Natural Cures for Gout the Safe and Easy Way

Natural Cures for Gout the Safe and Easy Way
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According to Luc Maes, a naturopathic doctor based in Santa Barbara, California, gout results from an excess of uric acid in the blood.

When the blood carries more uric acid than it can handle, it’ll find a convenient place where it can unload the excess `baggage’. The convenient `dump site’ is the area around the big toe, where blood circulation is sluggish. Excess uric acid is deposited in the joint in the form of needle-shaped crystals, responsible for triggering painful inflammations.

Maes further says that gout sufferers should focus on minimizing painful inflammations. He recommends natural cures for gout which involve proper diet and nutritional and herbal supplements.

Diet (Prevention)

Foods rich in purine should be avoided. Alcohol, organ meats and seafood carry a high level of purine, responsible for raising the level of uric acid in the body. Animal fats and refined carbohydrates also increase the production of uric acid and their intake should be minimized.

Gout sufferers should drink as much water as possible as it helps flush out uric acid from the body.

Foods rich in EPA (Elcosa Pentaenoic Acid), a form of Omega 3 fatty acid are a great help. According to Priscilla Evans, a naturopathic doctor at the Community Wholistic Health Center, Chapel Hill, California, EPA inhibits the overproduction of inflammatory chemicals. Fish oil is an excellent source of EPA.

If the required amount of EPA is present in the body at the onset of inflammation, it helps activate anti-inflammatory chemicals to keep inflammation at bay. Dr Evans, however, warns that EPA wouldn’t be very effective if the patient consumes a lot of meat and fat.

Dr Evans advises patients to consume up to 1500 milligrams of fish oil (divided doses) with meals.

Patients can also consume between 400 to 1200 international units of vitamin E with fish oil. Vitamin E, says Dr Evans, works well with EPA to produce more anti-inflammatory chemicals in the body, apart from being an excellent anti-oxidant.

For vegetarians, Dr Maes recommends flaxseed oil. It contains alpha-linolenic acid, which the body converts to EPA when ingested. He advises patients to take up to two tablespoons of the oil daily.

The Magic of Celery Seed Extract

Prescription drug for gout comes in the form of allopurinal, also known as Zyloprim, which regulates the level of uric acid in the body.

The natural alternative is celery seed extract, a herbal supplement that does an excellent job in flushing out harmful fluids from the body.

James Duke, Ph. D, a botanical consultant and author of The Green Pharmacy tested and compared allopurinal and celery seed extract. He consumed two to four tablets of the extract daily, in place of allopurinal. He reported no gout attacks. He says he has found an excellent alternative to allopurinal and will continue taking celery seed extract as long as he is faced with the threat of gout.

Other Natural Cures for Gout

Nettle is long regarded as a natural antihistamine by herbalists, useful in treating inflammation of joints. It is also an excellent diuretic. It has been proven to lower the level of uric acid in the body. Dr Maes advises an intake of 300 to 600 milligrams a day but cautions against using it for more than two to three months at a stretch.

Cherries and berries are also proven to reduce uric acid levels and minimize gout attacks. It’s the bioflavonoid molecules in them that do the trick. As consuming half a pound of cherries a day is impractical, a bioflavonoid supplement like berry extract is an ideal alternative. Dr Maes advises an intake of up to 2000 milligrams a day.

References

Gale Maleskey, Nature’s Medicines, Rodale Press

James A. Duke, The Green Pharmacy: New Discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases. St. Martin’s Paperbacks.

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