Is it possible to steam your feet if you have gout? This question interests many today who suffer from this disease. Some people advise going to the bathhouse and warming your feet in every possible way if you have been diagnosed with this, while others, on the contrary, categorically advise against overheating, assuring that the patient’s condition in this case can only worsen. In this article we will understand what kind of disease gout is, how it is affected by temperature changes, and under what conditions you can visit the bathhouse and sauna.
Features of the disease
To understand whether it is possible to soar your legs with gout, it is important to understand what this disease is based on. The number of patients with diseased joints and bones is increasing every year. A disease such as gout often occurs. The popularity of the disease is due to several factors. These include the use of low-quality shoes, abuse of fatty foods, such as fast food, hereditary predisposition, as well as other processes that lead to disruption of normal metabolism in the body. With this disease, it is important to figure out whether it is possible to steam your feet with gout.
It is worth noting that this is a very unpleasant disease, which is characterized by the accumulation of large amounts of uric acid. This leads to damage to the kidneys and joints, which suffer the most. In the future, metabolic processes in the human body begin to be disrupted, disruptions occur in the elimination of toxins and microcirculation. Uric acid salts are gradually deposited more and more in the joints, and because of this, so-called tophi are formed.
In addition, uric acid causes severe itching, is deposited in the subcutaneous tissue, and the patient constantly experiences irritation in the affected areas. If assistance is not given to the patient in a timely manner, urolithiasis may develop. Among the reasons that lead to its appearance, it is worth noting excessive smoking (more than ten cigarettes a day for a fairly long period of time), abuse of fatty foods and alcohol, a sedentary and inactive lifestyle, and taking certain medications.
It has long been believed that gout is a disease that only affects wealthy people. This is due to the fact that they can afford a sedentary lifestyle, as well as a rich diet with a lot of fatty foods.
Why does gout occur?
Uric acid is a natural product of many metabolic reactions that occur in our body. Normally, the kidneys quickly filter it out of the blood and excrete it in urine. If this process is slowed down for some reason, then uric acid begins to accumulate and causes a whole cascade of disorders. These reasons include:
- hereditary changes in genes that affect the proper metabolism of uric acid;
- various kidney diseases that make it difficult for them to fully perform their functions;
- autoimmune diseases affecting general metabolism;
- long-term and uncontrolled use of a number of pharmacological drugs (acetylsalicylic acid, diuretics, etc.);
- various types of anemia;
- chronic disorders of fat metabolism;
- a large amount of fatty meat in the diet;
- excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages;
- excess body weight.
Effect of temperature
Patients who suffer from this disease are interested in whether it is possible to steam their feet with gout. It is clear that temperature has a significant impact on joints. This is especially evident in cases of gout. The results of numerous studies have proven that those who regularly go to the sauna or steam bath are much less likely to suffer from all kinds of gouty disorders and ailments associated with joint diseases.
In particular, patients with osteochondrosis, osteoarthritis, bursitis, arthritis, and gout experience a beneficial effect on their body from hot temperature.
High temperature has an analgesic effect for gout, allowing the patient to feel relief in the affected joints, significantly reduce or completely get rid of the feeling of stiffness.
When figuring out whether it is possible to warm joints with gout, it is important to remember that you cannot visit a sauna or bathhouse if you are experiencing an exacerbation of the disease. This is a period characterized by redness, soreness of the affected joint, increased local and general temperature, swelling and tension of the tissues.
Vaping with gout of the leg is only possible during quiet remission. Otherwise, the inflammatory process can only worsen. Remember that if you are going to the bathhouse, be sure to visit a doctor before this to exclude an acute period of inflammation. It is better to check with him once again whether it is possible to steam joints with gout. The doctor should also check the patient for the presence of hypertension and other pathological processes that occur in an acute form. All these are undesirable symptoms when visiting a bathhouse or sauna.
Is it worth going to the bathhouse?
If you are going to the bathhouse, then you should figure out whether it is possible to warm and steam your feet with gout. It should be understood that gouty disease occurs due to pathology in metabolic processes. The bathhouse is one of the places where it will be most effective to restore the speed of these processes.
When the bathhouse is well and efficiently heated, the patient’s general and local blood flow and sweating improve (toxins are eliminated). The speed of metabolic processes at the cellular level increases, the rate of metabolism, healing and growth of the moving elements of a particular joint increases, and the neuropsychic state improves. That's why many people recommend vaping if you have gout.
In addition to temperature effects, additional means are used in the bath to combat this disease. For example, during warming up it is useful to use various decoctions and tinctures prepared according to folk recipes. The skin and respiratory system are favorably influenced by aromatic oils. If you specifically select brooms that are useful in this situation, you can effectively influence the healing of the joint. First of all, birch, nettle and eucalyptus brooms are useful.
Many people believe that it is possible to heat joints for gout. Indeed, at high temperatures, uric acid begins to be actively excreted along with sweat. At the same time, be sure to drink as much fluid as possible to replenish the lack of moisture in the body. It is better if it is herbal tea or water.
Drinking treatment in complex spa treatment for gout
For drinking treatment of gout, low-mineralized alkaline mineral waters of predominantly hydrocarbonate or sulfate-bicarbonate composition are used. Hypotonic waters taken orally are quickly absorbed, increase the volume of extracellular fluid, mobilize metabolic processes and are quickly eliminated from the body, providing a kind of “washing” of the intercellular space and urinary tract. An increase in diuresis helps reduce hyperurecemia, and alkalinization of urine increases the solubility of uric acid and thereby prevents the occurrence or progression of tophaus lesions of target organs and gouty nephrolithiasis. The effects of these waters are also due to their mineral composition, since many of the trace elements act as catalysts for enzymatic reactions of important biochemical processes. Rn Drinking use of radon water has anti-inflammatory, diuretic, desensitizing, sedative and analgesic effects. The low content of minerals in radon waters used for drinking treatment contributes to an increase in diuresis and the elimination of urate. Some authors explain this by an increase in the permeability of basement membranes, as well as the transition of extracellular uric acid to a soluble state. In addition, radon has a normalizing effect on basal (protein), carbohydrate, mineral, cholesterol and water metabolism in the body. When drinking radon water, there is an improvement in the metabolism of uric acid in patients with gout, which is associated with the normalization of liver function under the influence of radon procedures. HCO3 Hydrocarbonate ions, alkalizing urine, promote the dissolution of urates and their excretion in the urine, dissolving mucus in the urinary tract, promoting the growth of the inflammatory process. SO4 Sulfur-containing sulfate and sulfide (H2S) mineral waters have diuretic, anti-inflammatory, choleretic effects. Thiosulfates act as coenzymes for many biochemical processes. Sulfate and low-sulfide waters have a pronounced choleretic effect, regulating stool, improving elimination function, and helping to reduce hyperurecemia. Mg The presence of magnesium ions in mineral waters is beneficial for patients with concomitant nephrolithiasis, which about 25% of patients with gout have. Urinary stones most often have a urate core with an oxalate shell. Magnesium ions bind up to 40% of oxalic acid in the urine, and their deficiency is manifested by the formation of calcium oxalate crystals. In addition, magnesium sulfates have antispasmodic and atyspastic effects. Ca The presence of calcium ion increases the solubility of uric acid in urine, which explains the effectiveness of treatment with calcium-containing waters for gout. In addition, Ca ions have desensitizing and anti-inflammatory effects due to their astringent and compacting effect on the cell membrane. In combination with silicon, calcium has an antioxidant and membrane protective effect. Si Silicon, which has the property of restoring the colloid-crystalloid state of urine and has a membrane-protective effect, enhances the diuretic effect, reduces the degree of crystallization of mineral salts, and affects metabolic processes. The high silicon content in water increases the solubility of oxalic acid crystals, preventing the growth of urate stones, the shell of which is most often composed of oxalates. F The therapeutic effect of fluoride-containing waters for gout is associated with the inhibitory effect of fluoride on the synthesis of uric acid.
Visiting rules
It is important to adhere to certain rules when visiting a bathhouse. Then steam and hot air are guaranteed to only benefit you, you will be sure whether it is possible to heat gout.
Before going to the bathhouse, you should carefully prepare your body. First follow a special light diet, from which you should exclude mussels, red meat, heart, brains - minimize the amount of protein food, or better yet, exclude it altogether.
It would be a good idea to stock up on special decoctions for watering the heater, tinctures for rubbing into the affected joints, as well as other folk remedies. Be sure to remember about protective equipment when visiting the bathhouse. The head must be protected from steam with a special headgear; it is advisable to have grips on your hands.
You should start preparing for visiting the bathhouse at home by measuring your blood pressure; if it is high, it is better to refrain from visiting the steam room and carefully follow your diet. In the bathhouse itself, increase the heat gradually, limiting a single visit to the steam room to five minutes.
Now you know whether you can vape gout. This method of treatment is approved and even recommended by most specialists. The main thing is to follow the rules and not overdo it. If you don’t know what to do when you have gout: heat or cool, then you should be aware that pouring cold water in the bathhouse after a steam room should be avoided. This will be a serious stress for the body, and cold water will begin to urgently constrict the blood vessels, which will be considered an unfavorable effect for them.
Sauna
Recently, along with the classic Russian bath, saunas have become increasingly popular. It is important for patients to understand whether it is possible to warm and steam their feet with gout, and whether it is worth visiting a sauna.
The fundamental difference between a sauna and a bathhouse is that the sauna predominantly uses dry rather than moist hot air. At the same time, the process of heating the body is more specific, the effect on the body is completely different than in the bathhouse, and the joints react differently. It is important to understand whether it is possible to warm your feet with gout in the sauna or whether you should limit yourself to just visiting the bathhouse.
Most experts are confident that the beneficial and healing effect of visiting a sauna is also present, but it is much weaker. For optimal effect, before heading into the hot sauna room, it is recommended to smear the affected areas with honey, which will promote sweating and blood circulation. The use of oils and various decoctions prepared according to folk recipes is also considered very appropriate.
One of the key points when visiting the sauna will be the use of decoctions that have a diuretic effect and water. You should drink them as much as possible. In this case, you will provide yourself with additional opportunities to remove acids and salts from the body, which will only improve your condition, since previously they significantly weakened it.
It should be remembered that eating fatty foods, beer, sweet and carbonated drinks, and salty foods in the sauna, as in the bathhouse, is strongly discouraged. Only under this condition can you warm your feet with gout; you will be guaranteed an exceptionally positive effect from such thermal therapy.
To summarize, we can say that single visits to a sauna or steam bath will not have any significant effect on your health, affecting only the cleanliness of your body and psychological state. To achieve a therapeutic effect, you should go to the sauna or steam bath three to four times a week. Of course, this can only be realized if you live in a private house and have a bathhouse nearby every day. In other situations, going to the steam room with such frequency will be very problematic. But even in this case, do not despair, since there is an alternative.
Diet for gout on the legs and arms
Following a specific diet plays a separate and very important role in treatment. After all, it is the consumption of a number of foods that becomes the most common cause of exacerbations of gouty arthritis. So, it is better for patients to completely exclude from their diet:
- red meat in any form;
- almost all seafood, especially fatty fish;
- any other dishes containing a large amount of fat;
- coffee, cocoa and strong tea;
- any alcoholic drinks, especially those made with yeast;
- baked goods and confectionery;
- sweet (especially carbonated) drinks and fruit juices.
Baths
Those who plan to regularly take hot baths to alleviate their condition with this disease are also interested in whether it is possible to warm their feet with gout.
Hot foot baths for joint problems have been used since ancient times. As a rule, to achieve maximum effect, all kinds of herbs, tinctures, and oils are added to them. This method of treatment helps to effectively get the patient back on his feet in the shortest possible time. Moreover, you can arrange restorative treatment at home, without going to the sauna or bathhouse several times a week.
Among the most popular components of such baths are sea salt, chamomile infusions, string, sage, baking soda, and flax seeds. It is worth noting that all these components have a beneficial effect on the condition of the joints, but it is necessary to use them correctly and not overdo it. Some patients may be allergic to certain substances. In this case, their use should be stopped immediately and alternative options should be started.
It is important to remember that at the first signs of gout, you must immediately seek help from a doctor, and then strictly follow all the recommendations, be sure to check with the doctor whether the thermal effect on the joints will be beneficial in your case, whether it is possible to take baths, go to the sauna or sauna.
If there are no contraindications, you can safely begin to warm up the joint, while not forgetting to take the medications that your doctor will prescribe to you. The positive effect of warming up the joints will only be achieved if complex therapy is used. Only in this case can the disease recede.
What baths will help with gout?
In the absence of contraindications, baths simply need to be used together with drug therapy, as they have a beneficial effect on the body and contribute to a speedy recovery
There are many recipes for baths and trays for gout. The most effective are considered to be hydrogen sulfide, salt and turpentine. But there are other recipes that are widely used in the treatment of joint diseases.
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide baths for gout ensure the penetration of hydrogen sulfide through the skin into the blood. Hydrogen sulfide, a natural antioxidant, improves blood microcirculation, purine metabolism, reduces the amount of uric acid, and also promotes the nutrition of cartilage.
The course of treatment for gout using hydrogen sulfide baths should begin gradually. The initial concentration is 50 -100 mg/l, and the water temperature should not exceed 37 degrees. The duration of one procedure is no more than 15 minutes. The course of procedures is carried out for two days in a row followed by a break of one day. An average course of therapy includes 11-12 procedures. Carrying out hydrogen sulfide baths is prohibited in the following cases:
- during an acute attack of gout;
- with chronic hepatitis;
- for any dysfunction of the liver or kidneys;
- with urolithiasis or cholelithiasis;
- during incomplete remission.
Side effects occur extremely rarely. Allergic reactions are possible, manifested by itching, irritation or redness of the skin. In this case, it is necessary to stop the procedures.
Radon
The action is achieved through ɑ-radiation. Radon, a radioactive element, penetrates the skin into the body and stimulates metabolic processes. Radon decay products are completely removed after 5-5.5 hours.
This type of bath for gout can reduce the level of uric acid in the blood and also helps improve blood flow in the affected joints. In addition, radon has anti-inflammatory properties.
The temperature during the procedure should not exceed 37 degrees, while the concentration of the substance is 1.5 kBq. The duration of the procedure is 15 minutes. Such baths are carried out with an interval of one day. The number of procedures per week should not exceed 5.
Salt
It is better to combine a salt bath with physical exercise, this will strengthen the diseased areas and relieve stress on the joints.
Salt baths for gout are one of the most common methods of balneotherapy. This technique is one of the simplest: to prepare a salt bath you will need components available to each patient.
For cooking, it is recommended to give preference to sea salt, but if it is not available, you can replace it with table salt. This procedure will reduce pain and also help suppress the inflammatory process.
For one foot bath you will need 85 grams of salt per 1 liter of water. The duration of the procedure is 20-25 minutes. The duration of therapy is 2 weeks.
Turpentine
Turpentine baths are widely used in the treatment of not only gout, but also other joint diseases. Baths have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect and quickly relieve pain.
The initial dosage of turpentine should not exceed 2 ml per 25 liters of water. If the procedure does not cause allergic reactions, then the dosage can be increased to 7 ml. The procedure time should not exceed 20 minutes. The water temperature should be 37-38 degrees.
During the procedure, it is necessary to avoid getting turpentine in the eyes, and also reliably protect the nose and ears.
With herbs
Therapeutic baths with herbs are a safe remedy and have no contraindications. But when using them, allergic reactions may occur, in which case the procedures are stopped.
In most cases, a mixture of herbs such as thyme, violet, oregano or walnut leaves is used. All these herbs are mixed, then poured with a liter of hot water.
Baths with sage and chamomile are also used to eliminate inflammation. You will need 300 grams of grass and 5 liters of hot water. The course of treatment is 8-10 procedures. Herbal baths are allowed daily.
Mud
Mud therapy for gout is used to improve blood circulation in tissues, normalize metabolism, and stop the formation of deformation in joints
Mud therapy is used in the treatment of not only joint diseases, but also many other diseases. Mud baths for gout are highly effective, but the result directly depends on the quality of the mud used.
To treat gout, only healing sea mud is used. Dirt is diluted with clean water in equal proportions. The water temperature should be 37-38 degrees. After thoroughly mixing the components, you need to immerse the affected joint in the bath. The duration of the procedure is 20-30 minutes. These baths can be used daily. The recommended course of treatment includes 13-15 procedures.
After a mud bath, it is recommended to apply a cream or ointment to the affected area, designed to eliminate pathological processes in the joints.
Carbon dioxide
Baths of this type are used to eliminate skin and joint pathologies, as well as to treat the musculoskeletal system. The disadvantage of this procedure is that it cannot be done at home. Such baths are carried out only in sanatorium-resort institutions.
Such baths allow you to replenish the deficiency of essential substances in the body, speed up regeneration processes and normalize blood circulation. Carbon dioxide baths are contraindicated for patients suffering from high blood pressure.
Sodas
Soda baths for gout are used to relieve symptoms. Sodium bicarbonate with water effectively alkalizes the body, reducing the level of uric acid in the blood.
Soda baths have a number of advantages:
- dissolve salt deposits that have accumulated in the joints;
- remove toxic substances;
- have an antiparasitic effect;
- quickly reduce pain;
- eliminate swelling;
- normalizes metabolism in the joints.
To prepare such a bath you will need 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 liters of hot water. If desired, it is recommended to add a few drops of iodine. The procedure time is 20 minutes. You can take a soda bath every day. The course consists of 12-15 procedures.
Soda-based baths have no contraindications; in most cases, they are easily tolerated by patients.
After the pathological process goes into remission, it is recommended to use soda baths for preventive purposes. This will help significantly reduce the risk of relapse of the disease. For preventive purposes, baths with soda solution are recommended once a week. It is recommended to combine them with external agents designed to eliminate gout.
Symptoms
In order to see a doctor in time, you need to know what symptoms this disease manifests itself and how to recognize gout in the early stages.
In most cases, gout manifests itself in the form of arthritis, which constantly recurs. As a rule, the small joints of the feet are affected. In the vast majority of cases, the joints of the first toe are affected, less commonly the knee and ankle joints.
During acute attacks of gout, sharp pain appears in the affected joint, the skin over it turns red, and swelling appears in this area.
Another characteristic symptom is the appearance of so-called tophi. These are nodules of various sizes that are located in the soft tissues near the joints. They concentrate uric acid salts, which cause the main suffering to the patient. In some cases, they can open on their own, then a characteristic thick white mass begins to emerge from them.
As a result, about a quarter of patients with gout also suffer from urolithiasis, as uric acid salts are deposited in the kidneys. When the disease begins to progress, range of motion may be impaired, joints may become deformed, and in extreme cases, they may become completely immobile.
Traditional methods
Note that most traditional methods of treating the disease are in one way or another connected with visiting a bathhouse or taking hot baths. At the same time, it is important to decide what to use for steaming your feet when you have gout on your feet.
For example, they use all kinds of ointments for rubbing. Here are just a few recipes. Take homemade butter in equal proportions with alcohol. Melt the butter in a frying pan, and then carefully pour alcohol into it. Set the mixture on fire so that all the alcohol burns out, and put the resulting mass in a container and put it in the refrigerator. Rub the resulting ointment into the affected area until joint pain disappears completely.
Another option is to grind several tablets of activated carbon so that the result is half a glass of powder. Add a tablespoon of ground flax seed to it. Pour in some water and stir the healing agent. It is recommended to rub this ointment before going to bed, and then carefully wrap the sore joint.
These procedures are most effective the day before visiting a sauna or steam bath.
Soaring feet
Now we’ll tell you how to steam your feet when you have gout on your feet. A hot infusion of milkweed, which should be diluted in a small amount of water, will help you relieve acute pain. In this case, the ankles should be completely immersed in the liquid. You should steam your feet for about half an hour until the water cools down. Milkweed infusion is also effective in treating cramps, which often occur in patients with gout.
A compress from the string will also help with this disease. In this case, you should prepare a special decoction by pouring 10 liters of water into 100 g of grass. Steam your feet in this broth. An infusion of the series effectively relieves pain. They can also be used to rub the affected joints. To do this, pour five glasses of boiling water into four tablespoons of the herb, leave the healing agent to infuse for several hours.
Often patients soak their feet with violet, thyme, oregano, and walnut leaves. Brew the herb in three liters of water for 30 minutes, and then simply constantly add boiling water to the bowl. Herbs can be alternated with each other, so the effect will be even more pronounced. Some people find it helpful to get rid of sudden pain and relieve swelling with a solution prepared on the basis of table salt and laundry soap.
A chamomile decoction prepared with table salt will also help get rid of gouty tumors on the legs. To prepare it, pour about 200 g of salt into a bucket of boiling water and add three tablespoons of raw materials. A decoction of oat straw or sage also helps in this situation. Feet should be steamed in such a healing remedy for about 30 minutes.
A good result can be achieved if, after steaming your feet, apply a compress with warming ointment on top. It will effectively relieve your pain overnight. The next morning you are guaranteed to feel much better.
Nutritional Features
A balanced diet can also alleviate the condition of a gout patient. Meat soups and rich broths, fried fish and meat should be excluded from the diet.
The formation of uric acid is promoted by purines and protein; their amount in the body should be minimized. In this case, you will be able to prevent the development of gout or slightly slow down the course of the disease. You should also drink enough vitamins C and P, which help dissolve uric acid and remove it from the body.
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