Tag: Fitness

Gout is difficult to treat but there are a few gout home remedies that you can use to ease the symptoms of this debilitating, painful condition.

What Is Gout?

Gout is also known as metabolic arthritis. It is a form of arthritis caused by a combination of blood acidity and abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood.

The uric acid forms crystals which are deposited on the joints, causing pain and distortion in the joints.

A gout attack will cause acute arthritis and it is intensely painful.

The big toe is one of the most commonly affected joints.

If the condition persists, then over a period of time the crystal deposits will form lumps around the joints and sometimes in other areas.

These deposits are called tophi.

Diet is an important factor in causing gout. Genetic factors play a part and gout is more common in some racial groups than in others. It is more common in men than in women and it mainly affects people over 50.

Gout Home Remedies

Ice packs placed on the affected joint are the best way to relieve pain other than medication. You can use an ice pack for 20-30 minutes several times a day.

During a flare up of gout you should drink plenty of water to help the body clear out the urates. Follow a low protein diet, avoiding meat, fish, sweetened foods and drinks, and alcohol.

Bicarbonate of soda is a traditional Gout home remedies which works for some people. However, this will raise sodium levels which can have an effect on blood pressure. Do not take bicarbonate of soda if you have been told to cut down on salt.

Potassium supplements have been suggested in some cases. Most fruit is high in potassium, especially bananas. Black cherries have been helpful for some sufferers.

Ginseng for Gout

Some people have reported good results from taking ginseng supplements for Gout home Remedies.

Another possibility is to mix turmeric and ginger and add this to food. Turmeric and ginger have anti inflammatory properties.

Doctors will generally prescribe medication, or you can take non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Ibuprofen from the drugstore.

These are not natural remedies but may be something you are willing to take. However, do not take aspirin, which can make it worse.

Prevention Of Future Gout Attacks

Anybody who has had gout in the past will be susceptible to future attacks unless they take preventive steps. The most important of these is diet.

The best diet for gout prevention is low in fat and low in protein. In particular, avoid beef and seafood which are high in animal based purine. Vegetable based purine does not seem to have the same effect.

It is also important to avoid certain foods and drinks which are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

This is a very common sweetener in the USA and it can lead to hyperuricemia in blood. Just two soda drinks a day have been linked to an 85% increase in risk of gout. Beer should also be avoided.

Consumption of dairy foods, on the other hand, seems to lower the risk of gout.

If you are over you can greatly reduce your chances of having attacks of gout in the future by stabilizing your weight within the healthy range for your height.

Always consult with your doctor before trying any gout home remedies to check that they are suitable for your individual case.

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Moderately strenuous exercise, about 30 minutes a day, can lead to enormous benefits in terms of your mood, health, and the ability to live an independent and fulfilling life.

The exercise doesn’t need to be athletic or difficult. Studies have shown that simply walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes or more on most days can lead to significant health improvements.

Add simple strengthening exercises two or three times a week and the benefits are even greater.

The Mayo Clinic Health Letter lists some of the benefits of 30 minutes of exercise a day:

Reasons For 30 Minutes Exercise Per Day

Lower blood pressure: A reduction of 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) is possible. In some cases, that’s enough to prevent or reduce the need for blood pressure medications.

Improve cholesterol: Exercise often increases the concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol in the blood), especially when accompanied by loss. Exercise also helps reduce triglyceride levels.

Prevent or manage type 2 diabetes: Exercise helps insulin work better, lowering blood sugar.

Manage Weight: Coupling exercise with a healthy diet is the best way to shed fat and maintain a healthier body composition.

Prevent osteoporosis: Exercise may increase bone density and protect against bone mass decline, especially if -bearing activities are involved.

Prevent cancer: Exercise has been shown to strengthen the immune system, improve circulation, reduce body fat and speed digestion. Each has a role in preventing cancer, particularly cancers of the colon, prostate, uterine lining and breast.

Maintain mental well-being: Exercise may help reduce stress, improve mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety, improve sleep and boost moods.

Increase energy and stamina: A lack of energy often results from inactivity, not age.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/

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A huge review of studies on pain relievers has found that a widely-used medicine may confer cardiovascular risks as serious as those found with Vioxx, an arthritis medicine that was withdrawn from the market two years ago.

The real problem for many people taking either Naproxen or Diclofenac is that either of these anti-inflammatories can cause stomach upset as well as heart problems depending on doses (Naproxen seems to be a bit safer).

What is Diclofenac?

Diclofenac, marketed as Voltaren, Cataflam, Solaraze and Arthrotec, an older non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), has been on the market for decades and is one of the most-widely prescribed anti-inflammatories in the world especially in Europe.

At commonly prescribed doses, it was found to increase the risk of cardiovascular events primarily heart attack and sudden death by 40%.

The good news from the study is that there are alternatives.

“European consumers would be better off switching [from diclofenac] to naproxen,”

says David Graham, a safety official at the US Food and Drug Administration, who authored an editorial accompanying the published review

. Naproxen was found to neither increase nor decrease cardiac risk.

The article originally showing up in Nature. Is another nail in the coffin of older testing to prove safety of many painkillers used today.

Quality of the Diclofenac Study

The meta-analysis, published online today by the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at 23 studies involving some 1.6 million people.

The studies were not gold-standard clinical trials, but the review’s huge scope lends it , says Graham. “It looked at all NSAIDs across the board, at all available evidence for those NSAIDs. In that regard, it’s unprecedented and in my view becomes authoritative.”

The study authors Patricia McGettigan of the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, and David Henry of Newcastle Mater Hospital in Waratah, New South Wales call for a review of the regulatory status of diclofenac, which is marketed as a generic drug and also under the trade names Voltaren, Cataflam, Solaraze and Arthrotec.

For the future, researchers are aiming to find a class of anti-inflammatories that will both be kind to the stomach and to the heart.

Research released by the Proceedings of the National Acadamy of Sciences this week shows promising news of a drug target, found in a mouse model, that slows the development of atherosclerosis. This might help a new class of ‘super NSAIDs’ not only steer clear of heart disease risk but work to reduce it.

Advice from Europen Medicines Agency

The CMDh agreed with the PRAC conclusion that although the benefits of systemic diclofenac still outweigh the risks, those risks were similar to the risks with COX-2 inhibitors, and it endorsed the recommendation that similar precautions should be applied.

The CMDh position will now be sent to the European Commission, which will take a legally binding decision throughout the European Union (EU).

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