Gout
Brief description of the disease
Gout is associated with the deposition of urates (uric acid salts), which accumulate in the body and ultimately affect the joints. About three out of a thousand people suffer from this disease. At risk are men after 40 years, as well as women immediately after the end of menopause. It is especially unpleasant that gout affects any joints - feet, knees, fingers, elbows and hands, that is, symptoms of the disease can appear in absolutely all parts of the body.
The reasons for the development of gout are different. These are diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, and an unhealthy lifestyle, and a hereditary predisposition. When gout is diagnosed, diet becomes an integral part of treatment, as bouts of the disease often develop in the presence of alcohol or overeating. As a rule, exacerbations of the inflammatory process occur at night. In this case, acute pain can be caused by the most minor reasons, for example, the weight of the sheet. Gout, the treatment of which for some reason has been delayed, over time manifests itself more often, and the periods of exacerbation become longer.
Gout - symptoms and clinical presentation
In most cases, inflammation occurs in only one joint, but if you do not take care of the removal of urate, it spreads to other parts of the body. The typical symptoms of gout are:
- acute, sometimes unbearable pain in the affected joint, and none of the known anesthetic drugs can eliminate pain syndrome;
- swelling of the joint, redness of the skin in the area of the focus of inflammation;
- an increase in body temperature up to 39-40 degrees;
- numbness of the sore joint, which disappears during the daytime.
The acute period of the course of the disease lasts from two to seven days. Then the pain and other symptoms go away, the patient feels better, but this is just a "military trick". Do not even doubt that gout will reassert itself, and this can happen either in a few days or two to three months after the end of the first attack. The longer a person is sick, the more often exacerbations occur. Over time, untreated gout spreads to new joints and leads to complete destruction of bones.
If the inflammatory process lasts more than three years, then the patient develops dense bumps under the skin. These are the accumulations of urates - uric acid crystals. Sometimes these formations burst for no apparent reason. At the same time, crumbs of white or gray color come out of them. Another extremely unpleasant consequence of gout is kidney stones, which occur in about 20% of patients. In rare cases, the disease affects the heart system, affects the pericardium and heart valves.
Gout - Traditional Treatment
I would like to say right away that not a single doctor can guarantee the patient's complete recovery, but the spread of the inflammatory process is quite successfully controlled with the help of modern medications, diet and special procedures. To prevent the formation of kidney stones and reduce the acidity of urine, the patient is prescribed corticosteroid hormones. Gout, whose symptoms persist after a course of medication, requires surgery. Surgeons remove uric acid deposits in soft tissues, which allows the patient to live a normal life for a while.
However, surgery is a last resort. The need for it arises quite rarely, since in recent years several methods have appeared at once that make it possible to control the course of the disease without the participation of surgeons. One of them is plasmaphoresisohemosorption - a blood purification procedure using special equipment. The condition of the patient with gout is also improved by some other measures - physiotherapy, the fight against metabolic disorders, the treatment of primary diseases - diabetes mellitus or hypertension.
Gout: diet as an integral part of the treatment process
Since gout is characterized by metabolic disorders, diet is very important in terms of maintaining the patient's normal well-being. First of all, it is necessary to significantly limit the amount of animal proteins in the standard diet. In addition, fatty acids and easily digestible carbohydrates are also dangerous. Based on this, you can make an approximate list of useful products:
- any vegetables except horseradish, cauliflower, radish, sorrel and spinach;
- almost all fruits, including citrus fruits;
- low-fat dairy and fermented milk products, not too salty and fatty cheeses. Cottage cheese and kefir are extremely useful;
- chicken or quail eggs;
- all types of vegetable oils;
- cereals, especially whole grains;
- savory pastries in reasonable quantities;
- nuts and bee honey.
Smoked meats, sausages, table salt, peas, legumes, mushrooms, bacon, fried fish and meat, canned food, spices and seasonings, cocoa, chocolate, tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages are excluded from the diet. For patients diagnosed with gout, diet is the surest way to improve their well-being, so it is necessary to strictly follow the doctor's recommendations and eat right. As for the number of meals, it is better to replace the standard lunch-breakfast-dinner scheme with five meals a day and limit the amount of food consumed at one meal.
Alternative treatment for gout
An important note: if you have been diagnosed with gout, folk remedies should be taken along with traditional medications, as they themselves only relieve symptoms, but do not eliminate the cause of the disease.
- pour boiling water over fresh needles so that the water level is 1-2 cm above the needles level. Insist the mixture for 1 hour, then put it in a water bath and cook for 40-50 minutes over low heat. The resulting broth is cooled and used for compresses, which are done daily before bedtime;
- collecting St. John's wort (4 parts), flax seeds (2 parts), dandelion roots (3 parts), tansy flowers (1 part) and hop cones (3 parts), pour 0.5 liters of boiling water and infuse for 12 hours. The infusion is taken during periods of exacerbation at 5-6 tbsp. spoons;
- collection of birch leaves (1 part), elecampane roots (3 parts), currant leaves (3 parts) and dill fruits (2 parts) pour 0.5 liters of boiling water. The mixture is infused for 12 hours. It is taken during periods of exacerbation (2 tablespoons after meals) and as a preventive measure (1/3 cup 3-5 times a day).
Alternative treatment for gout is extremely diverse, and on the Internet you will find many more valuable recipes. We just want to note that before using them, be sure to consult with your doctor, which will save you from mistakes and prevent the development of unpleasant complications that often occur after improper use of folk remedies, decoctions and infusions.
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The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!
