How to Treat Gout With Natural Alternatives

Gout is a type of arthritis that develops when uric acid accumulates in your body, usually in the big toes, feet, knees and wrists. The accumulation of uric acid results in swelling, tenderness and unrelenting pain. While prescription medications are available to alleviate these symptoms, natural alternatives for treating gout also exist.

1

→ Incorporate black cherries and berries into your daily diet. Drink a glass of cherry juice or snack on a dozen fresh cherries. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and hawthorn berries also will relieve gout symptoms. The dark coloring in these fruits serves as an anti-inflammatory agent and counterbalances the uric acid.

2

→ Engage in hydrotherapy. Immerse the irritated area in lukewarm to hot water (about 95 degrees Fahrenheit or 35 degrees Celsius) for roughly 20 minutes. Add one-third to one-quarter cup of ground ginger. The water relaxes and eases the tender region, unleashes endorphins and induces sweating, which aids in eliminating superfluous uric acid.

→ Alternate hot and cold packs to reduce pain and improve your circulation.

3

→ Consider acupuncture or acupressure for quick relief.

→ Restore your body's energy flow and allow it to self-heal. The traditional Chinese practice known as acupuncture achieves this with needles.

→ Take advantage of acupressure, another ancient healing method. Acupressure applies pressure to pivotal points on your skin's surface, which energizes your body's own healing powers. Hands and feet do the work instead of needles.

4

→ Increase your vitamin C intake by eating leafy, green vegetables, green peppers, citrus fruits and strawberries. Vitamin C supplements also can lower your blood's uric acid levels. Too much of a good thing isn't always better so ask your doctor how much vitamin C is safe for you. Taking too much could actually be counterproductive.

5

→ Modify your diet. Refrain from eating fried and sugary foods and restrict the amount of beans, poultry, yeast, fish, nuts and red meat you eat. At the same time, increase your servings of green and starchy vegetables, corn, fruit, rice and dairy products and drink plenty of fluids that include purified water.

6

→ Add two tsp. (10 mg. each of honey and organic apple cider vinegar to a glass of water and drink in the morning and at night to relieve some of the gout induced pain.

7

→ Reach for the spices. Devil's claw, bilberry, yarrow, yucca, juniper, skullcap, chamomile, hyssop, turmeric, burdock and boswelia are effective in treating gout pain.

8

→ Apply frozen cabbage leaves to the inflamed area. An enzyme that is housed in the leaves gets rid of the crystal that builds up around the joint. Rubbing the area with a paste of wintergreen and cayenne powder also helps to treat gout naturally.

TIPS

→ Substitute Epsom salts for ginger when soaking your feet.

Warnings

→ Too much vitamin C can elevate uric acid levels.