Alkaline Water for Gout

Increasing the alkalinity of the body is a good way to reduce your risk of gout. When you add sugary carbonated sodas, candy, beers, sugars, meats, and other acidic foods and beverages the your diet the body as a whole becomes more acidic. This is not good for the body as viruses and bacteria can survive. It is even worse for gout sufferers, it makes it harder for the kidneys to remove the excess uric acid which contribute to more gout.

The human body is naturally alkaline with a pH of around 7.4.

pH < 7 is Acid
pH = 7 is Neutral
pH > 7 is Alkaline



Pool Chemical Test Kit

 There are many different ways to get alkaline water depending on your taste buds and budget. Each method has it's pros and cons. To test the pH of the water, you can get a swimming pool chemical test kit or test strips. There are also test strips used for urinalysis to check the acidity of your urine to track your progress.

Lemon Water - The cheapest way to get alkaline water at home is squeezing lemon juice into regular tap water. Although the lemon water is acid, it is believed to have an alkaline effect on the body.

Baking Soda - Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate), which has a pH of around 8.0, will alkaline your water also and is very inexpensive. Due to the high sodium content, baking soda can increase your blood pressure. Ask your doctor before trying this remedy. Personally, I did not like the flavor or texture of the baking soda water.

Baking Soda Remedy
- A half teaspoon to 6 to 8 ozs of water.



Alkazone

 Alkaline drops - Alkaline drops can be added to any beverage to increase it's alkalinity. Although, not as inexpensive as lemons or  baking soda, a single bottle is not too expensive and can last for weeks or months. The bottles are small so they travel well and are convenient when out for dinner. There are several brands available through your local health food store or favorite online retailer. Each brand of Alkaline drops I tried each used different minerals to change the pH of the water. This created an after taste in some brand that I did not like. I prefer AlkaZone, but I recommend trying several brands to find the one you like.

Water Alkalizer Machines - Water Alkalizer use electric charges, or electrolysis, to adjust the pH of the water in its tank. Alkalizers can be purchases in small portable bottles, counter-top versions, or systems for an entire house. Some of these systems are very expensive so that are not for everyone.

pH Balance for Gout Control

One way you can help control your gout attack is by controlling the pH balance of your body. The pH, or Power of Hydrogen, in the body is measured on a scale from 0 to 14. A pH of 0 is extremely acidic, a pH of 14 is extremely alkaline, and a pH of 7 is neutral. The body is naturally alkaline but only slightly around 7.5. A person can become extremely sick if the body is too acidic or too alkaline so it is important to try to keep it balanced. Most of the food and drinks we consume are acidic making our bodies more acidic. Consider all the alcohol, sodas, and caffeinated beverage we have in a day. They are all acidic. Even fruits which are healthy to eat are high acidic. Then on those hot days when you are drinking lots of water to stay hydrated. The water we drink (from the tap or bottled) is generally acidic. This makes our job as gout sufferers even harder because the more acid is in our bodies the harder it will be to stop a gout attack.
During one of my longest gout attacks, I decided to find out about the acidity of my body. I purchased some pH balance strips that you would use to test the chemical in a pool. So when I would go to the restroom, I could check the acidity of my body. It was eye opening to see how acidic my body was. You can find Urinalysis Strips online designed to inform you about the chemicals in your body beyond just your pH balance. I highly recommend testing your pH balance but either test strip should to the trick for gout issues.
Since our bodies and food are so acidic, what does a gout suffered do? We need to consume more food and drinks that are more alkaline than acidic. When I looked at a list of alkaline foods I noticed that some of the vegetables on that list are high in purines, like cauliflower and asparagus, which I once enjoyed. As I mentioned before, bottled water is generally acidic. I decided to use the pH strips in samples of the water I was drinking. I tested water from the kitchen and bottled water. Water from my tap was very acidic probably due to the metal pipes. Bottled water depends on the brands. Most of the bottled water that you find in the stores are neutral or slightly acidic depending on the brand. A few were more acidic than others. I then discovered that there are some brands that sell alkaline water. Most are only slightly alkaline around 8.0. If you look in the health food stores some can be found to be as high as 9.5. Unfortunately, purchasing bottled alkaline water can be expensive. Then someone introduced me to Alkaline drops. These are drops that you add to any drinks to make them more alkaline. There are many brands of alkaline drops available. I have tried several brands in tea and water. Some brand leave a bad taste so I suggest you try a few brands and see what you like. There are home remedies around that use baking soda to help balance the pH but I did not enjoy the taste of it but alkaline drops are not bad.