Gout Treatments - the Alternatives to Medication

Alternative Gout Treatments

Alternatives to medical gout treatments are the preferred option for many gout sufferers.
Whether it is to avoid side effects, to accommodate other health problems, or simply to avoid radical effects on body chemistry, the principles of applying alternative treatments are the same as for medical ones.

Principles for choosing alternative gout treatments

The specific treatments and remedies used in those treatments are different from medical treatments, but the sequence remains the same:

Stop Triggers - if any obvious triggers exist, e.g. diuretics, you will need to seek alternatives, and/or increase non-alcoholic fluid intake.
Relieve Pain
Prevent Recurrence

Improvements in your lifestyle by reducing weight and taking more exercise will help in the long term. These are dealt with in the Diet and Lifestyle sections.

Despite the fact that most alternative gout treatments do not need prescriptions, it is still important to discuss these with a qualified medical professional before commencing treatment. These alternatives may still have side effects that can be important, particularly if you are already taking medication for gout or any other condition.

Pain Relief Treatments

The world of alternative medicine is rich in compounds for relieving pain, and those that have an anti-inflammatory effect are particularly suitable for gout treatments. They are covered in detail in the Remedies section.

Additionally, there are many pain relief techniques that are not based on ingesting substances. These include techniques for stimulating the nervous system to block pain, and stimulating the bodies own pain relief mechanisms.

Increasingly, recognition is being given to techniques that deal with the perception of pain. Not least of these is distraction - and what better way of getting your own back on gout pain than by distracting yourself by singing about it?

Gout Prevention Treatments

As well as herbs that help promote excretion of uric acid there are tonics that can help strengthen the immune system, helping to reduce the frequency and relieve the severity of gout attacks. Other treatments that help manage overall acidity in the body are felt by many to significantly reduce gout attacks.

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