Treating a gout flare up

My significant other is in the midst of a gout flare up at this moment, and he's not a happy camper let me tell you. Thankfully, this is not our first rodeo. I can't begin to tell you how much I tirelessly searched the internet only to find articles consisting only of facts about gout. I get what causes it already, now how do I make it feel better? In case you don't know, a gout flare up is when too much uric acid builds up in the kidneys and crystals (yes actual crystals, I always knew he was a gem) build up in the joints. Gout particularly likes to congregate in the joints of the foot, making the simple act of walking painful.

The only option we had was to understand it a little better and experiment with a few home remedies. Of course that's not all we did, he was prescribed medication and all that good stuff, but that only does so much. Even if the gout is being treated with prescription medication, the pain still lingers for a few days. He once compared it to child birth which I found laughable because I didn't hear him over there concentrating on his breathing, but I get it, it's really painful.

Let me begin by saying that we have tried every herb that is recommended out there on the internet but, they don't work. They might give you piece of mind instead of just sitting there doing nothing, but they aren't going to help, at least not in the throws of an attack. Some people say caffeine is bad, others say it's good. Well, too much of anything is bad, therefore the right amount of coffee is good, and it's a tried and true method of ours. It could be the caffeine that helps speed up the healing process, or the pain. It could also be the fact that it makes you urinate a lot, either way, the right amount of coffee is good. Also, for the love of god don't drink energy drinks, it makes it worse. Get the caffeine from coffee.

The combination of carbonated beverages, like sparkling water, even soda (but not diet soda), a giant bowl of cherries, Motrin IB, and Aleve seem to really help. Lightly caressing the affected area might not help in the long term but it helps in the short term. When I say lightly, I mean lightly, sometimes just a sheet on top of the foot hurts during a gout flare up. Ice packs are too painful when it's a severe flare up, but for a minor one it helps with the swelling and redness.

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