Recognise and Treat Gout

If your toe were inflamed and in pain, would you be worried? Would you ignore it and hope for the best? Don’t. You should learn to recognise and treat gout. This disease can strike in other areas of the body, but it most commonly affects the big toe. An unusually large accumulation of uric acid in the joints is what causes it. If you’re an older person, you should be aware of the symptoms of gout. We’ll help you to learn what they are. Read on for some treatment recommendations, too.

If you have gout, look out…

Any joint that is affected by gout will be excruciatingly painful. The aching will be accompanied by inflamed skin that is shiny and red. In fact, you may feel mildly feverish. If you suspect that you have gout, don’t fail to get a diagnosis. Allowed to go untreated, it can become tophus. This is a condition caused by a build-up of uric acid in the joints. Hard nodules are the result and they can significantly restrict movement. 

Can you treat gout and get relief?

The most frequently recommended treatment for gout is quite simple. It also quite reliably reduces symptoms. All you have to do is to carefully raise the joint. Try to avoid forcing movement. Just gently manoeuvre it to keep it supple. Apply ice and leave it in place for 10 minutes. This easy procedure, eases the inflammation and reduces the pain associated with the disease. In addition to this routine, make sure that you’re taking in plenty of liquids (plain water and herbal teas are good choices). Eat nutritious foods, too. Extra weight is especially detrimental to joints that are affected by gout.

See your GP! He or she will know which medications – if any – to prescribe. It may be that you’ll benefit from anti-inflammatory drugs. Reduced inflammation helps to control pain, but let your doctor advise. These sorts of drugs must be prescribed and should never be taken without a prescription. Yes, they can often alleviate gout, but they may also produce some undesirable side effects.

If you’ve been diagnosed with this disease of the joints, you should steer clear of red meat, seafood, concentrated meat broths, yeast – that means both beers and pastries – and other foods that are high in purine. They can increase uric acid production. Sorry to be the bearer of more bad news, but you’ll have to stay away from the booze.

A gout-friendly diet includes the following foods:

• Nuts (especially walnuts, pistachios and macadamias)
• Seeds (you can enjoy pumpkin, flax and sunflower seeds with abandon)
• Olive oil
• Chickpeas
• Refined grains without the germ
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Coffee
• Chocolate (high quality, dark)
• Agar (a type of gelatine derived from seaweed)

There are other foods that can safely be enjoyed in moderation. Don’t go to extremes and eat them excessively. Which ones? Take care not to eat too a lot of whole grains or grains with their germ intact, fizzy drinks, asparagus, spinach or mushrooms.

So, you see? Gout is can be fairly reasonable to keep in check. Just take on a few new, healthier habits and you’ll be feeling fine in no time.