There is no medical cure for gout. Doctors usually prescribe ineffective medications with nasty side effects.
A new study published in the journal Medicine now reveals a simple and very effective way to treat gout naturally.
All you need to do is drink water—but not just any water.
The study was conducted at Guangdong Hydropower Hospital between 2021 and 2023. It involved 400 participants aged 18 to 70, all suffering from chronic gout.
For ethical reasons, the doctors would not have been allowed to take patients off the uric acid-reducing drugs that they were already taking, so the researchers had to do their study with all of their participants already on medicine.
They divided them into groups, with some receiving only conventional medicine and others receiving various concentrations of alkaline water along with their medication.
They were randomly assigned to four groups:
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1. A control group adhering to a low-purine diet and consuming 2,000 mL of regular water daily.
2. A low pH concentration group consuming 2,000 mL of alkaline water with a pH of 8.0–8.2 daily.
3. A medium pH concentration group drinking 2,000 mL of alkaline water with a pH of 8.3–8.5 daily.
4. A high pH concentration group drinking 2,000 mL of alkaline water with a pH of 8.8–9.0 daily.
Note that 2,000 mL of water amounts to 67.5 oz., so it was a fair amount of water that the participants had to drink.
Over a year, the researchers monitored various health markers, including pain levels, joint swelling, daily activity capabilities, range of joint motion, biochemical markers like uric acid, and creatinine and urea nitrogen for kidney health. They also assessed a range of inflammatory markers.
The study yielded promising results, especially for those in the high concentration group. Here are the main findings:
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1. Participants drinking high-concentration alkaline water experienced significant pain reduction, as measured by pain scales.
2. The high-concentration group saw the greatest improvement in reducing joint swelling.
3. All groups drinking alkaline water showed notable enhancements in daily activity scores.
4. There was a significant improvement in the range of joint motion across all groups.
5. The levels of most inflammatory markers decreased, especially in the low concentration group.
6. All groups consuming alkaline water showed a substantial reduction in serum uric acid levels compared to the control group.
This means that alkaline water, particularly at higher pH levels, could be an effective treatment for gout.
If you’re struggling with gout, you can try your daily 67.5 oz. of alkaline water with a pH score of 8.8–9 to see if it helps you to manage the condition.
You can buy alkaline water in most grocery or health food stores or online. You can also buy a water ionizer to make your own. The simplest way to alkaline your water is to add a little bit of baking soda to your drinking water.