Gout - What Do I Do About It?
Okay, so you have gout - what do you do about it? Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis.
It occurs when your body is unable to process all of the uric acid that it is creating (mainly through eating rich foods, lack of exercise and excessive alcohol consumption).
This excess of uric acid tends to build up in the limb joints (the big toe joint is especially susceptible to gout attacks) and deposits as extremely sharp crystals that are extremely painful.
In addition to the crystals and gout tends to appear in two other ways as kidney stones (this is where the acid crystals remain in the kidneys) and does nodules that appear in the elbows, hands and behind the ears.
Although gout is extremely common in the big toe joint, it can also be present in the instep, ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, heels and elbows.
The primary symptom of gout is extreme pain in joints (sufferers typically can bear no contact of pressure on the joints no matter how small.
Even the weight of bedclothes can be too painful for the person to sleep at night).
Additional symptoms include swelling, heat, redness, and stiffness in the joint.
If left untreated the severe pain gradually goes away (typically in 1 to 2 weeks) and as it subsides the skin around the joint can become extremely itchy and start to peel.
The skin around the joint may also take on a red or purple-ish color that made lead the person to believe that they have an infection.
During this period, you may suffer from an occasional fever and have nodules appearing in your elbows, hands and ears.
Possible causes obesity, heavy alcohol consumption (especially beer), a diet high in purines, regular aspirin use, regular niacin use, fast weight loss, kidney disease, high blood pressure, psoriasis, tumors, lead poisoning and many others.
How to ease the pain and swelling -- raised and rest the limb -- avoid vigorous exercise -- keep the joint call.
Apply ice packs (a package of frozen peas will do just as well) do not apply the ice pack to the bare skin as this may cause damage.
-- use an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen.
This will reduce the pain and the information.
Do not bother to use products such as Tylenol as they are purely painkillers and as most of the pain from gout is caused by the joints inflammation, they will have very little effect.
Also, avoid aspirin, as this may make the gout worse.
There are a couple of alternative treatments that seem to be quite effective: -- Alfalfa: this is a great source of minerals and nutrients that can help to reduce the uric uric acid produced by your body.
-- Grapes: these are high in alkalines, which neutralize acid and so will help to reduce the acidity of the uric acid.
It occurs when your body is unable to process all of the uric acid that it is creating (mainly through eating rich foods, lack of exercise and excessive alcohol consumption).
This excess of uric acid tends to build up in the limb joints (the big toe joint is especially susceptible to gout attacks) and deposits as extremely sharp crystals that are extremely painful.
In addition to the crystals and gout tends to appear in two other ways as kidney stones (this is where the acid crystals remain in the kidneys) and does nodules that appear in the elbows, hands and behind the ears.
Although gout is extremely common in the big toe joint, it can also be present in the instep, ankles, knees, wrists, fingers, heels and elbows.
The primary symptom of gout is extreme pain in joints (sufferers typically can bear no contact of pressure on the joints no matter how small.
Even the weight of bedclothes can be too painful for the person to sleep at night).
Additional symptoms include swelling, heat, redness, and stiffness in the joint.
If left untreated the severe pain gradually goes away (typically in 1 to 2 weeks) and as it subsides the skin around the joint can become extremely itchy and start to peel.
The skin around the joint may also take on a red or purple-ish color that made lead the person to believe that they have an infection.
During this period, you may suffer from an occasional fever and have nodules appearing in your elbows, hands and ears.
Possible causes obesity, heavy alcohol consumption (especially beer), a diet high in purines, regular aspirin use, regular niacin use, fast weight loss, kidney disease, high blood pressure, psoriasis, tumors, lead poisoning and many others.
How to ease the pain and swelling -- raised and rest the limb -- avoid vigorous exercise -- keep the joint call.
Apply ice packs (a package of frozen peas will do just as well) do not apply the ice pack to the bare skin as this may cause damage.
-- use an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen.
This will reduce the pain and the information.
Do not bother to use products such as Tylenol as they are purely painkillers and as most of the pain from gout is caused by the joints inflammation, they will have very little effect.
Also, avoid aspirin, as this may make the gout worse.
There are a couple of alternative treatments that seem to be quite effective: -- Alfalfa: this is a great source of minerals and nutrients that can help to reduce the uric uric acid produced by your body.
-- Grapes: these are high in alkalines, which neutralize acid and so will help to reduce the acidity of the uric acid.