How to Find Gout Relief
Often the aging process is accompanied with the onset of gout. Finding gout relief is incredibly important because gout is usually such an intense and painful condition. Before a person can truly understand about the best way to get gout relief for their condition however they are going to have to learn more about gout and what is involved within it.
What is Gout?
Gout is a serious and commonly experienced form of arthritis. Gout can be caused by a number of different factors, including too much alcohol consumption, eating too many foods rich in purines, excessive exercise, crash dieting, surgery, stress, chemotherapy, and high blood pressure.
The signs and symptoms that are associated with gout will often not appear for a while and then suddenly come out of nowhere and be incredibly intense and painful. Swelling in the joints, particularly in the big toe, is one of the most common symptoms and there may also be red and shiny skin around the infected area.
Finding Gout Relief
Anyone suffering from this condition will obviously want to find gout relief as quickly as they can. The first step that should be taken is to make a change in diet. It is very important that anyone suffering from this condition limit their intake of fatty and sugary foods and increase their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Water is also very important and at least six to eight glasses should be drank a day. Exercise should be frequent and consistent, and it is especially important for the person to eat lots of foods that are high in purines. This includes red meat and poultry, mushrooms, asparagus, yeast, alcohol, peas, legumes, lentils, spinach, beans, heart, kidney, and tripe, to name just a few.
Medication is also often prescribed for gout relief, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often the first to be suggested here. These work by blocking prostaglandins which are the substances that dilate the blood vessels in the body and which in turn cause inflammation and pain in the sufferer. These medications are typically taken orally at their highest safe dosage and will be continued for as long as necessary.
Speaking to the Doctor
Regardless of how severe a person’s gout condition is, it is vital that they speak to their doctor and then keep in close contact with them afterwards as well. This is because everyone is different and so everyone’s condition of gout differs as well. Only the doctor will be able to determine how serious the condition actually is and what the best method of treatment is going to be.
Tags: age, Aging Process, arthritis, diet, drinking water, gout
A good summary and some sound advice. However, I would recommend a rheumatologist rather than a general practice doctor.
Often, doctors miss symptoms such as tingling, swollen hands or a painful knee. They expect the common painfully swollen big toe. I know from my own experience, and that of many on-line friends, that all joints can be affected and, for many people, the big toe is not always involved.
On the opposite side of the coin, some doctors diagnose gout when the condition is something different, like pseudogout or septic arthritis. This is serious, as gout treatments will do little to help these conditions.
The American College of Rheumatology website has a database of rheumatologists throughout the US and in many other countries.