Did you know that gout is a form of arthritis? Yes, it is the most severe and complex form of arthritis that is the result of the formation of excess uric acid in your blood. It is the most common issue prevailing among anyone above 30 that mostly affects men. Joints and big toe are the most affected as the body deposits uric acid in these areas. So, if you are suffering from gout, its time to check out this article to know how home remedies for gout help you out!
What Causes Gout:
The main reason gout occurs is by the production of excess uric acid that your kidney fails to pass out.This results in the crystalization of uric acid in your joints, thereby causing inflammation. Other factors also contribute to the risks of getting affected by gout. (1)
- Hereditary.
- Consumption of seafood, red meat that are rich in uric acid.
- Diabetes.
- Hypertension.
- Chronic kidney problems.
- Obesity.
- Alcohol consumption in excess.
Symptoms Of Gout:
Unbearable pain is one of the primary symptoms of gout that make you feel like your joints are on fire. Some of the other symptoms include:
- Joints feel tender.
- Swelling
- Glossy skin that causes pain when you touch it.
- Affected joints feel hot and prickly.
Prevention Of Gout:
Making changes in your diet can make a lot of difference along with medication. It can be achieved by reducing the amount of uric acid you intake. (2)
- Maintain a healthy BMI.
- Avoid foods that are high in sugar, fat, and alcohol.
- Start working out to reduce weight.
- Avoid excess consumption of red meat, seafood that are abundant in uric acid.
- Drink a lot of water.
- Incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet.
Simple And Quick Home Remedies For Gout:
Though there are no remedies that directly affect gout, they help you in maintaining a healthy weight and reduce others, thereby reducing the chances of the overproduction of uric acid.
See More: Natural Remedies For Acidity
1. Apple Cider Vinegar:
One of the natural ways to help reduce the pain caused by gout is Apple Cider Vinegar. The acid levels in ACV help lessen the pain, and it has anti-inflammatory properties too, which will help the cause of gout. You can add honey to ACV for increased benefits and giving it flavor also.
How To Prepare:
- Take a glass of water and add one tablespoon of ACV.
- Add the required amount of honey to the water as per your taste.
- Mix well till the contents are properly mixed.
Precautions and Tips:
- It is better to start taking ACV in small doses and then gradually increase once you get used to the taste.
Side Effects:
- If ACV is taken in excess, it may cause nausea.
2. Baking Soda:
Baking soda is a product available readily at home that helps reduce uric acid in your body, directly affecting positively on gout and the pain that comes with it. (3)
How To Prepare:
- Take a glass of water and add ½ a spoon of baking soda.
- Mix it well till the baking soda is into the water.
Precautions and Tips:
- Baking soda turns into carbon dioxide when consumed internally, resulting in bloating of the stomach. So be careful with the dose.
Side Effects:
- Ingesting baking soda in large quantities may cause side effects like vomiting, dehydration, diarrhea.
3. Tart Cherry Juice:
Another remedy to reduce the flare-ups caused by gout is Tart cherry juice. It can reduce uric acid in our body, along with a lot of antioxidants that help reduce the gout attacks. The anthocyanins also lessen the inflammation to a large extent. (4)
How To Prepare:
- Pick 10 to 20 fresh cherries and deseed them.
- Blend them thoroughly.
- You can add sugar if you want. But to have the full effect of tartness, stay away from sugar.
Precautions and Tips:
- It is better to prepare a glass of fresh juice rather than canned juice that is loaded with sugar and can aggravate your gout.
Side Effects:
- Consuming cherry juice in large quantities may result in diarrhea and indigestion.
See More: Home Remedies For Backache
4. Have Plenty Of Fluids:
Drinking plenty of fluids is another way to reduce the pain caused by gout quickly. Taking 8 to 10 glasses of water along with healthy fluids will help flush out harmful toxins from your body, improving blood flow to gout affected area. It will also help with the inflammation and swelling making a perfect home remedy for gout. (5)
Precautions and Tips:
- You can drink clear teas, along with water, that helps detox your body.
5. Vitamin-C Consumption:
Vitamin-C plays an essential role in moderating the uric acid levels in your body. Oranges, lemon, kiwi, are some sources Vitamin C. Lemon juice can be a quick way to neutralize the uric acid in your blood in an all-natural and readily available solution in treating gout. In neutralizing the uric acid, lemon juice gives you relief from the pain gout causes and also strengthens your tissues with vitamin C. (6)
How To Prepare:
- Take a glass of water and add freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Adding honey can be optional, depending on your taste.
- Drink this juice thrice a day for it to work effectively.
Precautions and Tips:
- Consuming warm water with lime juice in it can make your morning stimulating and help you flush out uric acid deposits.
Side Effects:
- The citric acid in lemon can erode the enamel on your teeth. So it is better to rinse your mouth after drinking lemon juice.
See More: Home Remedies For Food Poisoning
6. Celery Seeds:
Luteolin is one of the compounds present in celery seeds that can help reduce the uric acid in your blood, which is the leading cause for gout. It also acts as a natural home remedy that reduces inflammation, thereby reducing the severity of the gout attacks by flushing out uric acid from the joints. (7)
How To Prepare:
- You can add celery seeds to stocks, soups, side dishes, and sometimes in hot tea.
- Precautions and Tips: It is perfectly safe to use celery seeds.
Side Effects:
- There are no specific side effects in consuming celery seeds, but it may have severe consequences if you are allergic to it.
7. Ginger:
Gingerols and Shogaols are the two agents in ginger that have anti-inflammation properties that help reduce the uric acid crystals in your blood. By lowering the fundamental cause, you are less likely to have a gout flare-up. (8)
How To Prepare:
- Boil a cup of water and add the grated ginger root and let it steep for a few minutes.
- Strain the ginger out and pour water into a cup.
- Add honey for taste.
Precautions and Tips:
- Ginger can also be applied to gout affected area by making a paste from the grated ginger root.
Side Effects:
- Ginger may cause some side effects such as diarrhea and heartburn if taken in large quantities.
8. Dietary Magnesium:
Having a deficiency of magnesium can aggravate the chronic inflammatory issues in our body. So by consuming dietary magnesium helps lower the levels of uric acid, thereby the risk of further gout flare-ups. You can find magnesium in foods like green leafy vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. You can prepare a salad with baby spinach or kale. (9)
Precautions and Tips:
- It is always helpful in following a healthy diet plan and intake of magnesium in a natural way like fruits and veggies.
Side Effects:
- Consuming magnesium in excess can cause kidney issues, urine retention, nausea, and vomiting.
9. Reduce Sugar Intake:
Breaking down fructose results in the release of purines, which, when broken down, cause excess uric acid in your blood, thereby resulting in crystalization in the joints, causing a gout flareup. The generation of uric acid happens almost immediately with fructose. Therefore if you want your gout to cause you pain anymore, try to reduce sugar intake. (10)
Precautions and Tips:
- It is better to watch what you eat in terms of sugar, as eating in excess can not only revive the pain caused by gout but also increase weight.
10. Hibiscus:
The anti-inflammatory properties of Hibiscus allow your body to reduce uric acid levels in your blood, thereby assisting people to overcome the pain from gout. It also helps patients with diabetics and pre-diabetic by improving triglyceride and cholesterol. (11)
How To Prepare:
- Add a small cup of hibiscus flowers to four cups of water and let it boil for a few minutes.
- Then switch off the stove and place a lid and let the flowers steep for few minutes.
- Drain the flowers, and you will obtain hibiscus juice.
- You can add it to lemonade, or a margarita.
Side Effects:
- There are no noteworthy side effects by consuming hibiscus, but some people might get affected with upset stomach, gas, constipation, headache.
11. Coffee:
It may come as a surprise to many when we say coffee can reduce the pain caused by gout. Some studies show that coffee is responsible for increased excretion of uric acid from your body that helps reduce the formation of crystals of uric acid in joints and tendons that cause severe pain. (12)
How To Prepare:
- Select the coffee brand you want to drink; you can either buy beans and grind them yourself or instant coffee, making powders are readily available in the market.
- You can opt for the one depending on your taste.
Side Effects:
- Consuming coffee is safe when taken moderately, approximately 3 to 4 cups a day. If taken in excess, the caffeine may cause nervousness, insomnia, upset stomach.
12. Diet:
We cannot change many reasons that cause gout, such as genes, race, etc. but gout is a metabolic disease, being obese can cause gout flare-ups along with many other health issues. But by following a low-purine diet regimen designed for people suffering from gout can be very useful. Try to include plant-based proteins, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and nuts in abundance and avoid red meat, organ meats like liver and kidney, seafood such as shrimp, anchovies, mussels, and sardines. (13)
13. Nettle Tea:
A herbal remedy that helps reduce the pain and inflammation caused by gout is Nettle leaves. Drinking herbal tea prepared with stinging nettle is an excellent solution to reduce uric acid from the body, thereby reducing the pain caused by it. (14)
How To Prepare:
- Boil a cup of water and add one or two teaspoons dried nettle leaves.
- Let it steep for a few minutes.
- Strain the leaves and drink your cup of nettle tea.
Side Effects:
- Drinking 3 to 4 cups a day is safe, but occasional side effects include mild upset stomach, sweating, diarrhea, fluid retention.
14. Avoid Alcohol:
Researches show that alcohol, particularly beer, has purine in very high amounts that result in the formation of uric acid in your body. The processes in the kidney are affected by all types of alcohol, such as wine, beer, and hard spirits, that result in how uric acid is eliminated from your body. It is better to avoid all types of beverages that have alcoholic content that may result in a flare-up or frequent recurrence of gout. (15)
15. Reduce High Purine Foods:
Breaking down of purine results in the formation of excess uric acid, which results in crystallization in joints and tendons, therefore, causing a severe gout attack. By avoiding foods that are rich in purine, you can prevent the inflammation and pain caused by gout. Some of the foods you need to avoid are listed below.
- Liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, and brain that include all organ meats.
- Game meats such as pheasant, venison, and veal.
- Shellfish like lobster, shrimp, mussels, anchovies, and sardines.
- Red meat that includes lamb and pork.
When Is The Right Time To Consult A Doctor:
Other than the pain caused due to gout, sometimes it may result in mild fever. It also may be a sign of infection if the temperature doesn’t subside within 48 hours. With some home remedies, you will start to feel better, but if not, consult your doctor immediately for a change of treatment.
The home remedies for gout offer you instant relief from the severe pain caused by complex arthritis named gout. Although they may not completely cure the condition, it helps reduce the pain and prevent it from recurring. Follow these tips, along with medical advice, to overcome this painful disease. So now that you have all the details related to gout, you can pick a home remedy and get instant relief.
Disclaimer: Though these home remedies help relieve pain caused by gout, it is in no way a replacement for a doctor’s advice. As soon as you start having symptoms that indicate a gout flare-up, it is advised to consult a physician and not rely only on home remedies.
FAQ:
1. Is Gout Hereditary?
If you doubt whether gout can be passed from one generation to another, then the answer is yes! Grandchildren may suffer from gout if grandparents have it even if the parents don’t have gout making them carriers. It is not necessary for everyone in the family to get affected, but the chances are high.
2. How Long Does A Gout Attack Last?
The pain intensity of a gout attack depends upon the amount of uric acid deposits in your body, and it typically lasts for about 7 to 10 days. By following some quick and easy home remedies, you can wane off the pain and recover fast.
3. Why Does Gout Affect Mainly In The Foot Area?
Although crystal deposits of uric acid can happen in any joints and anywhere in the body, the foot is most affected. This is because uric acid crystals accumulation in foot more as is the lowest part of your body, making it difficult to walk and do many things.
