Home Remedy for Gout

What is Gout?

Gout is a disease created by a buildup of uric acid. In this condition, uric acid crystals are deposited on the articular cartilage of joints, tendons and surrounding tissues due to elevated concentrations of uric acid in the bloodstream. This provokes an inflammatory reaction of these tissues.

Gout is characterized by excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain, as well as swelling, redness, warmth, and stiffness in the affected joint.

Gout symptoms

Skin becomes swollen, tender and sore if it is even slightly touched.
The big toe is the most commonly attacked (usually in 75% of the cases).
Crystals of Uric acid may get deposited in the helix of the ear.

Picture of Gout

Gout Remedies

The home remedies would include:

1. Apply ice. If the affected joint is not too tender to touch, try applying a crushed-ice pack. Place the pack on the painful joint and leave it for about 10 minutes. Cushion it with a towel or sponge. Reapply as needed.

2. Drink lots of water. Large amounts of fluid can help flush excess uric acid from your system before it can do any harm.

3. Avoid high-purine foods. Check below for the list of high purine foods

4. Avoid alcohol

5. Consider herbal teas. Another good way to take in sufficient liquid is with herb teas. They're free of both caffeine and calories, so large amounts won't make you jittery or pile on unwanted pounds.

6. Make a mixture of one tablespoon of pepper, 1 cup of vinegar and 1 glass of water. Boil it and apply it on the affected area.

Gout diet

Food to Avoid

Avoid high purine food. Foods very high in purines include:

hearts
herring
mussels
yeast
smelt
sardines
sweetbreads
Anchovies, sardines in oil, fish roes, herring.
Yeast.
Organ meat (liver, kidneys, sweetbreads)
Legumes (dried beans, peas)
Meat extracts, consomme, gravies.
Mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower.

Avoid alcohol or drink alcohol in moderation


Recommended Foods To Eat

Fresh cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and other red-blue berries
Bananas
Celery
Tomatoes
Vegetables including kale, cabbage, parsley, green-leafy vegetables
Foods high in bromelain (pineapple)
Foods high in vitamin C (red cabbage, red bell peppers, tangerines, mandarins, oranges, potatoes)
Drink fruit juices and purified water (8 glasses of water per day)
Low-fat dairy products
Complex carbohydrates (breads, cereals, pasta, rice, as well as aforementioned vegetables and fruits)
Chocolate, cocoa
Coffee, tea
Carbonated beverages
Essential fatty acids (tuna and salmon, flaxseed, nuts, seeds)
Tofu, although a legume and made from soybeans, may be a better choice than meat

Cough Remedies

Here are a few home remedies for cough:

1. Mix half a teaspoon of lemon juice with the same amount of honey and have this twice a day. Honey helps cure itchiness by adding moisture to the throat passage.

2. Make a paste of almonds (soaked overnight) with sugar and butter. Consuming this can help curing dry cough.

3. Salwater gargling is an effective way to remove bacteria at the back of your throat and it could help with cough.

4. Crush onions to extract their juice, mix it with honey and consume this two to three times a day. This acts as an excellent cough syrup.

5. Cut a lemon slice and fill it with black pepper powder and salt. Suck on this can help reduce cough.


Please note that cough may often be a symptom rather than the disease itself. So if it persists for a long duration it is always safer to consult your doctor. The above remedies will just provide relief from cough and will not treat the underlying ailment if any.

Top Health Applications for the iPhone

An iPod... a Phone... an Internet Communications Device...
And now Health Freak's gadget..?

Here are some of the top health application that you can have running on the new iPhone:

1. Epocrates: Epocrates is a mobile clinical practice suite that includes integrated drug, disease, and diagnostic guides, ICD-9 and CPT coding reference, and a robust medical dictionary. In short it is a pocket reference for the health care professional that could assist him greatly.

2. iPharmacy: Lost your prescription? Use this Web Application to view common dosages and directions for thousands of prescription drugs. A generic and name brand drug database that lets you browse thousands of drug descriptions, dosage, symptoms, side effects, and more, all from the palm of your hand. Great for medical practitioners who need quick access to drug information.

3. Unbound MEDLINE: Get access to more than 17 million medical journal articles anytime, anywhere. Plus, Unbound's unique Best Evidence search defines search parameters to retrieve evidence-based journal articles.

4. Quitter: Do you want to quit smoking? Again? Try out quitter. It shows you how long it has been since you last smoked and how much you have saved since then.

Here is a video on that:


5. Absolute Fitness:A fitness app that helps you track your food intake with its built-in nutritional database. You can log exercises as well.

Here is a video:


6. iPhone Emergency Card: It can store your health, contact and blood type information which can be used in case of emergencies. Moreover it gives users to access maps to nearby hospitals.

7. The Pocket First Aid Guide: You never know when you might need it, the Pocket First Aid Guide for the iPhone will help you treat anything from bee stings to eye injuries.

Home remedies for sinus infection

Here are some home remedies for sinus infection.

Here are a few home remedies for curing sinus infection

1. Hot steam inhalation: Steam inhalation is a good natural remedy to relieve sinus congestion and reduce the sinus pressure. Steam inhalation helps in thinning the mucus so that it can be expelled through the nose.

2. Using hot compresses in the sinus area is a home remedy for sinus pain pressure

3. Using nasal irrigators can help opening up the nasal cavities. You can get these nasal irrigators at a drug store. (Try a NeilMed Sinus Rinse or Neti Pot) People may initially find nasal irrigation something that needs to be get used to. But just follow the instruction that comes with the irrigators and you will do well.

4. Mix 1 tablespoon of Apple Cedar Vinegar in a glass of apple juice. Gulp the mixture down. You should feel relief within an hour.

5. You can make a paste of cinnamon and water and apply it on the forehead.

Additional Tips

Sleeping with your head in a slightly elevated position can help encourage drainage during the night. Also avoid blowing in your nose too hard when you are having sinusitis. It will only lead to pushing the blockage furhter up the cavities.

Home Remedy for Herpes

Here are a few home remedies for Herpes

1. Set on the "cool" setting, a hairdryer can give instant cooling relief to painful sores.

2. Use Ice cubes on the sore, this can give relief.

3. Cold tea bags applied to the infected area every hour may be beneficial. This is because tea bags contain tannic acid which is thought to have antiviral properties, best used at the first sign of an outbreak.

4. Slightly dampen a cotton ball or tissue, dip it in Baking Soda (also called Bi-Carbonate Soda) and coat the infected area. Leave on the sore to dry out the infection and to help relieve itching.

5. Apply Vitamin E oil on the skin

6. Apply Aloe Vera gel on the sores.

Home Remedy for Anxiety

Here are some home tips for controlling anxiety:

1. Exercise Regularly atleast for half an hour 3 times a week.

2. Sleep 6-8 hours each day

3. Ensure that you are on a balanced diet and take adequate calcium, magnesium, and b-complex vitamin supplements

4. Avoid refined sugars and carbohydrates, and instead eat foods low in sugar and containing whole grains

5. Avoid coffee, tea, and cola sodas (or any other drinks with caffeine)

6. Avoid alcohol and drugs, as these tend to use up your bodies supply of important vitamins and minerals when your body metabolizes them

7. Get yourself a massage

8. Try finding a hobby or something that keeps you engaged