Maintaining your weight loss isn’t just about food.  You need to exercise to strengthen your muscles to support the joints prone to gout attacks, and by keeping active you will keep your weight down which reduces your risk of gout recurrences. Aside from gout inflammation prevention, don’t forget that there are many other advantages to exercising properly, such as:

• Better flexibility and mobility – even when you do have an attack
• Improved circulation
• Decreasing your risk of certain cancers
• Lowering your potential of heart disease
• Lowers your cholesterol level
• Improved overall state of mind
• Decreasing your potential for developing diabetes
• Increases your energy levels

Of course, when exercise is discussed in terms of being a gout remedy, it refers to activities that are very easy on the joints.  It’s also very important that you do the exercises correctly.  Make sure that you learn the exercises from a doctor, physiotherapist, or qualified personal trainer.  Unless you do the exercises properly, you could be doing more harm than good.  Remember that you’re doing this for the sake of your joints, so it’s worth putting in the extra effort to do it right.

There are a few different kinds of exercises that are good for gout sufferers.  These include:

• Range of motion exercises – this type of exercise is especially good for preventing gout as it has to do with keeping your joints mobile and flexible in order to reduce stiffness.  An example with your feet includes curling and straightening your toes slowly and carefully.  You could also rotate your ankle in a circular motion to the full extent of its range.

• Strengthening exercises – this type of exercise is for building or maintaining muscle strength.  This is primarily accomplished with weight training or resistance training.  Building your muscles is important for supporting the joints. 

• Endurance exercises – this type of exercise meant to strengthen your circulatory system and build your energy.  This is the kind of exercise that will help you with your weight control.  Swimming, cycling, walking, and aerobics are good examples of this kind of exercise.

• Stretching exercises – this type of exercise that helps with your flexibility as well as your muscle strength.  Good examples of this kind of exercise are pilates, yoga, and tai chi.

When it comes to exercise as a gout remedy, one of the best things that you can do for yourself is learn when to exercise and when not to.  Remember that exercise is great for preventing gout, but it has its limit.  Remember that an inflamed joint should never be exercised – whether or not that inflammation is caused by gout.  If you exercise a joint that is inflamed by a gout attack, you risk causing it more pain and prolonging the gout inflammation.  Only small, gentle range of motion exercises should be attempted very slowly.

When a joint is inflamed, your main effort should be on easing the inflammation instead of exercising.  Your activity level can increase when the inflammation reduces.  Cool compresses and anti-inflammatory medications will help in that vein.  Talk to your doctor about the best gout remedy for you.

So, if you’ve already experienced gout or if you’re at risk of gout, then you will want to make sure that you’re within your healthy body weight range for your height.  If you’re not, you’re going to want to start losing weight right now before that next gout attack occurs. 

Your first step to kick-starting your weight loss plan should be to cut alcohol out of your diet entirely.  Alcohol – especially beer – is one of the worst things you can consume if you’re trying to prevent a gout attack and it’s also full of “empty” calories that have little nutritional value.

Second to alcohol is foods containing purines.  In Choi’s research, it was discovered that people who consume foods high in fats and purines, and those who drink alcohol are more likely to be overweight.  People who are even a little bit overweight dramatically increase their risk of a gout attack.  In the study, men who decreased their weight by ten pounds or more lowered their risk of gout by forty percent.

Foods high in purines that should be avoided include:

Alcohol
Yeast
Organ meat
Fatty meat
Shellfish

Foods low in purines and are good to include in a gout diet are:

Eggs
Low fat dairy products
Fruits
Most vegetables
Cereals (not wholegrain)
Bread
Pasta
Bagels
Nuts

The best time to start a diet and begin exercising in order to minimize the chances of a gout attack is right away.  Not only will you look better buy you’ll feel better when you are within your healthy weight range. Furthermore, when you are a healthy weight your blood pressure is usually at a healthier level too.  High blood pressure is also known to play a negative role in your chances of a gout attack.  In fact, Choi’s study showed that high blood pressure was just as much of a risk for a gout attack as being overweight. 

Typically you won’t be able to exercise while you have an inflamed joint.  Too much activity when you have a gout attack can aggravate the attack even further, making it more sensitive and making it last longer.  Instead, try to stretch and move the effected joint very gently in its full range of motion.  The trick is to move slowly and carefully and not push your self too far. 

Commit yourself fully to losing weight for your health and especially to avoid gout attacks.  This is the best thing that you can do for yourself and to avoid the pain and discomfort associated with your condition.  It may seem like a struggle at first as you reset your habits and build a new lifestyle, but once you get past the hurdle of changing the way you do things, living a gout-friendly, weight-friendly lifestyle will become a natural part of the way you do things.

Maintenance is, after all, just as important a part of avoiding a gout attack as losing the weight in the first place.  Get to know how to keep your weight in the right place and you’ll prevent gout from bothering you in the future.

Tips for sticking to a gout diet and exercise regime:

- Vary food and keep the diet interesting
- Choose exercise you enjoy – good ones that are low impact and encourage steady weight loss include  swimming, walking and cycling
- Buy protective foot ware to protect your gout prone joints.  It has been shown that a damaged joint is more susceptible to gout.
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated during exercise and help the body “flush-out” excess uric acid.

The best diets for gout feature foods that are generally low in purines as these foods raise the body’s uric acid levels which can lead to a painful gout attack.  Eating foods containing purines, as well as drinking excessive alcohol can cause uric acid to build up in the joints. Beer, specifically, is considered to be among the worst food choices for gout sufferers. 

If you want to make sure that you’re following the ‘best’ diet for gout, then try putting the following tips into action:

• Make sure that you drink between two and three liters (around eight - 10 8-ounce glasses) of water every day.  This is vital for diluting the uric acids that have been produced in your body and encouraging quicker elimination.

• Limit your intake of fat and fatty foods as they can encourage uric acid production in your body.  Also this will help with weight loss.

•  As already mentioned, it is important to avoid eating foods that are high in purine.

• Aim to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.  This will decrease your risk of a gout attack, make it easier to exercise, and give you more energy overall.

• Avoid fad diets and those that are high in protein, particularly animal protein.  A high-protein diet can aggravate symptoms of gout. 

• Low-fat dairy products and tofu are good substitutes for the nutrients you usually receive from meats and full fat dairy products.

Of course, after hearing about eating “low purines” so often in order to prevent gout, you might be wondering exactly what these mysterious purines are, and how to cut them from your diet.

Generally speaking, foods that are high in purines are organ meats, fatty meats, and shellfish.  Specifically, foods very high in purines include sardines, mussels, sweetbreads, and yeast.  More foods that are also high in purines are mutton, anchovies, bacon, scallops, and pheasant. 

On the other hands, foods that are considered to be low in purines, and therefore are good to include in gout diet are: fruits, low fat dairy products, eggs and green vegetables. These also have the added benefit of being foods low in fat, with the exception of eggs. However, you can’t live off these ingredients alone. 

A well balanced diet for gout sufferers should be low in saturated fats and higher in complex carbohydrates, which are useful for gout prevention and give you a feeling of “fullness”.  They can also be good for keeping your body weight down as long as you watch your portion sizes. Even better, they’re generally high in minerals, vitamins, and fiber.

Add foods such as cereals, rice, and pasta to your gout diet, and include foods with unsaturated fats that may be good for your uric acid levels. Unsaturated fats can be found in olive oil, nuts and avocados. 

Now that you understand what goes into the best diets for gout, you’re ready to create your own and get it started.

Carrying extra pounds effects gout in a number of ways including:

- According to various studies carried out, the levels of uric acid in the blood were significantly higher in overweight people compared with those of normal weight
- Extra weight puts further pressure on the joints which increases the pain during a gout attack increasing the risk of more permanent joint damage. 
- Damaged joints are more likely to accumulate increased levels of uric acid crystals, and so make a gout attack worse.

So losing excess pounds and staying fit and healthy are important gout prevention steps.

However, it isn’t always easy to stay fit, and that challenge becomes even more trying when you are suffering from gout.  After all, when you’re suffering from a painful gout attack in one of your joints, the last thing you want to do is get up and be active.  It’s tempting to give in to fad diets and weight loss pills, but deep down we all know that those aren’t long term solutions.  The best information on gout that you can receive is one that recommends healthy eating, exercise, and proper rest to let you achieve and maintain your ideal weight. 

To know where your weight stands in terms of your health, you will want to determine your body mass index (BMI). This system for determining your ideal weight is not without flaws, but it will give you a good overall indication of which direction your weight should be heading: up, down, or staying as it is.  In general, a healthy BMI is considered to be within the range of 18.5 and 25.

To calculate your BMI, you only need a couple of measurements.
1. Your height in metres (1 inch = 2.54 cm)
2. Your weight in kg’s (1 kg  = 2.2 kg)

Once you have these measurements, you can work out your BMI with the help of a calculator and the following calculations:

1. Your weight in kg divided by your height in meters= X
2. X divided by Your height in meters = your BMI

e.g If you weigh 85kg, and you are 1.80 metres tall, them your BMI would be 26.2 (85/1.8 = 47.2,  50/1.8 = 26.2)

Although there are a number of exceptions, which I will mention in a moment, the recognized scale for BMI is:

- BMI of less than 18.4 then you are underweight for your height
- BMI between 18.5 – 24.9 then you’re an ideal weight for your height
- BMI between 25 – 29.9, you’re overweight for your height
- BMI between 30 – 39.9, you’re obese
- BMI greater than 40, you’re very obese.

There are some people for who the BMI should not be considered as an accurate measure, these include those that have a large ratio of muscle to body mass, like body builders and some athletes.  Also, people over the age of 60 should be aware that the BMI measure becomes less effective as bones weigh less as you get older if resistance exercise is not carried out.  Finally, the BMI measurement is not accurate for children.

When a gout attack strikes, it is natural that you won’t want to exercise very much as the inflamed joint is likely to be painful and moving it will only cause it to hurt more. In fact, if you exercise a joint that is already inflamed with a gout attack, you may risk prolonging the attack and cause damage to the joint.  However, it’s important to know how to exercise when the joint isn’t inflamed as this will help to maintain a healthy weight and to prevent further attacks. 

Even when you have an inflamed joint due to gout, you can work on other areas of the body and gently move the joint through its natural range of motion to help prevent further stiffness.  You will also likely want to use ice or cold applications on the joint to help limit the inflammation to allow for greater mobility and decreased discomfort.

Though exercise doesn’t help to break up any uric acid crystals in the joints that have already built up, it will help to strengthen the joint and allow for greater muscular movements around it.

As well as exercising, eating a healthy diet of gout-friendly foods in portions that will allow you to achieve your healthy body weight is important.  It’s interesting to note that gout sufferers typically have a metabolism that is slower than people without gout (which helps to explain why the uric acid is not flushed from your blood as easily as it is in other people, allowing it to build up in crystals against your joints), so you will need to make sure that you are eating accordingly.

Information on gout shows that weight loss for gout sufferers doesn’t just involve a crash diet and a period of exercise.  Instead, it means developing a lifestyle to adjust your eating and activity habits. 

Gout levels in the United States have doubled throughout the last few decades.  This increase in gout attacks mirrors the increase in fructose consumption through soft drinks and other sugary foods.  Fructose is a simple form of sugar that is now known to increase the production of uric acid in the body.

Though patients who suffer gout attacks are typically instructed by their doctors to cut alcohol, organ meats, and legumes from their diets, as they are high in purines – organic compounds that encourage uric acid production in the body – it is rare for patients to be told to limit their consumption of fructose-filled foods such as soft drinks.

American and Canadian researchers examined the relationship between the intake of high-fructose foods such as soft drinks and the risk of a gout attack. They looked into more than 46,000 men who had no history of gout attacks, and who were aged 40 or older.  They followed these men for 12 years, compiling data on food consumption regarding more than 130 different beverages and foods including both regular and diet soft drinks, as well as fruits and fruit juices which are also naturally quite high in their fructose levels. From the start of the study, the researchers collected weight, medication use, and medical condition data.  During that time, there were 755 new cases of gout attacks diagnosed within the participants.

The major findings of the study included the following:

The more sugar-sweetened soft drinks were consumed by the participants, the higher their risks of a gout attack would be.
When men who drank fewer than one serving of soft drinks in a month were compared to participants who drank over five or six servings every week, the risk of a gout attack was increased by 29 percent.
The participants who drank two or more servings of soft drinks daily increased their risk of a gout attack by a significant 85 percent when compared to those who consumed fewer than one serving of soft drinks every month.
Participants who consumed only soft drinks did not increase their risk of a gout attack.
Fructose-rich foods such as fruits and their juices also increased the risk of a gout attack.  However, the study’s authors caution that the interpretation of the impact of fruits and fruit juices on the risk of gout should be interpreted with care as eating some fruits and vegetables is important for the prevention of high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and some cancers, and should therefore perhaps be considered more beneficial than hazardous.

The study’s results occurred independently of other gout attack risk factors, such as age, body mass index, blood pressure, diuretic use, alcohol consumption, and the rest of the diet of the participants.

There are three primary forms of exercises that can be practiced in order to achieve gout relief and prevent its recurrence.  These are:

• Strengthening exercises that help to increase or maintain muscles that support the joint.

• Range-of-motion exercises that help to keep joints well lubricated and moving, reducing stiffness. 

• Endurance exercises, which assist in controlling your weight, provide you with energy, and strengthen your heart.

Of course, your ability to perform these exercises depends on your current physical condition.  Before you begin any new exercise regimen, especially one designated for gout relief, you should speak to your doctor.  He or she may be able to suggest specific exercises that will improve your chances of success, with the area of your gout attack kept in mind. 

Even moderate stretching exercises are able to strengthen and build flexibility in the muscles and tendons surrounding the affected joint. You may also benefit from low-impact exercises such as walking, swimming, water aerobics, or bicycling on a stationary bike.  These are all great for building strength, flexibility, and endurance, without putting a large amount of stress on your joints. 

The worst thing that you can do for your gout is to lead an inactive or sedentary lifestyle.  The portion of the population least likely to develop gout or arthritis includes those people who regularly exercise.

A 2008 study by Jennifer Hootman Ph.D.  published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine showed that only 30 percent of adults with gouty arthritis met the required minimum activity level set by federal guidelines.  One of the main reasons that these gout sufferers refrained from activity was the misconception that their joints would be further harmed by exercise.  They also feared the pain that can be involved when first getting started with an activity when suffering from gout. 

Indeed, when gout is at its worst, it is often impossible to exercise, but it is the rest of the time that gout sufferers should remain active in order to reach gout relief.  When the gout pain subsides enough for exercise to begin, sufferers should start slowly and make sure that the affected joint is always well relaxed and rested.  Any inflammation can be treated with cool and warm compresses or with anti-inflammatory drugs. 

You should also make sure that you’re making other efforts for gout relief, such as cutting foods out of your diet that may be helping gout to return more frequently.  Look into your favorite beverages to ensure that you’re not making your gout worse just by sipping a drink on the couch.

The following methods, substances, spices and herbs can all be used at home to treat gout naturally, however, please remember to consult your doctor before trying any of these remedies:

• Epsom Salt baths – to ease discomfort of gout and reduce the inflammation, place 2 to 3 teaspoons of Epsom salts into a footbath, basin, or pan that is large enough to immerse the affected foot/joint.  The water should be as hot as you can stand it without discomfort.  Soak the gouty joint for approximately thirty minutes.  This technique also works if you take a whole-body Epsom salt bath.  If the gout occurs in a part of the body other than the foot, this will be the preferred method.  In this case, you will need one to two cups of Epsom salts (follow the instructions on the package).

• Nettle Tea – nettle tea increases the excretion of uric acid from the body and many swear by it for treating gouty joints. It functions by facilitating the elimination of urates from the body.  Nettle will work both as a tea or a tincture.  The teas are fine for milder cases, but the tinctures are usually recommended in more severe cases of gout. 

• Devil’s Claw – devil’s claw is a natural anti-inflammatory that also features properties for minimizing pain.  It has also been known to facilitate the elimination of uric acid from the body, therefore helping to shorten gout attacks and prevent them from recurring.

• Turmeric – turmeric is not only a common spice in many forms of cooking, but it also inhibits prostaglandins (involved in pain) synthesis in the body.  The way it functions is quite similar to the action of ibuprofen or aspirin, only at a weaker level. When the doses are high enough, though, turmeric will stimulate the adrenal glands so that the body will begin the production and release of natural cortisones, which will rapidly and effectively reduce pain and inflammation.

• Bromelain and Quercetin – these substances are best used together.  Quercetin is an anti-inflammatory and may inhibit xantine oxidase, which causes the body to produce less uric acid.  It can be found in supplements, onions, apples, pink grapefruit, watermelon, elderberries, and green leafy vegetables.  It can also be found in black tea, green tea, and elderberry juice. Bromelain, the active ingredient found in pineapple, is also an anti-inflammatory and is available through dietary supplement.

• Yucca – yucca is an effective blood purifier, which helps to reduce the pain of gout and arthritis.  It also helps to decrease the build-up of toxins in the body, therefore assisting in the prevention of gout.  It can also break-up inorganic mineral deposits and obstructions in the joints as well as decreasing joint inflammation, two major symptoms of gout. 

Of course, knowing how to cure gout isn’t just a matter of what you consume, but also what you do.  As important as herbs and other remedies are to treating gout in a natural way, so is exercise, when done properly. Remember to consult your doctor before taking any natural remedies for the first time.

Gout uric acid is one of the primary contributing factors to the painful symptoms experienced by gout sufferers. Therefore, controlling the production of that substance is key to getting symptoms under control.  One of the techniques that are now being used to accomplish this is by changing the pH level of the body in order to manipulate its uric acid production. 

pH stands for the power of hydrogen and refers to the acidity level in the body.  That is, when the pH levels of the body are raised, it becomes more alkaline, while lowering pH levels makes the body more acidic.

Therefore, by raising the pH levels in your body, you are effectively practicing a natural gout treatment.  The theory behind this is that by making the body more alkaline, uric acid levels will be reduced.  This is because uric acid can be diluted by drinking water, and the more alkaline the body is, the more water-soluble uric acid becomes.  And so, the higher the ratio of alkaline to acid in the body, that is, the higher the pH level of the body (or the number on the pH scale) the more alkaline your body will be, and the more uric acid will be dissolved into the water you drink.

If the uric acid level of the body is kept below a certain level (6.0mg/dL for men and slightly less than that for women) then gout crystal formation will be much less likely to occur. 

In order to make your body more alkaline, the most commonly recommended technique is to drink alkaline (ionized) water.  This is water that has additional OH oxygen as opposed to O2. You can drink it or cook with it.

Alkaline foods and beverages can also be eaten in order to increase the pH level of the body.  This is trickier for some people, though, since the pH level of foods is not mentioned on the nutrition labels on food product packaging.  Some foods that are known for their alkalinity, though, and that are also good for helping to control gout symptoms for other properties such as anti-inflammatory, include:

- Cherries (the darker, the better)
- Celery
- Strawberries

Alcohol, which is highly acidic, as well as other acidic foods should be avoided as it rapidly decreases the pH level of the body, negating the impact that the alkaline foods would have. 

If you want to know more about increasing the pH level of your body in order to help treat your gout, you should speak to your doctor.  He or she will be able to advise you as to whether this is the right kind of treatment for you, and will be able to assist you in choosing the right foods and finding a supplier for ionized water.

You may find that in addition to changing the pH level of the body, gout uric acid can also be reduced with the use of certain herbs.

Vatrakta is indicated biochemically of:

An augmentation in the concentration level of serum urate.
Recurrent acute pain attacks within the joints, which may become persistent and chronic in nature.
Occurrence of monosodium urate mono hydrate crystals within the fluid spaces inside the joints at the time of an acute attack.

Ayurvedic gout pain relief is not a generalized form of treatment and is therefore not the same for everyone. The recommended treatments vary from person to patient depending on the physical and psychological health and status of the individual. However, there are certain single and compound formulations that are used for gout pain relief as well as to minimize other symptoms of the condition. Some of the more commonly used formulations are:

Guduchi
Manjisth
Punarnava
Yashtimadhu
Mahamanjishthadi kwath
Shilajitwadi vati
Panchitkta churna

Diet is very important to Ayurvedic gout pain relief methods, as everything that will increase the production of uric acid is to be eliminated from the diet. Foods that are considered to be purine-rich should therefore be avoided as they encourage uric acid production, these commonly include:

Yeasts
Legumes (peas, dried beans, lentils, etc)
Beer and other beverages containing alcohol
Oil-packed sardines, anchovies, roes from fish, herring
Organ meats (kidneys, liver, sweetbreads, etc)
Meat extracts (gravies, consommés, etc)

Foods that are often recommended during Ayurvedic gout pain relief treatments may include the following:

A dark berry such as cherries as they contain substances that act within the body to reduce levels of uric acid as well as minimize inflammation.
Tofu in place of meats.
Foods high in certain fatty acids (such as omega 3), for example, olive oil, flax oil, and certain nuts. These fatty acids contain important anti-inflammatory benefits.

Another level of gout pain relief in the ayurvedic style can include panchakarma, which can include either a form of massage using medicated oils or snehana therapies, which have shown very beneficial results when treating gout.

If you are considering ayurvedic treatments for gout pain relief, you should first make sure to speak to your doctor or another health professional in order to assess your unique health needs and determine whether ayurvedic medicine is the right choice for you.

You may find that there are also other treatments available for gout pain relief that may work better or in conjunction with ayurvedic methods. These may include techniques such as uric acid manipulation through the pH level of the body. The only way that you will be able to make this decision is by speaking to health practitioners and learning about the various techniques and treatments for gout sufferers.