Many people may not fully understand what gout is, but those who suffer from it know about it all too well.
Gout can be incredibly painful, even debilitating. Fortunately, there are both old and new treatments available to reduce its symptoms.
What is gout?
Gout is a form of arthritis where joints and parts of extremities, such as fingers and feet swell and stiffen. It is caused by an improper uric acid ratio in the body. That means either the body isn’t getting rid of it as it should or is producing too much of it.
Gout symptoms include redness and pain in the feet, especially around the big toe. It affects small joints most often and attacks can affect any joint in the arms or legs.
What causes gout?
There isn’t a solid reason why the body quits functioning well to rid itself of the acid or why it starts producing too much. Doctors have five tests to determine if patients have gout:
- Blood test
- Ultrasound
- X-rays
- Joint fluid test
- Dual-energy computerized tomography (DECT)
The key thing doctors look for in all these tests are crystals forming in the joints.
What to expect in treatment?
Any treatment that gout patients undertake will need to work from two different angles. The first is to reduce pain and inflammation and the second is to lower the uric acid in the blood.
Traditional Medicine
Treatments can be traditional, non-traditional, or a combination. Traditional medication includes medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other drugs like colchicine and corticosteroids.
Non-Traditional Treatments
Many find that using alternative treatments to change eating and drinking habits, along with lifestyle modifications, helps reduce gout pain and complications. Some of those include
No one can cure gout but proper diagnosis, medications, and lifestyle changes can reduce its effects. People can live with it once they realize the amount of control they have over it.
