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Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is very important

By lisa20 on Aug 5, 2011 |Book Reviews

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Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is very important. Avoid foods that
are high in purines and drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Fluids can
help to remove the excessive uric acid from the body.

Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy body weight. Try to lose weight if
you happen to be overweight.

To help prevent future gout attacks, take the medicines prescribed by your
doctor Follow the instructions carefully with regards to how much medicine
to take and when to take it. Acute gout is best treated when symptoms first
occur.

Update your doctor with your medical history and provide information on all
the medicines and vitamins you are currently taking. The doctor should be
able to tell you if any of the medicine will increase your risk of
hyperuricemia.

If you or someone you know suffers from this disease, you may be involved in
home care to manage discomfort and help the person to get through the
difficult attack.

*Tips for Gout Pain:*

*Keep the foot elevated.* It's hard to stay immobile for any length of time,
let alone keep a foot aloft for several hours. Arrange a comfortable spot in
the living room or family room where the person can remain part of family
life and enjoy entertainments like the television, newspaper, and even guest
visits. You might want to set up a second area in the bedroom where the
person can rest in private or take a nap.

*Make the support materials comfortable and firm.* When propping the foot,
use a solid pillow or folded blanket for support, taking care that they will
not sag and gradually lower the foot. Place these in such a way that they
are not likely to fall or tilt. Use clean and soft, rather than scratchy,
fabric to keep the skin comfortable.

*Avoid trigger foods.* The doctor will provide a list of these, which
include popular low-fat foods like turkey, so you will want to find suitable
substitutes, especially if the person likes to keep turkey on hand for
frequent meals. Go over the list with the gout sufferer and beside each
forbidden food, come up with two or three replacements. Then shop for these
and keep them on hand, since you never know when the next attack will occur,
and they can come on suddenly.

*Eat wholesome foods that reduce inflammation.* The doctor should also be
able to provide this list, which includes surprisingly tasty choices like
cherries. Ask about flax seed oil as a supplement in addition to foods like
salmon, with omega 3 oil, and tea, both of which have been shown to reduce
or limit inflammation in the body.

*Lose weight slowly:* People suffering from gout are usually overweight with
their body weight about 10 to 15 percent overweight. More your girth, higher
your uric acid level. The higher incidence of the uric acid leads to
frequent and intense gout attacks. But take care that you should lose weight
slowly as crash diet leads to increase in uric acid levels.

*Control blood pressure:* Gout patients who also suffer from hypertension
need to be extra careful. This is because the blood pressure medications
raise the levels of uric acid. Hence it is advisable to control the blood
pressure naturally by lowering the intake of the sodium, exercising
regularly, reducing the excess weight and eliminating stress.

*Skip liver:* Certain foods contain purine that raise uric acid levels.
Though it is found in most foods, it is advisable to skip certain foods like
red meat especially organ meats, liver, certain types of fish and some green
leafy vegetables like spinach.

*Stop the drink:* If you are suffering from gout, avoid alcohol. This is
because alcohol stimulates the production of uric acid. Beer is the main
culprit as it has higher purine content than the other wines or spirits.

*Go heavy on water:* Drinking lots of water will help kidneys flush out the
excess uric acid. Dehydration is also known to trigger the gout attack. You
can increase the urinary output by drinking at least five glasses of water a
day.

*Improve your sex life:* It has been found that if you are a man, having
frequent sexual activity reduces the levels of uric acid.

*Prepare diversions.* Keep entertaining videos, interesting books,
letter-writing materials, or even a laptop computer nearby. Hand-held
puzzles, knitting or sewing, and other stationary games or distractions can
be of help. As Hamlet said, *"The readiness is all."

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