Health Related Reading

Hydrotherapy is a treatment that can help you get rid of gout, but is not the only alternative remedy out there.  Reflexology is a treatment that is often used to treat gout, and has worked effectively for some sufferers. 

What is reflexology?  Reflexology, also known as zone therapy, is an alternative treatment that involves the stimulation of specific points on the feet, hands and ears, for the purpose of promoting positive healing effects on other parts of the body.  Reflexology may also be used to improve overall health.  Although reflexology can be performed on the hands or ears, it is primarily administered to the feet, which is the method that would be used to get rid of gout.

A reflexologist believes that the foot is made up of various reflex zones that correspond to all of the other energy zones in the body.  The theory is that applying pressure through massage to the “gritty” or “tight” points of one’s foot will stimulate the body energy connected to the foot point encouraging self-healing.  Reflexology only seeks to cure imbalances in body energy and is not used to cure or diagnose medical conditions.

How does reflexology work?  A qualified practitioner massages designated points on the bare foot with their hands.  No other drugs or tools are used.  Reflexology treatment has been known to –
• Improve posture
• Improve circulation
• Increase the nutrients and oxygen in cells
• Improve chemical function in the body
• Remove toxins from the body
• Calms nerve endings
• Encourage overall relaxation
• Reduce stress
• Encourage normal body functioning
• Encourage pain management

What benefits does reflexology offer gout sufferers?  If a person needs to be rid of gout, reflexology can be used to help restore balance to the kidneys.  The kidneys are the organs that are in charge of uric acid production.  Therefore, if the body energy related to the kidneys is stimulated through the corresponding point in both feet (boot feet need to be involved as there are two kidneys), this could help the kidneys lower uric acid production. 

Reflexology can also be used to break up uric acid crystal deposits that may be present in the foot.

Are their side effects?  Side effects are not common.  However, some people may experience nausea, headaches or sinus congestion after treatment.   This side effect is commonly referred to as a “healing crisis”, and reflexologists believe it is caused by the body releasing toxins.  These side effects usually last no longer than 24 hours.

Precautions - Although reflexology may effectively get rid of gout in some sufferers, it is imperative that you know reflexology is a preventative gout treatment and should not be sought during an active case of gout.   Think about it - considering the pain gout causes in the foot can be so intense that the weight of a bed sheet is unbearable, just imagine how your foot would feel during a deep massage.  Ouch!

You should also consult your doctor before attempting reflexology treatment if you –
• Have kidney stones
• Are a diabetic
• Have problems with blood pressure
• Have cancer
• Severe problems with circulation in the legs or feet
• Have Osteoarthritis in the foot or ankle
• Are pregnant
 
Reflexology can be an effective treatment for gout if performed properly by an experienced practitioner.  Just make sure you consult your health care provider first to find out if this treatment is the best course of action for you to get rid of gout.

Grab your free copy of Lisa McDowell’s brand new Gout Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you find out about gout recipe and for information on gout symptom please visit Cure Gout Now. 

An acid reflux disease diet can help control the occurrence of acid reflux and decrease the risk of heartburn for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) sufferers.  Following a controlled diet is a matter of determining which foods trigger symptoms, and which foods are safe to eat.

Creating a two-week food diary, where you make a record of all the foods you ingest and the symptoms that follow, is the best way to discover the foods to eliminate.  After two weeks, you should then present your food diary to your doctor or dietician so he/she can help create a diet plan that is beneficial for you.

Although it is in your best interest to create a food diary, the following are 7 food categories and the related foods you should avoid, or are considered safe to eat in each.  The seven categories are:
1. Dairy
2. Meat
3. Grains
4. Vegetables and Fruit
5. Fats and oil
6. Sweets and snacks
7. Beverages

By knowing what you should and shouldn’t eat within each food category is how you create an acid reflux disease diet that effectively relieves symptoms by stopping them before they start.

Foods you should avoid
The following foods should be eliminated or dramatically limited in an acid reflux disease diet, as ingesting them, even in small quantities, can aggravate symptoms and lead to recurring heartburn.

Dairy – Cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream and ice cream related products (I.E. milk shakes, floats, etc.)
Meat – Buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, ground beef, and marbled steak
Grains – Pasta with marinara sauce, macaroni and cheese
Vegetables & Fruit – Vegetables: raw onion, French fires, mashed potatoes.  Fruits: Citrus fruits and juices which include lemon, lime, lemonade, orange, orange juice, grapefruit and grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, tomato and tomato juice.
Fats and oil – Oily or creamy salad dressings, and essentially all fried or fatty processed Foods.
Sweets and Snacks – Chocolate, doughnuts, butter cookies, brownies, corn chips, and potato chips. 
Beverages – Alcohol, regular or decaffeinated coffee and tea, high-sugared drinks such as soda.

Foods considered safe
The following foods are considered safe to eat and shouldn’t aggravate your GERD symptoms; therefore, they can become a regular part of your acid reflux disease diet.

Dairy – Fat-free cream cheese, feta or goat cheese, low-fat soy cheese.
Meat – Extra lean ground beef, London broiled steak, skinless chicken breast, egg whites, imitation eggs, and fish without additional fat.
Grains – Whole grain or white bread, corn bread, oatmeal, bran cereal, white or brown rice
Vegetables & Fruit – Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, cabbage, peas, green beans, and baked potato. Fruits: banana, fresh or dried apple, apple juice.
Fats and oil – low fat salad dressing
Sweets and Snacks – Pretzels, baked potato chips, graham crackers, rice cakes, fat free cookies, red liquorice, and jelly beans
Beverages – Water

Occasional treats
Last, but not least, the following is a brief list of foods you can occasionally enjoy in your acid reflux disease diet, but should be consumed with discretion and in moderation as they can aggravate symptoms:

Dairy – Yogurt, cheddar or mozzarella cheese
Meat –fired eggs, fried fish, hot dog, ham and tuna salad.
Grains – Granola cereal and muffin.
Vegetables & Fruit – Vegetables: garlic, leeks, and green onions.  Fruits: low-acid orange juice, dried cranberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
Fats and oil – ketchup
Sweets and Snacks – low-fat cookies
Beverages – non-alcoholic drinks and carbonated drinks

Finally, keep in mind that the above food lists are only general guidelines.  Some of the foods considered safe to eat for one heartburn sufferer may not be the same for another.  Therefore, make sure you keep a food diary to determine what the best acid reflux disease diet is for you, so you can effectively treat and prevent your symptoms.

Grab your free copy of Kathryn Whittaker’s brand new Acid Reflux & GERD Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you find out about acid reflux cause and for information on acid reflux relief please visit Stop Acid Reflux Now.

Orthotics can provide many people with foot pain support and relief, and it may just be one of the methods you use when you suffer an injury to your foot.  However, before you decide if orthotic inserts are for you, it is important that you first know how to treat your particular foot injury. 

Most foot injuries involving the toe, foot or ankle that are caused from sports, work, or falling - and are not fractures - will heal naturally with proper home treatment.  These injuries are usually characterized by symptoms including: bruising, swelling, inflammation (heat), throbbing and pain in the affected area. 

Treating your foot injury at home – First and foremost, you should treat your injury with R.I.C.E - 

Rest – Stay off your foot whenever you can.

Ice – For the first two day following the injury, apply ice to the injured area for 20 minutes, wait for 40 minutes, and repeat the cycle. Ice should be wrapped in a cloth before being applied.

Compression – Use an ACE® bandage to provide compression and support to your injured foot.  Wrap the bandage lightly (not tightly) around your foot.

Elevation - keep your injured foot elevated above your chest.  This can be achieved by propping your foot up on pillows. 

In addition to R.I.C.E, effective ways to treat your foot injury include -

Heating pad – After the first two days, a heating pad or warm compress may provide relief and help sooth aching joints.  Follow the same method applied to ice.

Over-the-counter pain relievers – NSAIDs (Non-sterodial anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. 

Take baths – Take tepid baths, especially during the few days following the injury.  Keep your injured foot rested on the side of the tub and this will help you avoid getting it wet and keep pressure off.

Walk with support – When walking, you should take someone’s arm for support, or walk with a cane, crutch or walker to keep pressure off your injured foot.

Avoid exercises and massages – Unless recommended by your doctor, do not use exercises or massages to help heal your injury.   These methods will only aggravate the issue and likely cause more inflammation, prolonging healing.

Check toenails for blanching – Every day, press your thumb into the nail bed of your big toe (as long as it’s not injured) on the injured foot.  When you apply pressure, your nail will turn white.  If after you remove your thumb your toenail stays white longer than 6 seconds, your foot is not receiving proper circulation.  This is a serious concern, and you should visit your doctor right away.

By following the above treatment, starting with R.I.C.E, you should notice a reduction in swelling within 48 hours.  However, keep in mind that it can take as long as 6 weeks before your foot is fully recovered from an injury.  Therefore, you need to keep pressure off it as often as possible.

When to seek medical assistance – You need to determine whether or not your injury might be a fracture.  If you have broken a bone you need the assistance of a doctor. The following are fracture symptoms:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Warmth, redness or bruising
- Obvious deformity
- Difficulty using or moving normally

Since many of these symptoms are similar to foot injuries such as sprains, torn muscles, tendons or ligaments, it may be difficult to determine if you have a broken bone, as you may have only suffered a mild fracture. 

Therefore, it’s always best to consult your doctor about your injury if you are unsure of its seriousness, have a high fever (99.6° F or higher, lasting longer than 24 hours), your foot pain becomes worse, or you are not seeing an improvement after a significant period of time. 
By Dave Wilson. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover how to treat your foot pain with targeted footpain relief treatments. Discover how lifestyle changes can get rid of footpain.

The pain of a gout attack is not something a sufferer soon forgets, which is why finding treatment that provides sufficient relief for an attack is mandatory. Although there are different medications to treat gout, there are also different non-drug treatments such as tissue salts which can provide relief.

What are tissue salts? They are inorganic compounds that play a vital role in the function and growth of cells in the body. Mineral tissue salts exist in the human body and were found to be beneficial in treating certain health conditions by Dr. Wilhem Schüessler, a 19th century German doctor.

Schüessler theorized that tissue salts were essential for bodily tissues to function normally and prevent health problems. Hence, by ingesting the deficient tissue salts, a resulting illness could heal. To prove his theory, Schüessler conducted studies on his own patients and achieved successful results.

How do mineral tissue salts work to ease a gout attack? First of all, there are 12 mineral salts:
1. Calcium fluoride
2. Calcium phosphate
3. Calcium sulphate
4. Ferrum phosphate
5. Kali muriaticum
6. Kali phosphate
7. Kali sulphate
8. Magnesium phosphate
9. Natrum muriaticum
10. Natrum phosphate
11. Natrum sulphate
12. Silica

Different combinations of these tissue salts make up every cell in the body. Each tissue salt is designed to correct deficiencies or imbalances that occur in cells. They work by restoring, maintaining and improving good health when used as long-term treatment.

The mineral tissue salts used for treating a gout attack are –

Natrum phosphate – This tissue salt is an acid neutralizer. It helps to regulate bile and is constituent of the fluid between cells and is also an element of brain, blood, muscle and nerve cells. This tissue salt helps to treat all forms of inflammation, especially inflammation caused by gout. Natrum phosphate is commonly used for treating chronic gout as it helps with the production of overacidity.

Natrum sulphate – This tissue salt eradicates excessive water from blood, tissue and other body fluids. It cleans and purifies toxins from the fluid that borders each of the body’s cells. Natrum sulphate plays an essential role in the healthy functioning of the pancreas and the liver. It is ideal for treating gout attacks that occur after eating purine rich foods and alcohol. This is because it effectively eliminates the toxins associated with each food product from the body.

How are mineral tissue salts taken? Mineral tissue salts come in tablet form and are usually taken before drinking or eating, and are dissolved under the tongue. The recommended dosage of mineral salts depends on the severity of a gout attack. However, the general dosage for an adult is 4 tablets taken 3 times daily. For more acute attacks, tissue salts may be taken every hour. Once symptoms have subsided, the dosage of salts is lowered and treatment is slowly stopped over the course of 3-5 days until it is ceased altogether.

How quickly will you experience relief from gout symptoms? Usually it takes 1-2 weeks before effective relief occurs. This is normal, because your body will need this time to regain its natural balanced state. Thus, a standard mineral tissue salt treatment can last for a number of months.

How safe is this treatment? When taking the recommended dosage, tissue salts are quite safe and do not have any notable side effects. However, if you suffer from a chronic health problem or have high blood pressure, you should consult your doctor before using mineral tissue salts.

Where can you find tissue salts? You may find them in your local health or nutrition store or online. Nevertheless, be sure to consult your doctor before taking this treatment for a gout attack, as mineral salts should be prescribed by a qualified individual who is experienced in this alternative medicine.

By Lisa McDowell. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover how to treat your gout attack with a exercise as an effective natural cure for gout. Discover how lifestyle changes can get rid of gout.

One of the best ways to find a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating fibromyalgia is to join a fibromyalgia support group. However, finding a doctor isn’t the only reason to join a support group; meeting and sharing your feelings, opinions, and knowledge with others who suffer the same, are also excellent reasons.

The following are some benefits a fibromyalgia support group can offer:

Let go of isolation and depression and embrace new friends – There is no reason that you should feel you suffer from fibromyalgia alone. There are millions of people who are forced to live with fibromyalgia and are faced with its not-so friendly symptoms of chronic extreme fatigue and intense pain in the body.

Don’t isolate yourself from others by wallowing in your own misery when you can be talking and getting support from those who understand exactly what you are feeling and going through. A support group can help you fight feelings of isolation and depression the natural way by opening up to others.
Learn and teach – Do you know everything there is to know about fibromyalgia? Likely not. The more you know about your condition and all the treatment methods available, the better chance you have of seeking treatment that is right for your particular fibromyalgia case.

When you talk to fellow members you can ask them about what medical and alternative treatments they’ve tried and their opinions on each. Find out which ones they liked, disliked, continue to use, and if there are any side effects. You can return the favor and share your treatment experiences with others.

In addition, learning and teaching in fibromyalgia groups isn’t only for those suffering from the condition. Support groups are also ideal for close friends and family members who wish to learn more about your condition so they can better understand and even help spread the word.

Learn about what’s going on in the fibromyalgia community – Since fibromyalgia affects so many people, there are many programs, fundraisers, clinical trials and other events that help to raise awareness, find effective treatments, and give hope for a cure. Through the help of a support group, you can get involved in your community and in others to raise awareness and support the fight against fibromyalgia.

How to find a fibromyalgia support group
Fibromyalgia support groups can be found locally and online. Therefore, if you find your condition debilitating or don’t feel like going out, you can get in touch with others through your home computer and internet connection. You just need to know where to look. Here is how you can find local and online support groups–

Local Search
- Ask your health care provider, neurologist, physical therapist, etc.
- Call your hospital to find out what is available in your area
- Conduct an online search for local groups using the keywords “fibromyalgia support group” with your city name (I.E. “fibromyalgia support group Wisconsin”)

Online Search
- Do a general search for fibromyalgia and investigate the top 10 sites your search results return
- Search for the keywords “fibromyalgia” and “online support”, “message boards” or “forum”, or “online support” (IE. “fibromyalgia message boards”)

An excellent fibromyalgia websites you can visit that offers support and plenty of information is the National Fibromyalgia Association – fmaware.org

Joining a fibromyalgia group can help you better cope with your condition both physically and mentally. There is no reason to let fibromyalgia destroy your life when you have the power to reach out to others and let others reach out to you.

By Jane Thompson. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover proven natural methods to help you combat the pain and frustration of Fibromyalgia. On the site you’ll also find more about the different early symptoms of fibromyalgia and which treatment for fibromyalgia works.