| Causes and Symptoms: Gout is a disease of the | | | | than others. That is how chronic diseases are |
| joints and is a form of rheumatism. It is a | | | | born. |
| constitutional disorder connected with excess of | | | | The real culprit is the type of food, which we are |
| uric acid in the blood manifesting itself by | | | | addicted to. Our blood is chiefly alkaline and |
| inflammation of joints with deposition of urate of | | | | anything that tends to produce acidity should be |
| soda and also by morbid changes in various | | | | avoided. Treating gout in any other system is |
| important organs. | | | | chaotic. The real cause of the disease is not |
| Hippo crates in his Aphorisms speaks of gout as | | | | attack and recourse is taken to painkillers or |
| occurring most commonly in spring and autumn, | | | | antidoting of the poison is under taken. The |
| and mentions the facts that women are less liable | | | | Ayurvedic practitioners prohibit the intake of fruits |
| to it than men. Why the uric acid is found in | | | | and vegetables on the plea that they may |
| excess is not understood by the allopathic | | | | produce cold, which is supposed to be bad for the |
| physicians. Uric acid is formed in the system in the | | | | gout and thus deprive the patient of the real cure. |
| process of nutrition and is excreted by the | | | | Doctors have some times advised patients to |
| kidneys. In a patient suffering from gout, the | | | | have their teeth or tonsils extracted under the |
| quantity of uric acid is found to be much more | | | | misconception that the seat of the disease lays |
| than normal. In a paroxysm of gout, the body | | | | there. But even the excision of these has never |
| appears to get rid of a lot of uric acid and there | | | | led to any relief to the gout patients. |
| appears to be some relied but that is purely | | | | Treatment:To real treatment of gout starts with |
| temporary. | | | | ensuring that all the orifices of the body, which |
| Modern medicine believes gout to be hereditary | | | | expel waste and morbid matter, are activated to |
| since it has been found in 50 to 80 percent of the | | | | do their work properly. The patient should breathe |
| cases that the patient's parents or grand parents | | | | fresh air, so that oxygen is available to him in |
| suffered from the disease. The disease affects | | | | larger quantities cleansing his blood of poisonous |
| the sedentary persons more than those who lead | | | | humours. The gout patient must increase his |
| active lives, but it is not always true. On the other | | | | intake of water to produce more urine. He should |
| hand, inadequate exercise, a luxurious manner of | | | | take lukewarm water in the morning and evening |
| living, habitual over-indulgence in rich foods and | | | | mixed with the juice of mine. The pores of the |
| especially in alcohol is the precipitating factors in | | | | skin should be activated by a cold bath every day |
| the onset of the disease. Some teetotalers and | | | | and drying of the body with vigorous rubbing with |
| vegetarians are also found to be victims of gout. | | | | the palms of the hand. If the pain in the joints is |
| The disease is more common in mature age and | | | | too severe and the patient is unable to massage |
| in the males than females. Persons exposed to | | | | his body himself, he should seek somebody else's |
| the influence of lead poisoning such as plumbers, | | | | help. Sun bathing should be undertaken to produce |
| are apt to suffer from gout. Attacks of the | | | | sweat. The head may be covered with a wet |
| disease are readily excited by exposure to cold, | | | | towel to save it from excessive heat of the sun. |
| disorders of indigestion, fatigue and injuries to | | | | Spending half an hour in the sun will activate the |
| particular joints. | | | | sweat glands. A cold bath is recommended after |
| An attack of gout may appear without warning, | | | | a sunbath; if the patient does not feel equal to it, |
| or there may be premonitory symptoms. Among | | | | he would be better advised to wipe his body with |
| the most common of these are disorders of the | | | | a wet towel. Sun bathing should be done no more |
| digestive organs, with a feeble and capricious | | | | than thrice in a week. If there is no sun, sweat |
| appetite, flatulence, uneasiness in the right side in | | | | should be induced by a steam bath or by merely |
| the region of the liver, and irritation in the urinary | | | | soaking one's feet in hot water. |
| organs. There is also irritability, numbness and | | | | The food should consist of fresh fruits and |
| coldness in the limbs. The attack comes usually at | | | | vegetables-substances, which do not stick to the |
| night, usually between two and three in the | | | | intestines. Fruits, which can be taken without |
| morning. The affected part is found to be swollen | | | | peeling, should be taken. In the beginning of the |
| and a deep red hue. The skin is tense and | | | | treatment, the best course would be to live on |
| glistening and the surrounding veins are more or | | | | fruit juices. That would give some rest to the |
| less distended. The attack lasts for a week or ten | | | | intestines. Fruits recommended are: oranges, |
| days during which the patient suffers from | | | | grape fruit, pineapple, raspberry and pear. |
| constipation, dyspepsia and extreme thirst. The | | | | Vegetables like the various gourds, cabbage, |
| urine is scanty and high coloured with a copious | | | | tomatoes and greens are the best. The more |
| deposit, consisting chiefly of urates. The joint | | | | chronic the disease, the greater should be the |
| affected may become swollen but if the disease | | | | period for which the patient should live on fruits |
| is not attended to, the swelling spreads to other | | | | and vegetables. |
| joints and it becomes chronic. Joints also become | | | | After a five-day period during which only fruits |
| enlarged and refuse to function without giving | | | | and vegetables are taken, milk should be added to |
| excruciating pain to the sufferer. | | | | the diet. It should preferably be boiled and taken |
| Naturopathy believes that like all other diseases, | | | | in quantities of 250 to 500 millilitres at one time. |
| gout is the result of inadequate excretion of the | | | | Bread should be taken only after a fortnight of |
| morbid and poisonous matter from the orifices of | | | | living on fruits and vegetables. Potatoes can |
| the body. The bowels, the urinary tract, the skin | | | | replace bread with advantages as they contain |
| and the nostrils---all must expel the waste matter | | | | more alkaline matter. |
| from the body. If they become slack and do not | | | | Hot fomentation should be undertaken to reduce |
| function properly, those substances accumulate in | | | | the pain in the joints. About 75 grammes of salt |
| the body and produce gout. Life depends on | | | | should be added to one litre of hot water for |
| healthy blood and nature has devised catarrh, | | | | fomentation. The site of fomentation should be |
| diahrroea and fevers to force the human system | | | | washed with cold water later on. Those who |
| to expel the accumulated waste matter. If these | | | | suffer from a constant pain should apply a paste |
| diseases are suppressed, as happens in most | | | | of raw potatoes ground fine on the affected |
| case when the patient takes to allopathic | | | | joints. The paste should be allowed to remain for |
| treatment, the poisonous and morbid matter | | | | some hours. |
| attacks the part of the body, which is weaker | | | | |