Essential self-management tips for gout and rheumatoid arthritis

Gout and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are often confused as one arthritic disorder. This is mostly because they have similar symptoms including inflammation of foot joints and tenderness. However, both are a result of different causes. RA, on the one hand, is an autoimmune disorder which occurs when the immune system goes into an overdrive and starts damaging the healthy cells. On the other hand, gout is caused when uric acid crystals build up around the joint, in most cases, the big toe.

What foods to eat and avoid with gout and rheumatoid arthritis?
A healthy diet is an essential part of a successful foot pain treatment for both, gouty and rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, patients should take extra effort to improve their eating habits. Individuals with RA should follow an anti-inflammatory diet, whereas those with gout should have foods with low-purine content.

The following is the list of foods you should eat and avoid if you are dealing with RA:

Foods to eat

• Beans
• Cherries
• Broccoli
• Fatty fish
• Green tea
• Pumpkin
• Citrus fruits
• Walnuts
• Pomegranates
• Soy
• Ginger and turmeric
• Olive oil

Foods to avoid

• Refined flour and sugar
• Red meat
• Gluten
• Fried and salty foods
• Full-fat dairy products
• Processed foods
• Alcohol
• Corn oil

Here’s a list of foods you should include and eliminate from your diet if you have gout:

Foods to include

• Fresh fruits, especially cherries
• A safe source of purine-rich vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, and cauliflower
• Low-fat dairy products
• Coffee
• Whole grains
• Legumes such as beans, lentils, soybeans, and tofu
• Eggs
• All types of herbs and spices
• Plant-based oils
• Nuts and seeds

Foods to eliminate

• All types of organ meats
• Read meat
• Seafood
• Alcohol, especially beer, gin, rum, vodka, and whiskey
• Sugary sodas
• Processed foods with high-fructose corn syrup content

What lifestyle changes can help improve foot pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis?
Along with treatments for foot pain caused for rheumatoid arthritis, it is extremely necessary to ditch unhealthy habits and lead an active lifestyle. The following are some lifestyle factors that can you can adapt to accelerate your recovery from RA-induced foot pain.

• Exercising – Simple low-intensity exercises as brisk walking, cycling, and swimming can help relieve symptoms like stiffness and pain. Likewise, if you are overweight, losing a few pounds can assuage the tension in the body, making your joints more receptive to the foot pain treatments.
• Rest – Resting for proper 8 hours a day is necessary so that your body can heal itself. However, you can find it increasingly difficult to get some good sleep with RA. To ensure that you don’t skimp on your slumber, try some calming breathing exercises or take a warm shower to relax your body before bedtime.
• Seek support – Dealing with RA can be physically and emotionally taxing. Stress can exacerbate the foot pain caused by RA. Therefore, to maintain a positive attitude and yield fruitful results from the foot pain treatment, you can join support groups for RA. If you are not comfortable with support groups, try socializing more with family and friends to overcome feelings of malaise or negativity.

What lifestyle changes are useful for managing gout?
As compared to RA, gout is easier to manage, as it is caused due to elevated levels of uric acids, which can be brought down by embracing a nutritious diet plan. Although to prevent gout attacks in the future, you should consider following the lifestyle changes stated below.

• Health-conscious approach – A health-conscious attitude is not just confined to healthy diets and regular exercise; one should also make it a habit to get bi-annual medical checkups. If you have suffered from acute gout attacks, then get your uric acid levels checked twice a year. If they are high, then you can take the necessary measures in time to avoid an agonizing gout episode.
• Drink a lot of water – Having inadequate water can cause the uric acid to accumulate in the blood. Therefore, have at least 8 to 10 glasses of water so the kidneys can efficiently filter all the waste matter.
• Exercise – Patients with gout should ensure at least 30 minutes of exercise to manage stress and maintain good circulation levels in the body. However, exercising isn’t recommended when you are having an acute gout attack as it could prove to be counterproductive. During an attack, you should focus on getting the right foot pain treatments and ample of rest.

What alternative foot pain treatments can improve the symptoms of RA or gout?
The following are some alternative foot pain treatments that can help ease RA or gout symptoms:

• Reflexology
• Massage therapy
• Hydrotherapy
• Acupuncture and acupressure

Tags – rheumatoid arthritis gouty foot pain treatment, rheumatoid arthritis gout foot pain treatment, treatment rheumatoid arthritis gout, rheumatoid arthritis gouty foot pain treatments, uric acid and rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis gout foot pain treatments