the joint.

Gout has four stages that a sufferer could end up going through if the condition is left untreated. The first is asymptomatic, which simply features rising levels of the sinister uric acid rising in the blood stream, but before any symptoms manifest.

The second is acute gout, which features a person's first gout attack, most of which go away quickly and there isn't a frequent reoccurrence. Remember, the sooner you get treatment, the sooner the pain will go away. The average case of gout lasts only a day or two with proper care.

The third stage of gout is intercritical, which is just the symptom-free time between attacks, and the fourth and final stage of gout is the chronic stage. Chronic gout is made up of multiple bouts of the disease and the gout attacking more than one joint at once.

If gout isn't treated properly, serious health problems can arise, such as kidney damage and the formation of kidney stones, as well as hypertension (high blood pressure).

While there is no "cure" for gout in the traditional sense, since the disease can return anytime there is an imbalance in your body's uric acid levels, there are many different treatments and you can effectively eliminate the risk of gout through natural means.

Most doctors prescribe a change in diet from foods high in purine to foods that help the body absorb excess uric acid in the blood stream. Most berries and fruit are great at absorbing uric acid, whereas foods high in protein, such as chicken or even tofu should not be eaten at all during a flare up since it is believed those foods make matters worse.

Discover more information about Gout And Relieving Gout Symptoms at Cure Gout Now.