Gout is a serious but intermittent form of arthritis in which intense pain can occur at any time. The affected jointed area becomes swollen, red and very sensitive to touch, MedlinePlus indicates. Stress may brings on the symptoms of gout, also called gout attacks. Medications can control the symptoms of gout, but changing the person's diet also can help. Elevating the affected area -- usually gout occurs in the feet -- and using ice also helps decrease the symptoms of gout. Nutrition plays a key factor in the treatment of gouty arthritic symptoms, MedlinePlus reports.
Dietary Restrictions
Dietary restrictions help to maintain the stabilization of uric acid in the blood, which is one of the causes of a gout attack, the Mayo Clinic reports. Various foods, such as herring, scallops, gravy, asparagus, organ meats and anchovies, have high levels of purine, Drugs.com reports, that should be eliminated by the kidneys. The gout sufferer does not eliminate enough purine, which raises the uric acid level in the body. When uric acid levels become high, the substance can form hardened crystals. These crystals lodge in the joints and cause inflammation and pain, as well as restricting movement. By restricting the diet, the gout sufferer can decrease the level of purine and thus uric acid in his body, which should prevent the crystals from forming and causing gout attacks.
Diet Changes
A person who suffers from gout can eat many low-purine foods, the Drugs website reports, that can help reduce the potential for gout attacks. For example, a person with gout can eat rice and pasta. He can eat cookies and even cakes, although any such food intake should be limited to avoid gaining weight. Juices and various fruits also tend to contain low-purine levels. Some of these even help flush out uric acid such as cherry juice and cranberry juice. Tea, coffee and soda contain no purines.
Medications
Doctors prescribe a variety of medications to help eliminate and control gout. The gout sufferer takes some of these medicines, such as indomethacin and colchicine, during a gout attack, the Mayo Clinic reports. Indomethacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, helps reduce the pain of an attack. Colchicine helps break up the crystals. Other medications work on a long-term basis to help prevent gout attacks. Medicines, such as allopurinol and probenecid, taken daily, expel excess uric acid from the gout sufferer's body. These remedies help eliminate gout attacks, but do nothing during an attack.
Water
Drinking at least six or more 8 oz. glasses of water each day can help eliminate gout. While there is no cure for this or any other form of arthritis, the ingestion of water helps to flush the uric acid out of the body through the kidneys and urinary system.
