How To Treat Gout
I am just getting over am outbreak of gout, something I’ve experienced before but have been free of for a long time.
For those of you who don’t know gout is an arthritic condition that is caused by an excess of uric acid in the body which leads to deposits of hard lumps of uric acid in and around the joints most commonly affecting the big toe.
It is a very painful condition and putting any weight on the affected foot causes discomfort and this time even wearing a shoe on that foot was almost unbearable due to the swelling.
Usually I can sense an impending gout attack by the pain and stiffness in my toe take steps to lessen the impact but this time it kind of caught me by surprise although in retrospect I should have recognized the symptoms. This time instead of feeling stiffness in my toe I was experiencing pain and stiffness in the metatarsal bone before the big toe. It almost felt like a bunion was developing on Thursday night and I was thinking I might need to visit a podiatrist again soon. Anyway I thought a good walk and some stretching of the foot might do it some good so that’s what I did. Took a long walk and did some stretches before going to bed. Didn’t really feel much better but I wasn’t too concerned at that point.
When I woke up Friday morning I could barely walk. My left foot was red and swollen right at the base of the big toe and and any weight put on that foot or any attempt to bend the foot was very painful. I decided I should go into work since I’m working on improving my attendance record and once I got there I could convince them to send me home. When I got to work the boss said he couldn’t let anyone go home because they were shorthanded as it was and told me to just do as much as I could. Later I had to come back and tell him that I couldn’t get my left foot into my work boot so I would have to work in my walking shoes.
This is how screwed up it is working at a Chrysler plant, since they told me I had to stay and work but I couldn’t wear my work boots, wearing the walking shoes at the plant is actually a safety violation and they could fire me for it. Since there is a guy in the front office named Weber who is very anxious to fire anyone and who has a personal grudge against me, I needed to get assurance from 2 supervisors that I had permission to wear the shoes I was wearing.
Anyway I stayed at work all day and got done as much as I could, which wasn’t much. By the end of the shift my foot was practically throbbing and I spent the rest of the day resting and drinking a lot of water to try and flush some of the uric acid.
Saturday my foot felt about the same but it seemed even more painful to where shoes. I went out to buy some ibuprofen and also some cherries, strawberries, and bananas. I stayed home most of the day and drank a lot of water, ate some cherries, strawberries, and a banana and basically grumbled about my bum foot.
Sunday I woke up and felt much better! The foot is still a little sore and red but not as swollen and I can actually walk on it practically pain free. Still drinking water and had some cherries along with an English muffin for breakfast. I also took some more ibuprofen today, I’ll probably continue the ibuprofen for a few more days just in case I get another outbreak of gout.
So, after all that rambling here is what I recommend when you experience an outbreak of gout:
- Take some ibuprofen. Commonly known as Advil, but the generic versions are just as good. Naproxen (Alleve) is also effective.
- Drink a lot of water. Drinking water helps to eliminate the excess uric acid that has accumulated, try to drink 10-12 glasses of water a day.
- Avoid alcoholic beverages. Alcohol can affect uric acid metabolism and cause hyperuricemia. It can cause gout by impeding excretion of uric acid from the kidneys as well as by causing dehydration.
- Avoid eating purine rich foods. Foods rich in purines include shellfish, organ meats, and legumes.
Foods To Eat:
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Pineapple. Pineapples contain bromelain which is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties.
That’s about it, if you’ve never experienced gout I hope you never do.
Start Making Changes Now
The faster you start working towards your weight loss goals the faster you can enjoy the reward of well being and better health you will receive as a result of lowering your body fat.
If getting started on a weight loss program is something you have been considering, or if you’ve tried weight loss programs in the past and have not realized the success you expected, then today can be the day that you decide to change your way and give yourself improved health for the rest of your life.
Even a small change made today will be a step towards your goal of making yourself healthier.
Trying just a small step like drinking enough water today to keep yourself hydrated and accepting that as your first step towards your goal of improving your overall health and bringing your bodyweight to a more acceptable level where you can feel good about yourself.
The start of any weight loss program can be the smallest change in direction in your life. What is the most important factor is actually making that change and taking that first step.
Doing that today could be the breakthrough that you need to push yourself to better things.
Nobody even needs to know that you have started on a weight loss program because the change will be minimal and very often talking about doing something stops people from actually doing it. Energy can be wasted in words whereas action will change your life.
The fact that you are reading this information means that you have either taken action already or you are still anticipating taking the action that you know is needed. For your own health and well-being today is that day.
The quality of your life in the future can very well depend on the action that you take right now.
The Right Weight Loss Program For You
With all the fad diets being promoted everywhere it seems we are being bombarded with advertising for a new weight loss program every week. Everyone claims that their program is the greatest and the one you must try. It can be overwhelming sometimes just to keep up with all the new diet plans that are being promoted.
Most of these weight loss programs can be difficult to maintain and some of them can be downright bad for your health. For those reasons, most diet plans simply won’t work for most people.
There are plenty of programs available that can give people excellent results and these are programs that are based on good nutrition, proper exercise, and realistic goals. But no one diet is ideal for every person.
Take the time to set realistic goals and have expectations that you will be able to maintain over the long term. Remember, you won’t get results if you can’t stick to your plan.
By using good quality supplements you can significantly help your nutrition balanced and reduce hunger that otherwise be caused by your body being deficient in vitamins and minerals.
By surrounding yourself with supportive people your chances of success will increase and will enable you to set your goals higher and help your achieve more in a shorter time span.
The more support form others you have, the better your chances of reaching your goals. So accept any help that is offered as this will also help keep you motivated.
Just by taking the steps to consider starting a weight loss program proves that you are interested in improving your health and quality of life and you are ready to take the steps to get started and make the changes in your life that you know are needed.
Getting started is always the hardest part of any weight loss program but once you begin with a quality weight loss program your routines will become easier as you go.
Food And Emotional Triggers
The reasons why people become overweight are many and varied.
It can be one of many psychological reasons that cause people to want to eat more. It is not as easy as simply stating that overweight people eat too much.
It is known that there are certain chemicals in the brain that can trigger mood changes and hunger. Emotional triggers can make a person want to eat more food. These can include emotions such as depression, sadness, stress, etc.
Some people link eating with varying and distinct emotions and this can cause them to want to eat more food to compensate for the negative emotions, hence the term ‘comfort foods’.
If this sounds like the reason for your weight problem then it might be beneficial to get those issues resolved first by seeing a specialist instead of worrying about the food problem first.
For some people it has become routine to over eat and it will be necessary to change that behavior in order to be successful in your weight loss routine.
Getting rid of temptations is an easy way to make changes in your eating habits. The best way to accomplish this is to avoid buying the foods that will cause you problems when you do your grocery shopping.
You won’t be tempted to eat these low value foods if you don’t bring them into the house and not having these low value foods there will encourage you to eat better foods and help to change your eating habits.
The whole process can be made easier if every member of your household helps to achieve the objective of a better overall diet.
If you do the shopping then you will be able to determine what food is purchased and this will help to make your weight loss routine easier, and in doing so it will help the nutrition of all members of the household.
Weight Management Routines
Undertaking a weight loss program can be a lot easier if if you set up a routine.
Choose a time everyday when you will perform your exercises and by following this routine your body will eventually become accustomed to the certainty that you will be exercising at this time. This consistent action will make your exercise routines easier to accomplish and allow you to easily follow your plan and achieve your goals at a faster pace.
It’s too easy to just set a goal of 30 minutes of exercise sometime everyday but then end up not having the time. But if you set the time for your exercise, say that I will exercise from 5:00-5:30 everyday, it will be easier to keep your commitment to yourself.
Keep a record of your training, that way you will know what kind of progress you have made, and the small steps will add up to big gains over the long haul.
Part of your weight loss program should include your doctor, a regular checkup is suggested to make sure there are not any health concerns that might be aggravated by your new routine. Your doctor can also help you to monitor your progress.
Make sure to add some variety to your diet to prevent boredom from eating the same things everyday. And change up your exercise routine occasionally, boredom is one of the biggest reasons people quit their weight loss routines.
Sometimes it might be necessary to take a break from your weight loss routine. This can actually be a good thing to take a break periodically, but treat it like a vacation from work and set a date when you’ll get back to your routine as you don’t want to start back up with your bad habits.
It can be comforting to have another person join you in your weight loss routine and this can also be very helpful in your training and help your performance when you have someone to encourage you and maybe even compete against.
Calorie Consumption And How It Affects You
The main thing that determines whether you gain or lose weight is your daily calorie consumption. This should one of the most important features of any weight loss program you decide to participate in.
Studies have shown that some overweight people think their food consumption is no more than other people who were thought to be significantly thinner than them.
The overweight people falsely believed that it was their metabolism that caused them to be heavier and that metabolism was the cause of their weight gain.
When during a specified period of time, their caloric intake was monitored and recorded it was shown that they had a greater caloric intake and their metabolism wasn’t to blame but their choices of foods they were eating and the amounts.
A simple reduction of only 100 calories per day can make a considerable difference on your bodyweight over a years time.
This is a very realistic objective for nearly anyone to achieve and it should not be very complicated to make such a reduction in caloric intake, but many of the popular weight loss programs suggest a more significant reduction in calories which makes it hard for people to continue on a regular basis resulting in more people failing to complete the program they started.
To stay nutritionally balanced throughout your weight loss program it is important to supplement your diet with additional vitamins and minerals. And because of the fact that you are only making a small reduction in calories, this will help prevent the feeling that you are starving yourself.
Just having the knowledge that it only takes small steps everyday to achieve your goals, and that there are supplements available that can help, is sufficient to allow most people to not only start a weight loss program but to continue to follow that program until they’ve reached their goals.
The Right Exercise Program For You
Beginning an exercise program can be a difficult endeavor for most people.
If you are very overweight doing too much too soon could be damaging to your health. Start slow, if you’re not accustomed to vigorous exercise you don’t want to start out by going on log distance runs.
When you start your exercise routine a better option is to go for walks, and don’t be discouraged if you can’t walk too far at first.
The important thing is to get started with your exercise routine and to gradually increase the distance of your walks. Once you see that you’re making progress towards your goal it will become easier to get out and walk or run.
If you don’t like exercise, remember that exercise and following a regular exercise routine is one of the fastest methods of weight reduction and is beneficial for your overall health as well as speeding up your metabolism to help you reach your weight loss goals faster.
It sounds counter intuitive but the more exercise you do, the more energy you have, which not only makes it easier to complete your weight loss routine but also gives you more energy for your everyday tasks.
Exercise helps to clean toxins from the body and can improve your digestive system from the increased blood flow that even small amounts of exercise can achieve.
An exercise program that includes weight training can also increase your ability to lose weight quickly as muscle burns fat and any muscle that you can build will help to lower your fat levels.
Weight training is also beneficial to your bone and skeletal health.
Your weight loss routine should include at least 30 minutes of exercise, whether weight training, walking, running, swimming, cycling, etc. three times per week.
Don’t be concerned if it’s difficult at first, just get started and stick with it and soon it will be part of a healthy weight loss routine and part of your healthy lifestyle.