Gout Treatment: Holistic Approaches for Relief and Prevention

Gout is a common form of arthritis caused by excessive amounts of uric acid in the body.

The Facts

• Approximately 70 percent of people with gout produce too much uric acid; the remaining 30 percent cannot properly eliminate uric acid from the body.

Factors

• About 25 percent of people with gout have a family history of the disease. Obesity and poor diet also increase the risk of gout.

Symptoms

• The first symptom of gout is acute pain, then the affected joints become inflamed, red, swollen, hot and sensitive to touch.

Expert Insight

• Nutritionist Phyllis A. Balch recommends that when an attack of gout occurs eat only raw fruits and vegetables for two weeks, preferably in the form of juices. Frozen or fresh cherry juice or diluted celery juice may be beneficial.

Considerations

• People with gout should avoid purine-rich foods, such as anchovies, mackerel, shellfish, asparagus, meat gravies and broths, peanuts, baker's and brewer's yeasts, mushrooms, sardines and sweetbread. Thyme and thyroid extracts can also cause problems if taken for long periods.

Prevention/Solution

• Deficiencies of vitamins B5, A and E can promote gout. Homeopathic remedies using belladonna, arnica and rhus toxicodendron may be helpful.