Gout…

Gout is a rheumatic disease and a type of inflammatory arthritis which is very  painful. It is  caused  by  uric acid crystals that build up in the spaces between joints and in the connective tissues.

Gout results in stiffness and pain in the joints.

Gout affects more men than women. Women are more likely to suffer from Gout after menopause.

Causes of Gout:

• Genetics and Heredity: If your parents or other members in your family have Gout, you are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
•  Age and Sex: Gout affects a larger percentage of middle-aged men. Men have higher levels of uric acid in the body as compared to women and this may be why this happens.
• Alcohol Abuse: Drinking alcohol especially beer is said to cause Gout.
• Eating a Diet High in Protein: Having a diet that mainly consists of red meats, organ meats and oily fish can make you more susceptible to the development of Gout.
• A sedentary Life / Lack of Exercise.
• Other Medical Conditions: If you suffer from other diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure, you may be more predisposed to developing Gout.
• Medication:  Studies show that diuretic drugs used to treat high blood pressure, anti-rejection drugs used after transplant surgery and even aspirin can increase the level of uric acid in the body and cause Gout.

 

• Sudden and severe pain in a joint, often the big toe.
• Swelling and redness around the affected joint.
• Fever (in some cases).
• Kidney stone symptoms, which include intermittent pain, sometimes excruciating, beginning in the lower back and travelling to the groin; interruption of the urine stream; inability to urinate except in certain positions; and a frequent urge to urinate but with only small amounts of urine passed.

Preventions:

• Maintain a healthy weight:
• Drink plenty of water and water-based liquids.
• Limit your alcohol consumption:
• Limit the intake of foods rich in purines, which later break down into uric acid during digestion: These foods include red meat, shellfish, tofu, peas, asparagus and mushrooms.
• Eat potassium rich foods, such as spinach, avocado, dried peaches, bananas, orange juice, carrots, baked potato(with skin), lima beans and yams
• Drink a glass of lemon water after dinner: Vitamin C stimulates the production of calcium carbonate which reduces acids in the body. After dinner, make yourself a  lemon drink by squeezing the juice of 1 lemon into a glass of lukewarm water.
• Get tested by a doctor if you have a family history of Gout, which can be a hereditary metabolic disease: This risk rises for men over 40 years old and women after menopause

 How Homoeopathy works…

Homoeopathy has very good medicines to help  patients having acute Gout pains and  has always said to stop the recurrence of attacks.

Constitutional medicines are required. For this, the precipitating causes of attacks, general likes and dislikes of patients, his /her stress and tension etc has to be considered. This constitutional medicine will help to reduce the high levels of uric acid in blood thereby reducing the acute attacks

Some acute Homoeopathic Medicines are:

1. Colchicum : Arthritic pains in joints, painful even on touch, nausea and dizziness.
2. Urtica Urens : Stinging, burning pains especially for continuous pain in deltoid
3. Ledum  Pal : Affects fibrous tissue of small joints. Painful, cold and oedematous joints. Shifting and  tearing pains which get worsened by warmth.
4. Bryonia : Acute throbbing and continuous pain especially  when the right side of body is affected. Joints are red, hot and swollen.