Gout - signs, symptoms, drug and alternative treatment

People suffer from gout since time immemorial. This joint disease is called "the disease of the kings." In ancient times, the rich abused fish, fatty meat and alcohol, because of which pathologies developed. Let's understand what gout is and how to treat it at home with folk and medication.

Gout - what is it?

Gout is a systemic disease when uric acid salts are deposited in the tissues, which leads to inflammation of the joints. A striking example of gout is a bulging bump on the big toe, the consequences of the first attack. In the future, a gouty attack can spread to the joints of the arms, legs, and even knees.

Gout is not limited to problems with wearing shoes and aesthetic ugliness of the foot. Severe pain that cannot be eliminated with conventional painkillers, the spread of the inflammatory process to other joints and surrounding tissues, constant relapses leading to joint deformity are some of the consequences of this disease.

Gout is an age-related disease. In children and adolescents rarely diagnosed. Usually, the first attacks in men occur by the age of 40, in women after the age of fifty. In people over 60, the disease occurs in 97% of cases. In the stronger sex, the disease is more common, since their blood has an initially higher level of uric acid.

People have long mastered the technique of treating gout. Traditional methods were originally used, now resorting to advanced methods of therapy, created thanks to modern medical advances.

Signs and symptoms of gout

Talk about the signs and symptoms of gout. The first stage of the disease has no symptoms. In the body, the amount of salts of uric acid increases, which lead to the appearance of the disease. The duration of a stage can be calculated in decades.

In the second phase, gouty arthritis appears. At this stage, the disease is manifested by edema and pain in the area of ​​the affected joint, high temperature. The clinical picture is characterized by pronounced signs.

• Exacerbation occurs in the morning or late evening. Pain appears in the joint affected by salts.
• A swelling occurs in the epicenter and adjacent tissues. The skin at this point turns red and shiny.
• The temperature rises, and touching the joint becomes painful.
• The patient experiences general weakness and severe malaise.

The chronic stage is accompanied by the formation of nodules and seals under the skin, which soften during exacerbations. At first, attacks rarely occur and are accompanied by acute pain. In the future, they become more frequent and continue for hours. The transition of gout to a chronic form is accompanied by damage to other joints and the development of chronic arthritis.

Causes of the disease

The root cause of gout is called an excess of uric acid, which for a long period circulates in the blood and accumulates. Over time, the crystallization process starts, as a result of which deposits form in the tissues. This causes foci of inflammation. What other causes of gout exist?

1. Often gout acts as a side effect of drugs or the result of their misuse. These are drugs that interfere with the normal functioning of the kidneys - Aspirin, diuretics.
2. Pathology is promoted by obesity, diabetes, psoriasis, lead poisoning, renal failure. The cause of the exacerbation is injuries or surgery.
3. Gout often appears in those who regularly consume purine-rich foods. Fatty meat, seafood, soda and alcohol contribute to the accumulation of these substances.
4. Of great importance is heredity. With the right lifestyle and a healthy diet, the disease proceeds in a latent state and progresses after a negative impact.

Gout is mainly affected by men aged 30-50 years. However, the problem begins to appear more often in women, especially during menopause. Experts distinguish between two forms of the disease. The appearance of the primary form is due to the accumulation of purines, and the second is the development of pathologies and the misuse of medications.

Gout treatment at home

As a rule, people with good work, who do not refuse to enjoy eating and who love big feasts, become victims of gout. Periods of exacerbation of this chronic disease alternate with remissions. Without treatment, gout attacks become more frequent and more intense. As a result, this leads to damage to large joints, impaired renal function and disability.

Knowing how to treat gout will help to avoid this fate. Modern methods of control are based on folk remedies and pharmacy medicines.

Medications

The main therapeutic approach used in the treatment of gout involves the use of medications. Some are used to treat seizures, others are used during remission.

Gout therapy is aimed at reducing the intensity of pain and muffling the inflammatory response. For this purpose, medications of a number of pharmacological groups are used. Let's look at them.

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Reduce the severity of pain and the amount of inflammation. In the list of drugs Diclofenac and Indomethacin.
• Hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs. The drugs are based on adrenal hormones. By the mechanism of exposure, they resemble non-steroidal drugs, but provide a better effect. With exacerbations, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone are used.
• Colchicine. Alkaloid of plant origin with anti-inflammatory effect. The drug is used for therapeutic measures for gout.

After eliminating the symptoms of a gout attack, a lull period begins. At this point, medications are used that focus on reducing purine metabolism products.

1. Allopurinol. Blocks the function of xanthioxidase. The absence of this enzyme slows down the formation of purine metabolism products, which reduces deposits in the joints.
2. Benzobromarone. Accelerates the excretion of purine metabolism products with urine. This is due to blocking the absorption of water from the primary urine into the bloodstream and the substances contained in it.

To improve the results of treatment with drugs and pills, folk remedies and a diet, which provides for the rejection of the use of products saturated with purine bases, help.

Folk remedies

Over the centuries, healers have accumulated many recipes for treating gout at home. Some of them are lost in history, others are used everywhere. I will introduce you to 15 proven folk remedies. I hope you can find an option that will help to heal the joints and facilitate the course of the disease.

Compresses

• Honey and salt. Mix in equal amounts. A uniform layer is made from the resulting mixture on the compression tissue, after which it is applied to the sore joint for the night.
• Brown bread and kefir. A glass of kefir is poured into a half-liter jar, the remaining space is filled with crumbs of rye bread and a spoonful of soda is added. Five hours later, the infusion is filtered and make day lotions and night compresses.
• Fresh fish. A fish weighing two kilograms is cut into fillets, each layer is cut into ten pieces, laid out in sachets and sent to the freezer. Before going to bed, a thawed piece of fish is applied to the joint, covered with a film, wrapped with cloth and left until morning.
• Activated Carbon and Flaxseeds. Half a glass of powder is made from activated carbon tablets, which is combined with a spoon of crushed flax seeds. Using water from the mixture, a paste is made, which is applied to the joint, covered with a waterproof cloth and fixed with a bandage.

Internal application

• Onion broth. Three onion heads are poured with a liter of water, put on gas and cooked until the vegetable has completely boiled. The broth, after filtration, is consumed three times a day before meals in a glass.
• Apple compote. The apples rich in potassium salts that prevent the formation of uric acid. Three fresh apples are finely chopped, poured with a liter of water, brought to a boil and cooked for a quarter of an hour. Ready apple broth is drunk like tea. The minimum daily dose is 4 cups.
• Lemon and garlic tincture. Four lemons and three heads of peeled garlic are passed through a meat grinder. The mixture is poured with two glasses of boiling water and left in a warm place for three days. After filtering, take once a day for half a stack.

Berry treatment

• Elder. A decoction made from elderberry has a disinfecting and diuretic effect on the body. A spoonful of berries is poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for half an hour, cooled and drunk in a spoon before eating.
• Cherry. Fresh cherries reduce uric acid levels in the body. For a speedy recovery, they undergo a weekly course of treatment, during which they eat half a kilo of fresh berries daily.
• Wild strawberry. Eat 5 glasses of strawberries during the day. Eat strawberries systematically - 2 glasses for breakfast, one for lunch and two before bedtime. A month of strawberry treatment will force gout to recede if it is at the initial stage of development.

Phytotherapy

• Lilac. A half-liter bottle is filled with individual lilac flowers, but not densified. Pour a glass of vodka, periodically shaking, insist a week. Then take fifty drops before meals. If alcohol is used, the dose is reduced by 2.5 times.
• Succession. Brewed and drunk as tea. There are no restrictions on the drink. You can drink as much as you like. The main thing is that there should be no intolerance to the series.

These recipes will help overcome gout. Remember that the disease easily affects sedentary people. Therefore, to accelerate recovery, you need to walk daily and pay attention to physical education.

Gout Diet

Gout is not completely cured. It is regrettable, but it is not necessary to be upset, there is a way to reduce the duration and frequency of periods of exacerbation. This effect is achieved by a proper diet.

1. To include in the diet vegetable soups, pasta, cereals, low-fat dairy products, low-fat fish. In food, you can safely add dill, seizing dishes with bread. It is allowed to eat one egg a day. Cooking is recommended in vegetable or butter. Refractory fats are prohibited.
2. The menu is varied with green apples, favorite berries (except raspberries), citrus fruits. Dried fruits (except raisins), seeds, nuts and natural honey are considered incredibly useful. From sweets, jam, marmalade and marshmallows are allowed.
3. Of drinks, it is better to give preference to green tea, natural juice or herbal decoction. Good to drink fruit and berry compotes, fruit drinks, fresh cucumber juice and specialized mineral water.
4. Diet for gout welcomes fasting days. Throughout, one vegetable is allowed, for example, potatoes. The diet can be curd, kefir or milk.If eating one product is difficult, it is combined with other fruits or vegetables. In any case, the diet will relieve metabolic processes.
5. For a fasting day, a diet based on rice and apples is ideal. During the day, it is recommended to satisfy hunger with boiled rice cereal and make snacks from apples. Such a diet welcomes the use of apple compote, but without sugar.

Example menu for the day

1. Start the day with vegetable salad, soft-boiled eggs, carrot pudding and green tea.
2. For the second breakfast, unsweetened rose hip compote is suitable.
3. They dine with milk soup, fragrant pancakes and jelly.
4. For dinner cheesecakes, lean cabbage rolls and weak tea.
5. Before going to bed, they drink a decoction based on wheat bran.

What can and cannot be with gout?

Proper nutrition is an important element in the treatment of gout. Supernova medicines will not show the desired effect if the patient does not adhere to a strict diet.

It is impossible

• Meat and offal. Disturbances in the absorption of protein contribute to the development of gout.
• Fried fish, smoked meats, meat broths and mushrooms, canned food, legumes and spices.
• Alcoholic drinks and beer. Not desirable coffee, strong tea, salted cheeses, chocolate products and almost all sweets.

Can

• Fried and boiled vegetables, with a small reservation. You can not only radish, celery, pepper and cauliflower.
• Fruits. Nuts, berries, apples, apricots, pears can be eaten without fear.
• From sweets to the white list includes marshmallows, preserves and chocolate-free sweets.
• Dairy products. Low-fat cottage cheese, cheese and kefir bring many benefits for gout.
• Porridge and pasta cooked in diluted milk.

Adhering to proper nutrition, you can prevent an attack of gout or its re-occurrence. The severity of the diet is determined by the stage of the disease. In remission, lean meat is allowed - rabbit meat, chicken or turkey.

Video tips

Exacerbation

Health problems are easier to prevent than to treat. Gout is called an eating disorder. For this reason, the prevention of exacerbations involves a change in lifestyle and taste habits.

1. Monitor nutrition, do not abuse foods high in purines.
2. Do sport. Do not expose the body to heavy loads. Walking morning run and light exercises abound. The main thing is that the joints do not receive a large load.
3. Drink plenty of fluids, which contributes to the timely and full removal of excess uric acid from the body.
4. In sedentary work, try to compensate for the lack of activity with regular training. In addition, this will help get rid of extra pounds that load the joints.
5. Refuse from narrow and uncomfortable shoes and clothes. Such items are harmful to the joints.

Forecast

Statistics show that the prognosis of the disease in question is favorable. Symptoms of concomitant pathologies bring people more suffering than gout. Therefore, the timely adoption of adequate measures greatly facilitates the transfer of the attack.

I hope that after reading the article you will draw the right conclusions and realize that exacerbation of gout can be prevented. Following the recommendations of doctors, eating right and constantly moving, you can avoid problems.

Loading ...

But even if an exacerbation occurs, do not leave gout unattended and do not treat it yourself.Only after evaluating the clinical picture, the doctor will determine the fast and effective treatment.