Epsom salt for gout may help alleviate inflammation and improve blood flow; however, this popular home remedy sometimes comes with unpleasant side effects. We’ll discuss five great alternatives to Epsom salt for gout.
Sometimes it’s NOT good to be the king – especially when suffering from “the king’s disease,” known today as gout. It afflicted England’s King Henry VIII and many other historical figures, including Alexander the Great, Christopher Columbus, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Benjamin Franklin suffered from the disease and wrote a famous dialogue between himself and “Madam Gout” in which he correctly associated the condition with his diet and lifestyle.
Derived from the Latin word gutta, or “drop,” gout was believed to be caused by drops of humors spilling into the joints from the blood. Although they didn’t know why, ancient physicians did understand that a rich diet combined with a sedentary lifestyle often led to the red, swollen, and painful joints symptomatic of gout.
About 400 years ago, mineral waters in the English village of Epsom were discovered to offer some temporary relief from gout. People still find some benefit from baths containing Epsom salt, probably due to its high magnesium content, but changes in diet and lifestyle are considered more effective.
You May Also Like:
Sea Moss Benefits For Men: The Top 10
Finding The Best Trace Mineral Supplement: 6 Great New Supplement Products You Can Try
5 Great Alternatives to Epsom Salt for Gout is an original (HealthXWire) article.
Epsom salt for gout:
The king’s disease becomes more democratic
Despite its historical connection to royalty, gout is a disease unaffected by social status. Instead, it’s a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain similar to osteoarthritis. It’s caused by high uric acid buildup in the blood. This acid causes crystals to form in a joint, which leads to sudden pain and swelling. The most common areas of the body to develop gout are the joints of the knee, ankle, and big toe.
The Arthritis Foundation estimates about 6 million American men and 2 million American women have gout. In this article, we will look at five of the best natural ingredients people are using in hopes of reducing the number and severity of their gout attacks.
Instead of Epsom salt for gout:
Try cherry juice
According to a 2016 survey, cherries — whether sour, sweet, red, black, in extract form, as a juice, or raw — are a very popular and potentially effective remedy for many. Two separate 2012 studies suggest cherries may work to prevent gout attacks.
This research recommends three servings of any cherry product over a two-day period. A particularly potent form is the black cherry (prunus serotine), the most common American species of sweet cherry. Like all cherry juices, black cherry juice has a high number of anthocyanins. These are antioxidants that relieve inflammation, which is important for the treatment of gout.
Instead of Epsom salt for gout:
Try herbal teas
A variety of herbal teas show promise as possible treatments for gout, including beverages made from stinging nettles, dandelions, milk thistle seeds, and hibiscus.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is an herbal remedy for gout that may reduce inflammation and pain. Dandelion teas, extracts, and supplements are used to improve liver and kidney health. They may lower uric acid levels in those at risk for kidney damage, as shown in a 2013 study and a 2016 study. Milk thistle is an herb used for liver health. Hibiscus is a garden flower often served as a tea to treat gout. One study showed that hibiscus might lower uric acid levels.
Instead of Epsom salt for gout:
Try celery seed
Celery is a food traditionally used to treat urinary issues. For gout, it’s thought that celery may reduce inflammation. Celery seeds contain a wealth of healthful compounds including apigenin, which is a flavonoid responsible for celery’s ability to dissolve crystalline deposits. Biodegraded uric acid is passed from the body in urine, so increasing the flow may help gout sufferers.
5 Great Alternatives to Epsom Salt for Gout is the (HealthXWire) report.
Instead of Epsom salt for gout:
Try ginger
Ginger is an herb recommended for inflammatory conditions. Its purported ability to help gout has been the subject of a great deal of research. One study found ginger reduced pain related to uric acid in gout. Another study showed that in subjects with high levels of uric acid (hyperuricemia), their serum uric acid level was reduced by ginger.
Instead of Epsom salt for gout:
Try burdock root
First identified by the Roman Legion physician Dioscorides, burdock contains polysaccharides, and two special lignans called arctiin and arctigenin. Studies have shown these two compounds speed up the overall functioning of the liver. Damaged or slow-acting livers can’t remove uric acid quickly enough to prevent gout deposits from forming, while a healthy liver can.
Epsom salt for gout:
Ancient medicines are new again
With a medical history stretching back to the Roman Empire, treatments for gout have been the subject of trial-and-error tests in many cultures all over the globe. The keepers of traditional medicines have found many natural ingredients that seem to offer relief for this painful condition.
Medicine Man Plant Co. is named for those traditional healers whose natural ingredients are being studied anew. “Our mission as a company is to unearth the world’s ancient plant wisdom that kept humans strong and healthy for millennia,” the company states on its website. The company produces The Uric Acid Pill, which contains several of the key ingredients believed to help people with gout.
Epsom salt for gout:
General advice
A person’s diet can be related to gout flare-ups and pain. Avoiding foods that aggravate the disease is a good way to manage gout symptoms. Common triggers include alcohol, red meat, seafood, and sugar.
Staying hydrated is also a good idea because it aids kidney function. Keeping the kidneys in good working order can reduce uric acid crystal buildup and gout attacks.
When gout does flare up, it’s a good idea to simply relax and remain immobile while the joints are inflamed. Exercise should be avoided, along with lifting heavy weights and using joints excessively.
Following these simple instructions may not make you feel like a king, but it could help avoid royal pain.
Further reading:
National Institutes of Health: Gout: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take
The Mayo Clinic: Symptoms and Causes of Gout
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: What is Gout?
Cleveland Clinic: Gout
The Arthritis Foundation: Causes and Treatments of Gout
Medical Net: Disease of Kings Now a 21st Century Epidemic
Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your healthcare professional in order to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements Or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Table of Contents
