Gout and Water: Does Drinking Water Help Gout?
During my early days with gout, someone actually told me that all it took was to drink lots of water. He was not a doctor or anything, but he has had multiple attacks of gout nonetheless; me, on the other hand, was only one episode in back then.
In this blog, I usually share my own experiences when it comes to gout—be it medications, alternative treatments, what to expect, etc. Unfortunately, I might not be able to on this one. It’s not that I do not believe drinking water helps gout, it’s just that I haven’t really observed any change worth attributing to just drinking water. Of course when an attack happens, I take medications and change things up a bit, so it would be really hard to pinpoint what water actually does. Besides, I have been drinking water since all kinds of ailments—that I was too young for—started showing up.
From hereon, I speak from what I have learned so far. It might not be from firsthand experience, but if you have gout, you can’t help but read up on a lot of stuff, and consult with as much people (doctors or otherwise) as you can.
To say the least, water is good for a lot of things; it is probably the only think you can’t have too much of.
Water is the most natural diuretic available to man. Kidneys play a vital role in controlling gout. With that said, when it comes to gout, water helps the body flush out excess uric acid. By being adequately hydrated at all times, uric acid concentration will be at a minimum. Think of water as a powdered drink mix. The more water you add, the less tasty your drink gets. Also, it is a known fact that dehydration is a known trigger for gout. Taking from the opposite of what was previously discussed, the more dehydrated your body gets, the more concentrated uric acid becomes. This also makes it easier for uric acid crystals to form, hence, gout.
To start your own gout water therapy, drink anywhere between 12 to 15 glasses of water (around 3 liters) everyday. Taking it at several smaller doses is better than drinking liters at a time. Water content of foods and other non-alcoholic drinks can be added to your intake levels, especially if you find it hard to drink as much. Also, compensate accordingly for hotter days or when exercising.