Whether you are currently suffering from gout or you have learned that it runs in your family you will probably rather use natural remedies rather than relying on prescription medication that can have a range of unpleasant side effects. We've put together some of the most effective ways to treat gout 100% naturally.

Firstly, gout is caused primarily by excess uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is the by product which is produced when purines are broken down. Since we gain purines from our diet it makes sense that one of the best and most natural cures for the condition is to reduce our intake of purines. It will be useful for you to write down or memorize the foods that are high in purines so that you can cut down on them, replace them with other similar foods and eventually cut them out of your diet completely. Firstly, bacon is the worst culprit for purines and in fact pork in general is not good for people suffering from gout. You should also be avoiding red meats such as venison, lamb and beef and instead replacing them with chicken or duck. You may be thinking 'great, I'll just eat more fish!' but unfortunately fish and seafood in general are bad for exacerbating gout. All fruit and vegetables are fine to eat, as are most carbohydrates apart from bread and anything containing yeast (including beer, ale and lager). Try replacing bread with other carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes.

Another natural treatment for gout is cherries, either dried, fresh or as juice. Cherries have been proven to lower the levels of uric acid in women's blood by up to 15% when consumed daily, which therefore will reduce the gout condition and reduce the pain caused by it. It is the compounds in cherries that have this effect and because they are a fruit there's not harm they will cause you otherwise. Throw them into a smoothie, mix some dried cherries with nuts and sultanas for a snack during work or take a bag of fresh cherries with you for lunch.

Of course with every form of treatment you should back it up with other natural aids. So if you've changed your diet by cutting out red meats, pork, fish, bread and yeast and increased your daily consumption of cherries then you should strengthen your treatment process with exercise too. This is especially relevant for those who are obese or even slightly overweight as the severity of gout increases as you grow bigger. If you find it hard to exercise because of the pain, as many gout sufferers do, then it's a good idea to try swimming, aqua aerobics, Pilates or Yoga followed by meditation session to relax you again.

Treating gout should always involve visiting your doctor who can inform you of the severity of your condition and whether natural treatments for gout will benefit you. Try not to put off taking action against gout as it will get worse with time and the earlier you tackle it and make changes to your lifestyle, the faster and more effective the changes will be.

Stan Tian

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Stan Tian