Effective Ways to Treat Gout at Home, Gout may initially cause no symptoms until the acute attack actually occurs. Gradually, the symptoms of gout can become increasingly debilitating when the disease has been going on for a long time (chronic). Most of the symptoms usually last for a few hours within 1-2 days. If left untreated, recurrence of attacks from time to time can hinder daily activities. So, how to treat or reduce excess uric acid levels?
Effective Ways to Treat Gout at Home
Uric acid can not be completely cured. However, you can treat the symptoms so they don’t interfere with your daily life. The key to treating excess uric acid is to change your lifestyle to be healthier. Here are various ways to treat gout that you can do at home:
1. Monitor your uric acid levels
For starters, you can use a uric acid test kit purchased at a pharmacy. The shape and method of use are almost the same as a blood sugar checker. But for accurate results, ask your doctor or pharmacist to teach you to use this tool at home.
By using this tool you can continue to monitor your uric acid levels. Normal uric acid levels are below 6 mg/dL for women and below 7 mg/dL for men.
2. Take uric acid medicine from the doctor
Taking medication is one of the most effective ways to lower uric acid. If you have been prescribed gout medication by a doctor, obey the rules of the drinking schedule and dosage according to the instructions.
Some examples of uric acid-lowering drugs that are commonly prescribed by doctors are allopurinol and colchicine. Usually the doctor will also prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs such as celecoxib, indomethacin, meloxicam, or sulindac to relieve pain and swelling in the joints.
3. Take painkillers
As soon as a gout attack hits, you can immediately take non-prescription pain medications (NSAIDs), such as diclofenac or ibuprofen to treat the symptoms. Don’t take aspirin as a way of treating a gout attack. Even though they are both NSAID painkillers, these drugs have been reported by several studies to actually increase the risk of new attacks in the future; even with small doses.
4. Get regular exercise
While you’re on treatment for gout, it’s important to stay active with exercise. Do it at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. The severity of gout symptoms will be more controllable if you exercise regularly. Exercise makes the joints strong and well trained, so they can prevent the pain that often attacks people with gout.
5. lose weight with proper diet
Just like exercise, various ways to treat and reduce uric acid will not be effective if you don’t adopt the right diet. Recurrence of gout attacks is more at risk for people who are overweight or obese. Symptoms of gout will also often recur if you are used to eating trigger foods, which are high in fat and purines. So as a way to reduce and treat uric acid, you must maintain a healthy diet to achieve ideal body weight.
6. Drink lots of water
Drink at least eight glasses of water per day to meet the body’s fluid needs. Drinking more water is included as an effective way to reduce uric acid, although not directly.
In the body, air helps transport toxic and unused substances; including excess uric acid. That’s why some experts believe that drinking water helps expedite the disposal of uric acid that has accumulated in the body.
7. Keep yourself away from stress
Daily stress not only affects your mood (mood), but also your health from within. One of the effects of stress is to reduce the body’s resistance and increase the risk of inflammation. These two things can trigger an increase in uric acid in the blood which can trigger an attack of symptoms.
Well, now you know what are the effective ways to treat gout at home even though it is believed to be able to overcome gout.