Gout is a chronic disease characterized by problems with purine metabolism and is accompanied by an increased degree of uric acid in the blood, as well as deposits of sodium urate in the articular cartilage and other tissues. Since this disease affects mobility, the most common treatment for gout is at home.
Definition
The beginning of the problem lies in a change in metabolism, as a result of which compounds such as guanine, adenine, xanthine and hypoxanthine begin to form, all of them are combined into a group of purine bases. Due to such changes in the tissues of the body, needle crystals of uric acid salts begin to form. This all leads to tissue damage and inflammation in them.
Symptoms of Gout
Home treatment and diagnosis are possible if you know the signs of the disease, which include:
- increased temperature of the affected area;
- acute pain in the joint;
- limited mobility;
- the skin turns red and there is a corresponding shine, sensitivity increases;
- swelling is present.
Most often, the disease plunges the joint of the thumb, and can also provoke the presence of unstable mood, loss of appetite, nausea, overexcitation and shortness of breath.
A clear symptom of gout is the formation of dense nodules (tofuses) formed on the wrist, elbow joints, calcaneal tendons and auricles.
Causes
Gout is a metabolic disease, the main reason for the appearance of which lies in the excessive secretion of uric acid or hyperuricemia. An excess of the substance can be the result of genetic predispositions, when the body lacks an enzyme responsible for the transformation of the necessary compounds.
Another factor of appearance may be proliferative disorders of the bone marrow or the use of such groups of drugs as salicylates, diuretics, and sulfonamides.
Basically, the accumulation of uric acid provokes malnutrition, in which there are many purines, the source of which is primarily red meat and alcohol. The culprit can also be a sedentary lifestyle, because it helps to slow down the metabolism, and ultimately delays uric acid in the body.
Views
According to reviews, treating the symptoms of gout at home shows very good results. But in order to choose the right therapy, you need to know the types of this disease.
Today in medicine distinguish between primary (hereditary factor) and secondary gout.
The last type of disease develops in the presence of provoking factors:
- failures in the functioning of metabolic processes;
- high cholesterol;
- thyroid problems;
- diabetes mellitus;
- acquired or congenital pathologies of the kidneys.
The following forms of the disease are distinguished:
- Classic - occurs in 80% of cases, occurs suddenly, most often at night. It is manifested by severe fatigue, headaches and arthralgia. It is formed due to hypothermia, injuries, alcohol and fatty foods in significant quantities.
- Subacute - most often observed in the area of the thumb joint, accompanied by acute pain and a decrease in the possibility of mobility.
- Rheumatoid - characterizes the primary lesion of the hands and wrist joints.
- Pseudo-phlegmonous - manifests itself in pronounced inflammatory processes, not only the joints, but also the tissues and skin around fall under the influence.
- Infectious-allergic - rare (5%), quickly formed and has serious consequences.
- Unsymptomatic - the problem is almost imperceptible, but it is, without timely diagnosis and treatment, it goes into more serious forms.
- Periatric - the disease is not localized in the joints, but in the tendons.
Features of treating gout at home
Most often, the treatment of such an ailment is done at home, but before you start taking any medications, you must definitely visit a doctor. Even if the patient is sure that he knows everything about the disease, then the results of blood and urine tests can determine the content of urate, and only a specialist can prescribe such a diagnosis. A timely examination will help to recognize the problem and prescribe adequate therapy.
The methods for treating gout at home are different, and since this is a chronic disease and it cannot be completely cured, it is therefore necessary to minimize the severity and frequency of exacerbation of the disease. And if you still can’t avoid an attack, then the main task becomes to alleviate the patient’s problem state and accelerate the onset of remission.
Exacerbation
Initially, you need to start controlling your diet. From the menu you need to exclude or significantly limit the use of - alcohol, meat, rich broths, jellied meat, canned goods, smoked meats, legumes, coffee, tea, caviar and chocolate. And you need to eat dairy products, nuts, chicken, pasta, cereals and vegetables.
For the prevention and treatment of gout at home on hands and feet, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids, approximately 2-3 liters, not counting the water that is part of the first courses. Useful are any alkaline drinks, as well as berry and citrus juices.
Very often, nutritional adjustments are sufficient to achieve a stable remission. Only after a thorough diagnosis does the doctor decide on the use of certain medications. The following groups of drugs can be prescribed:
- Anturan - accelerates the withdrawal of urates;
- allopurinols - aimed at blocking the formation of uric acid.
In any case, the treatment of gout at home is required for the clear prescription of a doctor.
Relief of an acute attack
In order to quickly get rid of an acute attack of gout, you must:
- Adhere to a lying lifestyle.
- Keep the diseased limb in an elevated position, for example, lay your foot on a pillow.
- Apply swabs soaked with Vishnevsky ointment or moistened with Dimexidum on the inflamed joint.
- To treat gout at home with exacerbation, you need to adhere to a half-starved strict diet. The menu should contain sparse cereals, vegetable broths, milk, jelly, oat broth.
- Every day, drink plenty of fluids (up to 3 liters per day), preferably alkaline.
- It should be noted that during periods of exacerbation, drugs prescribed for the prevention of seizures cannot help. Therefore, if the patient did not accept them or stopped using them, then it is not worth starting. And if regular therapy was present, then you should drink everything as directed by the doctor.
- In order to understand how to relieve pain with gout at home, you need to consult a specialist. The doctor will prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - Nice, Indomethacin, Ketorol, Movalis, Diclofenac and Nimesulide.
- The drug "Colchicine" is considered to be very popular. It is taken according to the following scheme - on the first day 3 times 1 tablet, in the second and third 1 tablet 2 times a day, and from the fourth to the end of the attack 1 tablet before bedtime.
Body cleansing
If the patient decided to take up the treatment of gout at home, then before using various folk remedies, it is necessary to undergo a special cleaning of the body. The fact is that when using this method, you can try to cleanse the body of uric acid and stagnant salt in the joints without further treatment. This can be done easily with a “rice menu” for breakfast. For him, it is required to pour 2 tbsp in the evening. l cereals with a liter of water and leave everything overnight. In the morning, the old liquid drains and the new one pours again. After sending to medium heat and boil for 3 minutes, drain and add water again. This procedure needs to be done 4 times. Then cooked breakfast is consumed on an empty stomach. After it, you need at least a few hours to give up food and water. Then, during the day, adhere to the adopted diet.
Effective methods
Home treatment for gout on the legs and in other parts of the body is very diverse, so everyone selects the most suitable and effective for himself.
1. Honey for any joint problems is considered the first folk remedy that is advised to use. You can simply rub this unique product into painful areas, and after a few weeks a positive result is achieved. This is explained by the fact that the product helps to develop intra-articular lubrication, due to which it turns out to more strongly entice uric acid, thereby significantly improving the patient's position. And also the tool is recommended for use with other ingredients that enhance its effect.
A well-recommended remedy for treating gout at home is massage with honey. Initially, a joint is heated with a hot-water bottle, and after 15 minutes a massage is performed, rubbing the composition into the affected area. At the end of the procedure, it is required to put a napkin dipped in plenty of honey on the joint, cover with polyethylene and insulate. Everything is kept for 4 hours, and then washed off with warm water. The course of therapy takes 12 sessions, the first of which are carried out from day to day, and after the fourth - every other day.
2. When preventing symptoms and treating gout at home, special bathtubs are used. To do this, a glass of chamomile flowers is poured with 10 liters of water and 2 glasses of sea salt are sent there. The solution is left to insist. Next, a 15-minute bath is required.
3. And also compresses are used as therapy.
- 3 vials of valerian tincture are mixed with triple cologne, and the affected areas are lubricated with this liquid before bedtime. For a better result, it is recommended to wet the cotton wool in the mixture and put it on a sore spot, and cover everything with polyethylene on top.
- Pour half a kilogram of salt with iodine with clean water, and then boil until all the liquid has evaporated. Add 200 grams of petroleum jelly or chicken fat to the resulting mass, mix everything and apply to the problem area. Close the place with a woolen cloth, and then wrap it with a bandage.
- Elderberry and chamomile flowers are mixed and based on them, prepare an infusion, pouring them with boiling water for 2 hours. Such a composition is applied to the affected area.
4. Treatment of gout at home with iodine is a very effective way. To do this, you need to take 10 grams of iodine and 5 tablets of aspirin. In a separate container, tablets are crushed to a powdery state, everything is filled with iodine, and mixed. The resulting mass is applied to the inflammatory site. Next, you need to wear warm socks or gloves. This procedure is recommended before bedtime.
5. You can independently prepare various ointments that well help with the disease.
- To do this, it is recommended to use hop cones. They are crushed to a powder and mixed in the same amount with butter, and then heated in a water bath. The resulting composition is rubbed into the affected area.
- In Russian villages, ointment based on alcohol and butter was used for therapy. The ingredients are mixed together, and then heated until the alcohol evaporates, after which the product is completely ready for use.
6. For the treatment of an attack of gout at home, contrasting procedures are excellent. On the first day, cold is applied to the sore spot, and on the second, an alcohol warming compress is performed. For this, the napkin is folded into four parts and moistened with alcohol, and then laid out on the joint, wrapped with cling film and fixed with a bandage. Procedures are performed until the end of the acute phase of the disease.
7. Bee stings are used for therapy, but you need to understand that apitherapy is not suitable for everyone, since many people have allergies to bee venom. If it is still missing, then this method gives an excellent result. It is carried out according to the following scheme - on the first day 2 bees are applied to the joint, on the second - 3, on the third - 4, and, thus, the therapy takes 7 days.
The use of herbs
Herbal remedies are considered the best helpers in modern therapy. However, treatment with herbs for gout at home should be done after consulting a doctor.
Here are some popular recipes:
- The closed fir cone along with the seeds is washed and poured with boiling water (350 ml) overnight. This infusion is taken 3 times a day.
- Bay leaf is perfect for cleaning joints, 10 grams of raw material needs to be poured into 300 ml of water and boiled in an enameled pan without covering. Next, the container is removed from the fire and wrapped in a clean towel and left for 4 hours to insist. The resulting medicine is drunk in small portions.
- To maintain the body, it is recommended to drink birch sap, as well as make an infusion of its leaves. For this, 10 grams of dry material is poured into 300 ml of water and drunk 100 ml 30 minutes before meals.
- When treating gout at home in the knee and in other parts of the body, a decoction of celery roots is used. A tablespoon of crushed raw materials is poured into 400 ml of water and everything is boiled for about 5-7 minutes. Ready broth is taken 25 grams before meals.
- Another drink for therapy is tea from a series. It is recommended to drink it hot.
Gout Diet
Treatment at home of this ailment has a fundamental effect in all therapy. The main nutritional requirements are the exclusion of ingredients that contribute to increased uric acid formation.
Prohibited foods:
- spicy and smoked food, as well as the corresponding sauces (ketchup, mustard) are not allowed;
- drinks that excite the nervous system, namely coffee, strong tea and cocoa;
- concentrated meat-based broths and other similar semi-finished products, offal;
- canned meat and fish, but still do not allow the use of fatty fish themselves;
- chocolate, cocoa beans and other sweets;
- alcohol;
- drinks in which preservatives are present.
The ban on these products in case of illness extends due to the fact that they contain such substances, due to which purine compounds are formed in the body, and in the process of its absorption an increased amount of uric acid is formed.
Diagnosis and treatment of gout symptoms at home is very important, since they have a good effect on the functionality of the body as a whole, so it is recommended to consume a lot of juices with an ailment. Extracts of grapefruit and lemon are considered the most useful and well affecting the body.
Steamed food, boiled lean meat and lots of vegetables are useful. Ideal meat is turkey, chicken or rabbit.
The menu for gout should be supported by a large amount of liquid food, namely various cereals and sour-milk and dairy products. Dishes that are regularly consumed with a diet should help reduce overall weight, so the load on the kidneys will decrease. It is recommended to include eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, durum wheat, pasta and a variety of cereals in the menu.
Cabbage is required to give a significant place in the diet. The product contains a minimal amount of purine, and due to its ability to reduce total weight, this vegetable can very well contribute to the patient’s speedy recovery.
It is mandatory to increase the amount of fluid drunk. The minimum dose is 2 liters per day, but it is better if the indicator is greater. It is not recommended to drink regular teas in case of an ailment, since they contain substances that stimulate the nervous system. The only option is tea drinks, which include - lapacho, rooibos and herbs. Mineral water is used in the disease with a moderate degree of salinity ("Luzhanskaya", "Borjomi").
Opinions
What do people say in their reviews? They consider the treatment of gout at home quite effective. According to patients, they are more involved in therapy at home. Despite the fact that the use of drugs is almost impossible to avoid, alternative therapy occupies a significant place. The use of various ointments, compresses and baths positively affects the condition of the joint. And the diet and the use of products containing a minimal amount of purines, not only completely affect the condition of the joints, but also perfectly shape the patients. Drinking plenty of fluids very well helps reduce pain in the acute course of the disease.
According to the doctors, home therapy is effective and very useful, but they nevertheless insist before starting any procedure to go to the hospital for diagnostics and tests, and then the specialists themselves will tell you what will be the best prescription for the patient.