Living with Gout

While it may be hard to predict the outset of a gout attack, you can act appropriately to treat and prevent it. Adjusting to a healthier lifestyle is important. The tips highlighted below can make living with gout easier and prevent health complications such as heart disease and kidney disease.

Tips for living with gout

Reduce alcohol and food with high purine content

If you have gout, you should stay away from purine-rich foods, such as shellfish and fatty meats. Additionally, reduce alcohol consumption — particularly beer — because it can increase the amount of uric acid in the body. Fortunately, certain foods such as coffee, cherries and foods with high vitamin C content can help avert gout attacks.

Stay hydrated

Incorporate high water intake into your healthy diet. This is especially important if you have gout because being hydrated helps to cleanse uric acid away from the body and prevent the formation of uric acid crystals.

Reduce stress

Stress is one of the culprits of gout attacks and can worsen the symptoms accompanying the attack. Although it is difficult to get rid of your stress entirely, you can minimize it in different ways. If you are dealing with a gout attack, relieving stress can direct your attention on other things instead of the pain.

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga are effective for stress. Reduced stress levels can contribute remarkably to reducing the intensity of the gout attack.

Exercise regularly

Keeping your physical fitness routine is an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle, and may contribute to limiting the recurrence of gout attacks. It particularly helps to shed weight if necessary. Obesity is a risk factor of gout, but if you have been diagnosed with gout, maintaining a healthy weight may help avert future attacks.

Exercising is also good for stress management. However, if you are dealing with a gout attack currently, you should stay away from exercising until the pain and inflammation subside. If you have not been exercising, you should consult your doctor for advice on how to be active. If new symptoms occur while exercising, be sure to inform your doctor.

Get sufficient sleep and rest

If you have gout, sleep and rest are both important for your health. Try to get enough sleep — at least seven to eight hours every night — to manage stress and improve your well-being.

Resting sufficiently can help give you some respite during a gout attack, too. A gout attack can be remarkably painful, and movement may be almost impossible while the attack lasts. Resting the afflicted joint during the attack can give you momentary relief from gout symptoms.

Consider using dietary and herbal supplements

Many believe that certain herbal and dietary supplements can help prevent gout. Turmeric — which is used for treating other inflammatory conditions aside from gout — can help alleviate inflammation. Also, bromelain, which is found in pineapple stems, is also believed to help prevent gout attacks.

In conclusion

Gout is a debilitating condition, but making these lifestyle adjustments can help prevent the attacks and make living with gout more bearable.

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