Home Remedies for Gout – Treatments to Tame the Disease of Kings

Understanding which home remedies work for easing the pain of gout is super important. This is because gout pain can be incredibly excruciating. In this article we uncover the most effective natural remedies known about for curing this problem without harmful side effects.

 

gout in ankle and toe

 

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.

 

Gout-King of Diseases optimized

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 itself can be a painful and disruptive condition. Some people experience only a single episode of gout, and while the gout may become painful, once it goes away they’re left in generally the same health and condition as they were before the gout occurred.

But in some cases, that gout can become chronic, and when that gout becomes chronic it may start to create crystals that group and become what’s known as “tophi.” Once it does, you may have developed what’s known as tophaceous gout.

 

What Are Tophi?

 

tophaceous gout of the fingers

 

As explained earlier gout is a buildup of uric acid that then breaks up and causes pain in joints and cartilage. But in some people, the uric acid doesn’t break. Instead, it turns into a hard crystal that can get larger over time. These crystals may lodge in joints, cartilage, and bone, and while they may be painless they can eventually cause significant damage to the joints and bone. This is what’s known as tophaceous gout – gout that has become so chronic that it has created tophi.

Tophi can grow so large that they may be visible, and in some cases can break through the skin. They can affect anyone with chronic gout, but they are most likely to affect those that did not seek treatment for their initial gout. On average, tophi occur roughly ten years after gout has been diagnosed.

 

tophaceous gout - meme

 

How to Self-Diagnose Tophaceous Gout

Generally the best ways to diagnose a tophi is to talk to your doctor. Tophi can often be confused with more dangerous diseases, such as certain types of cancers. Only a doctor can tell you with any certainty that you are suffering from tophaceous gout.

However, you can at least recognize the onset of tophaceous gout if:

  • You have a history of chronic gout.
  • The lump appears to be affecting/near joints or bones.
  • The bump seemed to grow fairly quickly.
  • If you stretch the skin over the bump, it appears whitish or chalky.

Symptoms are the same as traditional gout, except that the tophi may also erode the bone and cause visual deformity. Once tophaceous gout occurs, it becomes very difficult to treat with traditional dietary changes.

 

gout attack art

 

Preventing Gout

It starts with prevention. If you experience gout symptoms, it’s important that you start immediately treating your gout using some of the dietary changes and natural supplements that appear to have an effect on gout formation. Make sure that you are drinking ample water and taking advantage of herbal remedies that can reduce uric acid buildup.

Once you already have tophaceous gout, it becomes a bit more complicated, but treatment is generally the same. If you can lower your uric acid levels, you should be able to help your body break down the tophi over time. However, since tophi developed because of extremely high uric acid levels it may be a bit more difficult – and possibly more painful – to break them down with any sort of speed. That’s why prevention should be your greatest consideration if you have chronic gout, and you should talk to your doctor about your tophi options if they have already formed.

 

Controlling Tophaceous Gout

Gout that’s been left untreated can be difficult to control, but tophaceous gout is treatable. Make sure that you’re following all of the dietary and natural tips for controlling gout, talk to your doctor, and your ability to stop tophaceous gout will improve. And also be sure to read the home remedies  for gout further down this article.

 

gout-disease

 

Treatment may include many medications, home remedies and natural cures. 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 natural methods for treating this disease that are effective and absolutely free of side effects. These are listed further down in this article.

 

Causes of Gouty Arthritis

 

gouty-arthritis-toe

There are many causes of gout and as much as you want to avoid it, it will be really hard if you do not know what you are doing.  So if you are feeling intense pain in your toes, knees, elbows, wrists and other parts of your body that has joints and you eat a lot of foods with uric acid and go drinking often, there is a high possibility that you are dealing with gout.

People who are older are more prone to getting gout. There are many causes of gout and you will have to avoid these causes to avoid your condition from getting worse. The first thing that you should do is to avoid food that has high uric acid content. Uric acid is the main cause of arthritic gout and if you are not able to control your intake, you will be in for a long time of suffering.

 

swollen-foot-with-gout

swollen-foot-with-gout

 

Another way to avoid more suffering from gouty arthritis is to avoid eating too much. Eating too much makes the body produce more uric acid which will cause more pain to the parts with gout.

Gout happens when the uric acid turns into crystal like substances when they precipitate. It feels like needles poking your joints and it really hurts. The more uric acid the body produces, the bigger the chances of uric to precipitate which means that you are in for more pain.

You should be ready with home remedies just in case pain acts up when you are at home because dealing with gout can make you immobile because it will be too painful for you to move. You will not be able to do the things that you need to do if the pain persists.

 

Home Remedies

There are plenty of natural and home remedies that you can do to ease the pain caused from gout. If you are stuck at home and it is too painful for you to get some medicine, you can try the following…

Foods for Gouty Arthritis - meme

 

  • Garlic and Gout: Garlic is a fantastic cure for gout. It removes the excessive uric acid from the body. Chew two to three pods of raw garlic. The natural smell of garlic is pungent and if you cannot bear the odor, you can also boil garlic pods in milk and water and drink it. Turmeric is also a wonderful natural gout remedy. Make sure that your recipes include garlic, ginger and turmeric.
  • Ginger and Gout: Ginger alone is excellent to relieve joint pain:

 

 

Prepare a mixture of water and tiny bits of ginger. Drop the ginger into the water and dip the affected area of your body into the water. This will take out the uric acid in the area but you have to make sure that you wash right after using this kind of remedy.

  • Baking Soda for Gout: Dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda in quarter cup of water and drink this solution in empty stomach.
  • Gout and Water: Drink plenty of water. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day.
  • Apples, Bananas and Gout: The natural malic acid that is found in the apple neutralizes the uric acid. Bananas have been known to relieve people from gout effectively and citrus fruits with high concentration of vitamin C will help the body deal with excess uric acid.

 

cherries and gout

 

  • Cherry Juice for Gout: Anthocyanin present in the cherries helps in reducing the inflammation caused due to gout. The cherry remedy is famous because it has proven very effective, in fact it is probably the best remedy of them all. Eat plenty of apples, strawberries, blueberries, bananas and of course, cherries.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar for Gout: Cure exposed. Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in two tablespoons of honey. Drinking this twice a day is a great remedy.
  • Green Tea and Gout: Drink plenty of green tea and tender coconut. Increasing the fluid intake is very important.
  • Foods to Avoid with Gout: 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.
  • Best Diet for Gout: Natural diet is important too. 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. Make sure you have these fruits and vegetables at home to beat gouty arthritis when it acts up. Prepare a diet planner and follow it strictly.
  • Epsom Salts Bath: 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 the pain. You can also add Epsom salts to your bath. The magnesium in Epsom salts has a magical effect.
  • Hot Cold Pack for Gout: You can also apply some packs on the affected area to get relief from the pain. Applying ice pack is the easiest way to reduce the pain. You can also apply warm heating pad to soothe down the pressure. 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.

 

epsom-salts for gout optimized

 

Lifestyle Changes

Natural methods also include some life style changes.

 

  • Gout and Alcohol: Avoid alcohol completely. Rotate the joints and exercise the joints slowly.
  • Use a Walking Stick: 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.
  • Elevate Your Legs: Keep your legs elevated when you are sitting or lying down naturally lowers blood pressure.
  • Lose Weight: Make sure you are not overweight. It is better to reduce your weight immediately if you are obese or overweight.
  • Gout and Exercise: 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.
  • Have Sex: Are you a male? Here is some good news for you. Regular sex prevents formation of gout.
  • Lead Poisoning: Are there any chances that you may have developed lead poisoning due to exposure to lead in workplace or at home? If so, make the necessary tests to rule out lead poisoning.
  • Avoid Tight Clothing: Wear comfortable clothes. Avoid tight fitting stocks.
  • Stress and Gout: Avoid stress. Stress increases the production of uric acid in the body. This will naturally lower by being relaxed. Practice yoga, meditation and natural 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 remedies for gout include extracts from devil’s claw, gravel root and nettle root etc. It is a good idea to stock up your herbs at home and keep dry herbs sealed.

 

Special Homeopathic Remedy for Gout

Click the bottle below for more info on Gout-Gone! This stuff really works wonders if you have gout!

 

GoutGone - natural remedy for gout

 

Closing Thoughts

It is better to prevent gout rather than treating it. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink plenty of water. If you have gout, don’t worry. As you have read there are many remedies and you can choose one to suit your needs and requirements.

 

 

Above video: Professionals in the field of gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and various like illnesses are assembling for the yearly meet of scientific medicine and disease held at the American College of Rheumatology in Chicago, USA. The Chairman of rheumatology; Eric Matteson from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota., discusses the newest advancements made in treatment and research predominantly towards treatment of gout.

 

I hope you found these home remedies helpful and you can finally get some relief from that gout pain. If you enjoyed our article please leave a comment and share the post. Thanks. :)

 

 

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Author: Sam Billings

Sammy is the owner of this website and major contributor. Sam's work is also often published in other leading natural health and home remedies websites as well. The content Sam writes about is always thoroughly researched and based on real medical professionals opinions and users testimonials. Sam lives in the Sth Is. of New Zealand.

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17 Comments

  1. 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!

    Post a Reply
    • 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…

      Post a Reply
  2. 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?

    Post a Reply
    • 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.

      Post a Reply
  3. 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.

    Post a Reply
    • Hi Linda,
      I truly recommend the suggestions in this article. Try them out, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

      Post a Reply
    • The easiest, pleasant way to ingest raw garlic is to cut a clove into a tablet or pill size and simply swallow it and drink with water. Its pungent taste, or smell, is thereby avoided. Garlic also cures asthma. It helps to shrink prostate enlargement and it is said to prevent cancer. It likewise cures or prevents flu. It also reduces or take away bodily pains like that of a tylenol. So far, I have not experienced any side effect taking garlic. I take the sliced clove in the morning and before bedtime.

      Post a Reply
  4. 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.

    Post a Reply
    • 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?

      Post a Reply
  5. 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

    Post a Reply
  6. 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.

    Post a Reply
  7. Wow this is wonderful I am gonna try the garlic in milk for my gout in my knee try any think for it so I wanna say thank you so much for this Sammy Kind Regards Willa.

    Post a Reply
  8. Hi Sam you have created a clear and comprehensive post.
    The build up of uric acid is caused by our modern lifestyle of fast food.Using natural remedies is the best way deal with this problem and people need to be educated to eat right to prevent illness.

    Post a Reply
  9. Some excellent tips here. I wonder if there’s a genetic component in terms of the likelihood of developing gout or are the risk factors primarily environmental? The reason i ask is because I have several family members who suffer from gout.

    Post a Reply
    • Hi Deena,
      Yes I’m afraid there is a genetic component to gout especially if both parents suffer from it. The best way to lessen the likeliness of gout occurring is diet. Follow the advice regarding diet and you should definitely reduce those chances.

      Post a Reply

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