Gout is a form of arthritis where the joints of the body are affected by the build-up of uric acid in the body. Uric acid builds up in the blood or you body is unable to deal with the acid already being produced by your body, which also leads to a build-up. Both these conditions affect the movement of the joints. The illness is characterized by a severe onset of pain, redness, irritation and tenderness in the joints. It can happen in any joint like the big toe, instep, ankle, knees or wrists. The gout attacks usually take place at night and are triggered by a stressful event. There is often lingering discomfort even after the gout attack has been treated.

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Gout is usually treated with medication. It is often treated with a medication called glucosamine along with chondroitin sulfate, in arthritis and gout patients. The excess uric acid that is produced in a gout patient’s body is a waste product that is formed by the breakdown of a component called purines. Purines are naturally found in many items including shellfish and organ meats. Glucosamine is made from the outer core of shellfish and though it does not contain purines, there are often questions whether this medication will increase the uric acid in the blood.

Studies have shown that no; glucosamine does not aggravate the condition or the signs and symptoms of gout. Glucosamine is quite beneficial for patients who have arthritis. It is known to reduce pain and inflammation. For gout, it is combined with chondroitin sulfate, which helps regenerate cartilage in joints. Studies have not conclusively shown that using glucosamine in the treatment improves the condition of the joints. The effectiveness of glucosamine on pregnant women is also not known. There are some known side effects like drowsiness, nausea, insomnia, heartburn and even temporary elevated heart beats. Sometimes taking glucosamine can increase the chances of bleeding and should be avoided by people with bleeding disorders. The medical lobby is split half way between giving prescriptions and heeding warnings of glucosamine. In case you aren’t sure, please do check with your health care provider.

There are some home remedies for gout too but you should keep in mind that these treatments are not always effective and you should stop doing them if you see no improvement or if your symptoms worsen. One such treatment is with coffee. Coffee drinkers tend to have lower uric acid levels so you could incorporate coffee into your daily eating habits. vitamin C is also known to reduce uric acid levels in the body so upping the vitamin C intake could help. It is not a good idea to consume large doses of vitamin C so before you increase you dosage, do check with your doctor. Instead of pills, you can increase your intake of leafy vegetables and citrus fruits.

Cherries are known to reduce uric acid from your blood but whether they have a direct effect on the symptoms of gout is still not known. You can even include other dark berries like blackberries, blueberries and raspberries to your diet.

Some other remedies that have been known to help are drinking water with baking soda dissolved in it, avoiding beer and high fructose corn syrup and eating sour dairy like curds, sour cream, and even cottage cheese. Eating more celery and celery seeds will help your liver to produce less uric acid. Consuming more pineapple and pineapple juice also breaks up crystals of uric acid. Olive leaf tea and stinging nettle tea also is supposed to help. All these home remedies have to be taken with care and stopped at any sign of worsening symptoms.