Gout remedies are something many people want to know more about as it can cause unbearable pain. In this article we will discuss some of the more effective home remedies for gout, but first let us address what gout actually is.
Gout is an inflammatory disease in the joints caused due to the excessive uric acid. It is actually a form of arthritis and is also referred to as gouty arthritis. The kidneys are not able to
eliminate the excessive uric acid which crystallizes and gets deposited in joints, especially in the big toes.
It may also cause inflammation in toes, ankles, knees, elbows, wrists and ears. It may be due to heredity, overweight, heavy alcohol consumption, exposure to lead or intake of very rich in purine.
It is also called the ‘disease of the kings’. Gout, when left untreated may lead to damage in joints and disability.
Gout remedies include many medications, home remedies and alternative remedies. The medications include NSAIDs like ibuprofen, corticosteroids like prednisone and other medicines prescribed by the doctor. Although, these medications help in pain relief and treating gout, there may be side effects like pain in the abdomen, ulcers and weakening of immune system etc.
There are many home remedies for gout that are effective and absolutely free of side effects.
Home Remedies
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swollen-foot-with-gout
Garlic is one of the best home remedies for gout. It removes the excessive uric acid from the body. Chew two to three pods of raw garlic. If you cannot bear the odor, you can also boil garlic pods in milk and water and drink it. Turmeric is also helpful in treating gout. Make sure that your recipes include garlic, ginger and turmeric.
- Ginger alone is excellent to relieve joint pain:
- Dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda in quarter cup of water and drink this solution in empty stomach.
- Drink plenty of water. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day.
- The malic acid found in the apple neutralizes the uric acid. Bananas are also beneficial in treating gout. Anthocyanin present in the cherries helps in reducing the inflammation caused due to gout. Eat plenty of apples, strawberries, blueberries, bananas and cherries.
- Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in two tablespoons of honey. Drinking this twice a day is a great remedy for gout.
- Drink plenty of green tea and tender coconut. Increasing the fluid intake is very important.
- Avoid purine rich food like red meat, mushrooms, processed bakery food and oatmeal in your diet. Avoid vegetables like cauliflower, spinach and legumes like beans and peas. Mushrooms should also be avoided because they are rich in proteins. Your diet should not be rich in protein as well as purines. Fried foods, rich desserts, white flour, sugar, tinned food and caffeinated drinks are rich in uric acid. Avoid them in your diet. Natural diet is one of the best remedies for gout. Include a lot of fresh vegetables, fruits and sprouts in your diet. You can also drink plenty of vegetable juices like carrot juice, cucumber juice, french beans juice, and unsweetened fresh juices. The right diet is very important to get rid of gout. Prepare a diet planner and follow it strictly.
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If you have gout in toes there are some very effective remedies. Soaking your feet in water dissolved with charcoal powder, or ginger paste or apple cider vinegar or Epsom salts gives relief from gout pain. You can also add Epsom salts to your bath. The magnesium in Epsom salts has a magical effect on gout. It is one of the best natural remedies for gout.
- You can also apply some packs on the affected area to get relief from gout pain. Applying ice pack is the easiest way to reduce the pain. You can also apply warm heating pad to soothe down the pain. You can apply cold and hot packs alternately to get relief. Make a paste with half a cup of charcoal powder and water and apply it on the affected area and leave it for half an hour. Then wash it away with warm water. You can also apply a paste of wheat flour mixed with mustard powder and water. You should leave this pack overnight to get full relief. Wrapping a wet towel on the inflamed area also gives relief. These are some of the gout remedies that give pain relief.
Natural Remedies
The natural remedies for gout also include some life style changes.
- Avoid alcohol. Rotate the joints and exercise the joints slowly.
- Avoid exerting weight on the affected area. If you have gout problem in your toes or ankles, you can use a walking stick to walk. If you are not willing to use it in workplace, you can use a stick at least in your home.
- Keep your legs elevated when you are sitting or lying down.
- Make sure you are not overweight. It is better to reduce your weight immediately if you are obese or overweight.
- Exercise regularly. Exercises make you sweat. Sweating is necessary to eliminate the excessive uric acid in the body. Exercises also strengthen your joints. Your joints can be protected from getting damaged.
- Are you a male? Here is some good news for you. Regular sex prevents formation of gout.
- Are there any chances that you may have developed lead poisoning due to exposure to lead in workplace? If so, make the necessary tests to rule out lead poisoning.
- Wear comfortable clothes. Avoid tight fitting stocks.
- Avoid stress. Stress increases the production of uric acid in the body.
- Practice yoga, meditation and breathing exercises to reduce stress.
- Sleep well. Sleep apnea worsens gout.
Gout remedies also include alternative therapies like acupuncture, acupressure, homeopathy and herbal medicines. Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese therapy that treats many diseases by inserting thin needles in certain areas. The needles are not inserted directly on the affected area, but in other areas. Acupressure is also similar, but pressure is applied instead of needles.
A professional homeopathy practitioner can treat gout and prevent further attacks through various homeopathy medicines.
The medicines vary from one patient to another depending upon the severity, symptoms and other factors. The herbal gout remedies include extracts from devil’s claw, gravel root and nettle root etc.
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Closing Thoughts
It is better to prevent gout rather than treating gout. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink plenty of water to avoid gout. If you have gout, don’t worry. There are many gout remedies and you can choose one to suit your needs and requirements.
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Hi there, I think I may be suffering from gout in my right foot. I read the advice above, and I am pretty sure that’s what I’ve got! I’d like to ask anyone what purine is, and also how you can get hold of charcoal powder? If anyone knows, I’d be grateful. I’m gonna take the advice of soaking my foot in apple cider (I won’t be drinking it after!), and also try the epsom salt soak. How much salt should I use in the water?
I’m also gonna buy that Gout-gone from the ready made herbal remedies and see how I go. It seems lots easier than doing lots of juicing as I don’t have a juicer!
Thanks very much for this helpful advice and all the tips. Great stuff!
Hi Bob,
Purines are natural substances in our bodies that help with our genes.. Purines turn into uric acid which is whats needed to fix gout. Foods like mackerel, herring, sardines and mussels, and also yeast are rich in purines.. The product gout-gone is full of purines…
Wow! What a great site you have here! I’ve been looking around for somewhere to find different natural things I can do to lessen the swelling in my legs, and I’m glad I’ve stopped here. So much useful information, I’ll be trying out a few of the suggestions here, I didn’t know half the stuff I shouldn’t be eating, like cauliflower and spinach. I always thought they would be good, but anyhow, now I have written a list from here of the veggies I will buy, and hope this will help me. I was thinking of trying a bit of yoga too as they just started a class at our community centre. Has anyone else tried yoga to help with gout?
Hi Erika,
Thanks for your compliment, I really tried hard on this article and hope some of these remedies help… I’m sure they will. Gout is really curable thru diet changes.
I’m so glad to learn that gout can be treated with natural remedies, because the last thing I want is to have to live the rest of my life popping pills. I really dislike garlic, but I’ll happily eat them raw if it can make the pain would go away. Ginger I really dislike, but again, I don’t mind it at all if it helps reduce pain. All the home remedies seem very easy to follow, so hopefully they’ll help lessen the pain and make that happen fast.
Hi Linda,
I truly recommend the suggestions in this article. Try them out, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
My uncle has gout and he tells me all the time how horrible the pain is and from what I know he takes two different medicines to keep his pain in check. I don’t think he even knows there are natural home remedies that he can use to ease his pain, so this should be good news for him. I think I also may have gout and I need to go see a doctor to confirm that. I’ve seen my uncle live through this from when he was only 40 years old, I’m a little afraid but I’m going to do my best to use all the natural remedies that I can to live a much more pain free life than my uncle. I’m worried, but I’m hopeful that things are going to be better for me.
Hi Matt, thanks for posting a comment. Gout can be managed very easily thru diet. Try some of the gout remedies above and find a combination that works for you.. Let me know how you get on?
Plants have been playing an important role to relieve human pains caused by different diseases for hundreds of years. In other words, plants or herbs are an integral part of both traditional and non-traditional medicines prescribed or available as over-the-counter drugs in different areas of the world. Like many other conditions, gout has also been reported to be helped with herbal preparations. Gout is an inflammatory disease related to high level of uric acid in the body, especially, affecting the joints. Garlic has been reported to decrease the substances (e.g. cytokine production in endothelial cells) that cause inflammation of the joints [1]. Also, garlic extract increases nitric oxide that decreases the activity of cytokines to cause joint inflammation [2]. Similarly, ginger also shows anti-inflammatory effects. Sabina et al reported that the active form of (6-shogaol) inhibits monosodium urate crystal deposition in joint [3]. However, not much evidence is available about using baking soda in gout. Drinking plenty of water keeps the body on lowering uric acid [4]. Healthy eating, having regular exercise, avoiding alcohol, quitting smoking and reducing weight are other healthy activities to relieve gout pains.
References:
1. Ide N, Lau BH. Garlic compounds minimize intracellular oxidative stress and inhibit nuclear factor-kappa b activation. J Nutr. 2001; 131(Suppl 3): S1020–S1026.
2. Williams MJ, Sutherland WH, McCormick MP, Yeoman DJ, de Jong SA. Aged garlic extract improves endothelial function in men with coronary artery disease. Phytother Res. 2005; 19(4): 314-9.
3. Sabina EP, Rasool M, Mathew L, Ezilrani P, Indu H.6-Shogaol inhibits monosodium urate crystal-induced inflammation–an in vivo and in vitro study. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010; 48(1): 229-35.
4. Ashtiyani SC, Golestanpour A, Shamsi M, Tabatabaei SM, Ramazani M. Rhazes’ Prescriptions in Treatment of Gout. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2012 February; 14(2): 108-12.
By:
Dr. Muzammil Irshad, MBBS
Thank you Dr Muzammil Irshad for your professional advice, input and referenced resources regarding the gout remedies offered on this page. Your contribution is very valuable indeed! It is refreshing to know that some modern day health professionals such as yourself endorse these natural remedies too.