Cure for Gout
Although there is no cure for gout, there are a number of things that you can do to help prevent gout and keep it under control. Some prevention tips include maintaining a healthy body weight, limiting your alcohol intake, and drinking plenty of water. There are also a number of alternative therapies for gout (such as cherry extract or magnets). While none of these things are gout cures, they may help alleviate symptoms of the condition.
Cure for Gout: An Overview
Search the Internet for a "gout cure" and you may be surprised at a number of products that claim to cure gout. The fact is that there is currently no cure for gout. However, there are medicines along with lifestyle changes that a person can make in order to keep gout under control. The goal of any of these prevention methods is to control uric acid in the blood -- keeping it below concentrations at which crystals can form.
Prevention Strategies -- The Next Best Gout Cure
A key part of any
gout prevention plan is taking the medicines your doctor prescribes. Carefully follow his or her instructions about how much medicine to take and when to take it.
Other good strategies for gout prevention include:
- Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding foods that are high in purines (see Gout Diet).
- Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water. Fluids help remove uric acid from the body.
- Exercising regularly.
- Maintaining a healthy body weight. Lose weight if you are overweight, but do not go on diets designed for quick or extreme loss of weight because they increase uric acid levels in the blood.
- Limiting your intake of alcohol or not drinking alcohol at all. Alcohol interferes with the removal of uric acid from the body.
- Planning follow-up visits with your doctor to evaluate your progress.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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