Grinding your teeth or pressing them hard against each other while bending to hold your knee joint may remind you about your grandparents! From that time, you came to know about the terminology, "Gout" - a type of arthritis which affects the joints, causing pain and inflammation. You may have offered them everything that you could in terms of "massage therapies" with your small, soft and inexperienced hands. During that process of "care-giving", you may have also come across some of the remedies adopted by your grandparents to soothe their ailing joints.
What is Gout?
Gout is a form of arthritis distinguished by pain and inflammation of one joint at a time. Gout appears most commonly in the big toe, but it can affect other joints in the limbs. Attacks of gout are painful and require prompt attention. Home remedies for gout have been found to provide considerable relief. Here are a few home remedies which can perform an excellent pain relief function before you give a call to a doctor:
- Apply Ice: Apply ice to the affected area as a home remedy for gout. When applying ice, alternate the ice pack with heated moist towels to keep the area warm.
- Apply Charcoal Poultice: Make a charcoal poultice, which has the ability to pull toxins from the body removing excess uric acid. Blend a few teaspoon of flaxseed till the mixture becomes smooth. Add this to 1/2 cup of powdered activated charcoal and warm water to make a paste. Smooth the paste over the affected area and cover with a cloth to hold the paste in place. Change the paste and dressing after every four to six hours.
- Eat Tart Cherries: Tart cherries provide relief from gout symptoms in the hands and elsewhere in the body, according to the University of Michigan Health System. The active ingredient in sour cherry juice is called anthocyanin, which also gives cherries their red color. Anthocyanins are high in nutrients and antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties which help reduce pain, stiffness and swelling in gouty joints.
- Drink Fresh Lemon Juice: Drinking fresh lemon juice may help reduce or prevent gout symptoms. Lemons are high in potassium which alkalizes the blood, dissolving urate crystals to enable the kidneys to excrete them.
- Drink Grape Juice: Drinking a 4-oz. (around 120 ml) glass of unsweetened, organic grape juice with 2 to 4 teaspoon of fruit pectin to relieve gout pain and swelling of the hands.
- Drink Raw Vegetable Juices: Raw vegetable juices are used for gout treatment. A mocktail of carrot, beetroot and cucumber juice seems to be effective in treating gout. Add 100 ml of beetroot and 100 ml of cucumber juice to 300 ml of carrot juice and this must be consumed on a daily basis.
- Drink the Juice of French Beans: The juice of French or string beans has also proved effective in treating gout. About 150 ml of this juice should be taken daily by the patient suffering from this health condition.
- Eat Apples: Apples are regarded as an excellent remedy for curing gout. The malic acid contained in them is believed to neutralize uric acid and offer relief to gout sufferers. The patient is advised to take one apple after each meal.
- Eat Bananas: Bananas have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of gout. A diet of bananas only for three or four days is advised.
- Take Apple Cider Vinegar with Honey: Apple Cider Vinegar is a wonderful home remedy which has been in use since the ages. It cures more ailments than any other folk remedy. Try 2 tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar mixed with 2 tablespoon of organic honey (2 times daily) and you will find the pain to subside within a few hours.
- Eat Fresh Strawberries: Fresh strawberries also help neutralize uric acid, as do nuts, seeds and grains, although to a lesser extent. The berries contain high concentrations of vitamin C as well as fruit acids and minerals like potassium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, calcium and iron.
- Try Epson Salt Soaks: Epsom salt soaks have been used for years to reduce inflammation and swelling. When you have a gout flare up, one of the best remedies is to soak the affected joint in warm water containing Epsom salts for at least twice a day.
- Apply Boiled Cabbage Leaf Wrapped in a Cloth: Cabbage is also used for treating gout. Take two-three cabbage leaves and boil them in water till they become soft. Drain water from the cabbage and wrap it in a perforated cloth. Cover the infected area with this. Keep it for a few hours; repeat this process for 2 to 4 times a day. This will be very effective in gout pain relief.
- Use an Ointment Prepared with Vinegar and Rose Petals: Prepare a massage ointment by mixing vinegar and rose petals. Take 3 to 4 tablespoon of vinegar and add 8 to 9 rose petals. Boil the mixture such that both of the constituents mix completely. Rub this mixture gently to the affected area. You can also prepare an ointment by mixing 60 ml of vinegar and water each. Allow it to boil, later add 1 to 2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cool it and then gently massage over the affected area. This will give fast relief from joint pains.
- Drink a Solution of Honey, Apple Cider Vinegar and Water: Honey is also used in the treatment of gout. Take 3 to 4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar extract and honey each. Add these into a glass of water. Stir well and take this for 3 to 4 times a day.
- Take Raw Garlic Seeds: Garlic is a very useful natural remedy for treating gout. Patient suffering from gout should be given at least 3 to 4 raw garlic seeds a day.
- Take Chicory Root Mixed with Boiling Water: Mix 1 ounce (30 ml) chicory root to 1 pint (470 ml) boiling water and take as much of it as you want. This can work as a poultice, too, when it is applied to the skin in the area affected by gout.
- Apply a Mustard Plaster: Make a mustard plaster and apply to the achy joint. Mix 1 part mustard powder (or crushed mustard seeds) to 1 part whole wheat flour and add enough water to form a thick paste. Slather petroleum jelly, vegetable shortening or lard on the affected area. Spread a thick coat of mustard paste on a piece of gauze or cloth and then apply it over the greased-up area. Tape down and leave in place for several hours or overnight.
The best vitamins for reducing uric acid levels, a major cause of gout pain, are vitamin C and potassium citrate. While these vitamins are available as supplements, it's best to eat a diet rich in these vitamins to fight gout most effectively. These include most fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, mineral water, lentils, soy and tofu.
Some Points that Need to be Noted
- Since obesity is a contributing factor, maintaining a healthy weight will help prevent attacks.
- Drink water in abundance. Drink at least 8 to10 glasses per day to flush way toxins" and to dilute the uric acid levels.
- The patient should avoid all purine and uric acid-producing foods such as meats, eggs and fish; tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and its products and all canned, processed and fried foods.
- Exercise regularly to relieve or prevent joint pain.
- Avoid alcohol as it causes the body to retain urate.
- Take fish oil supplements to ease the inflammation that comes with gout.
- Don't take nonprescription diuretics. They can keep you from properly excreting uric acid.
- Do keep your toes warm enough. Gout seems to rear up more often when it's chilly.
Old people's sayings are truly wise! They are the formulator of the folk remedies. And it is their experience which is percolating through these ages through the generations. Home remedies are really something to treasure as they have something to do with our "roots".
