Drinking Water To Relieve Gout
Water is one of the best and simplest home remedies for gout. Water burns clean, it’s passed out of your urine, sweat, breathing, perspiring while working and it doesn’t stress the vital organs like the liver and kidneys and so on. Since water can serve as a joint lubricant, one who is at risk for gout should be sure to drink plenty of fluids. Drinking a half-gallon of water a day may keep gout attacks away. The recommended approximate amount is 8–12 eight fluid ounce glasses daily, (a glass/cup consisting of 8 oz. or 250 ml) or about eight glasses. If you’re not sure how much eight fluid ounces is exactly, observe how much by pouring water into a measuring cup.
Water may help dilute uric acid, but the real benefit is in its ability to help excrete some of the acid. Water may make it easier for the kidneys to excrete uric acid and may make it less likely that it will form crystals, thus hopefully preventing the next gout attack. When there’s less water in the body, the density of serum (blood) uric acid rises. Dehydration may also lead to kidney infections, stones and even failure and has been identified as a possible trigger for acute gout attacks. All this may create that excess uric acid that causes gout in the first place.
Other Health Benefits of Drinking Water
Furthermore, people on high protein diets are actually consuming more meat, which means they are at risk for consuming uric acid found in their food source. When eating meat and/or proteins, it takes seven times as much water for the kidneys to detoxify fats and proteins as it does for carbohydrates. It takes more water to separate the waste products from the protein and the principal food for the gout sufferer should be carbohydrates like veggies, fruits, grains, whole grain breads, whole wheat pastas and rice, preferably basmati. Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate. Drinking more water may help the body flush out these harmful toxins. If you chronically drink too little, you may be at higher risk for developing kidney stones, especially in warm climates. Drinking more water may also help someone overweight lose excess weight, or maintain proper weight.
If you’re already on the process of losing that extra weight, water can help improve your physical performance. By keeping yourself hydrated, you counteract the effects of working out such as tiredness and fatigue. For those who do more intense workouts, drinking water can reduce oxidative stress in the body.
Drinking water also helps you focus better. There was a study done on hydration where they found that women who experienced 1.4% fluid loss from exercise had a decreased mood and concentration. They were also more prone to headaches. The male participants in the study who had 1.6% fluid loss had experienced poorer memory and they were more likely to feel anxiety and fatigue.
If you have a hard time passing stool, mineral water might just help. This is because this type of water contains magnesium and sodium which helps with the frequency and consistency of stool.
How Water Helps The Gout Sufferer
One school of thought about home remedies for gout is that the solubility of uric acid increases with a higher body pH ratio. That is, when the body is more alkaline, (higher pH) and therefore less acidic, the more uric acid may be dissolved and excreted. Drink the water in small amounts throughout the day. The amount of water to be consumed can be a bit intimidating when one tries to tackle it all at once or in sessions. Spread the water intake throughout the day to avoid getting overwhelmed. Doing this may also help reduce bloating and also check urine for water levels.
Your urine should be clear due to the constant water intake. If the urine does not appear clear, it is a sign to drink more water. You can also check your pH levels in the mornings with Ph Test Strips, when urinary pH is continuously between 6.5 in the a.m. and 7.5 by evening, you’re functioning in a healthy range. When you’re getting enough fluids, urine flows freely, is light in color and free of odor. When your body is not getting enough fluids, urine concentration, color, and odor increases because the kidneys trap extra fluid for bodily functions.
Water is the most important thing when you exercise. It’s essential for proper circulation, for urine production and temperature control. If you lose as much as 3% of your body weight in water, it may begin to interfere with the efficiency, in whatever sport you are involved in or whatever labour you are involved in. Lose 10% of your body weight by water and you may develop a heat stroke! So what do you then?
If you are going to exercise or play a sport, drink 24 ounces of water 2 hours before and then about 14 ounces just a few minutes before you exercise or compete. Then try and drink 7 ounces every 15 minutes while exercising or competing. What about drinking Gatorade to replace the potassium you lose while exercising? Not needed, eating one banana after exercising provides you with 7 times more potassium than 10 ounces of Gatorade or any other advertised products out there. Any fruit you eat after exercise will help replenish your carbohydrates, potassium and other minerals you lost while exercising. Water is the most important thing to take a lot of while exercising or playing a sport.
Finally, participants in an online survey who said they drank more than eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day experienced a 48% reduction in gout attacks, compared with individuals who reported drinking one glass of water or less a day according to a Boston University School of Medicine study.
So make sure water is with you everywhere you go, I carry a bottle with me from morning to night and keep refilling it all day long, very simply, the more water you drink the less chance you have of getting a gout attack. You will also feel better, more energetic and less sluggish, so put that Coke, beer, juice down and grab yourself some water.
What type of water should I drink?
Water may seem like a no-brainer drink but with all the variants out there from purified water to alkaline water, you’re probably wondering what type is best to take for gout.
If you can get alkaline water, that’s great since this helps balance out the acidity in your body which is causing some of the gout symptoms. However, if you only have plain water, that’s fine too! Just make sure it is clean and drinkable. If you are uncertain about the purity of your water, you can get a Brita water filter which removes contaminants in water like lead, copper, mercury, chlorine, and pesticides.
How will I know if I’m dehydrated?
You want to check for early signs before you actually get dehydrated. Thankfully, the symptoms are very easy to spot and remedy. The first thing to look out for is thirst. You will know what this is because of a dry mouth. As soon as you realize this, go ahead and drink a glass of water.
If you go to the bathroom and notice a strong smell in your urine, you probably need to up your water intake. The goal is to have a light yellowish pee.
If you feel muscle cramps, it can probably be remedied by just drinking water. You might also feel tired, in which case, a glass of water might just reenergize you. Keep an eye for these signs and you should be able to avoid dehydration before its other worse symptoms manifest.
To give you an idea of how easily you can get dehydrated, a fluid loss of 1-3% is about 2 to 5 pounds. That’s only if you exercise. What more if you did other things throughout the day such as do chores, running errands, walk under the heat of the sun, etc.
So the next time you’re in a bad mood, have a headache, or you feel weak, just grab a glass of water in your kitchen and it might just resolve your problem.
What has your experience been like with water as a remedy for your gout symptoms? Share your thoughts in the comments.