allism13
I had gout while I was pregnant. Yes, it's bad pain (but tell him not as bad as childbirth, ha!)
Heat will help, as will ibuprofen and Aleve.
Lois
I think it would be good to try both. Try the ice for 30 minutes, then try heat for 30 minutes. Go to the grocery store and get cherries for him. He needs to eat at least 9 cherries every day and he won't have gout. There something in cherries that helps. It can be fresh cherries or canned cherries. I hope he gets better.
Sped
What a great question. People disagree on whether ice or heat is better for gout.
I have had really bad gout attacks in the past. I know from experience that ice reduces swelling and pain better than heat does. I used to ice up my swollen knees and it really helped.
But it turns out that the solubility of uric acid decreases with decreasing temperatures. That's why gout typically strikes extremities like toes and feet. Toes and feet are colder, so uric acid precipitates there and causes gout. That's why gouties should wear socks to bed.
Anyway, even though ice provided better immediate relief, I switched to heat, believing cooling a joint might cause more uric acid crystals to form and be worse in the long run.
Heat does not work as well as ice, but it does help.. for me anyway.
He should see a doctor. Cortisteroids, orally or by injection, usually stop even the worst gout attacks in their tracks. There is also colchicine, which works but can cause severe diarrhea. Over the counter.. ibuprofen 4x200mg 3 times a day helps. But all it can to for a severe attack is take the edge off.
For me, knees were the worst.
Hemen Ee
Jul's, you dad was absolutely right about the excruciating pain of gout. The pain can almost paralyze a person until cannot do anything at all, not even a squeeze of smile on his face.
When it comes to pain, there are always 2 ways to help relief the pain, ice bag or warm tower. Somehow, the cold treatment is a more commonly used solution to numb the nerves so that the signals of the pain cannot reach the brain, temporarily.
In the case of gout pain, because the infected area (usually big toe) is like burning on fire, most patients will soak the whole foot into a bucket full of freezing cold ices. That will immediately numb all the nerves in the foot, he cannot even feel the existence of the feet, not to mention the grueling pain at the swollen toe.
This may sound like a good fix for the intense pain, but the fact is that cold treatment will only make the condition worse in the long run. This is a method that kills the symptoms but worsen the root cause of gout.
Gout is a direct result of accumulation of too much uric acid in the body and the population of gout patients is growing worldwide at alarming rate. This is because of our modern stressful lifestyle that is full of acidic diet and habits. Smoking, soft drinks, instant food, synthetic food additives, fast food, are all acidifying agents that actively pump acids into the bloodstream.
Bear in mind that our blood pH must always maintain at mild alkalinity which is at the pH value between 7.3 and 7.4. All those acidic food is turning our blood into an acid dumping site. In order to counter the acidity and return the alkalinity of the blood, those acids will be forced out from the bloodstream and enter the interstitial fluids and a portion of it will seep into the synovial fluids in the joints.
When the concentration of uric acid in the synovial goes beyond the saturation level, they will crystallize and forms urate crystals that triggers the immune reaction which result in inflammation, burning sensation and pain, intense pain! Gout attack!
Still remember salt crystal formation experiment during high school science? One of the variables that we need to find out is the rate of crystallization at different temperatures. The answer is that crystallization happens faster and larger crystal stones are formed at lower temperature. On the contrary, the formed salt crystals will slowly dilute away as the temperature goes up.
If you want more urate crystals form in your joints or interstitial fluid of muscles, then continue on with your favorite cold ice soaking. But if you want to speed up the excretion of urate crystals, then soak your feet in the warm water as often as you can, even at times when you are not suffering from gout attack. Warm water will increase the blood circulation and excretion of toxins through the moving blood.
Nikki
To help with pain heat is used to relax the area and help with movement. Ice is used to numb and relieve pain. 15 min. of heat, 10 min. off, 15 min. of ice, repeat as needed.
Orignal From: If you have gout, which would be the best reliever? Ice or heat?
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