Gout is a very common form of arthritis that
happens when there is too much uric acid in the blood, tissues, and
urine. Uric acid is a final product of the body's metabolism of
chemical compounds called purines. In persons with gout, their body
does not produce enough of a digestive enzyme called uricase, which
transforms the relatively insoluble uric acid into a highly soluble
compound. As a result, uric acid accumulates in the blood and tissues
and then hardens and crystallizes. When it crystallizes, uric acid
takes the shape of a needle and, just like a needle, it pokes into the
person's joints causing pain. For some it affects the joint of the big
toe more often, but other joints can be at risk as well, including the
mid foot, ankle, knee, wrist, and also the fingers. Acute pain is
normally the very first symptom that is noticed. Then the affected
joints become inflamed, almost infected looking red, swollen, hot, and
extremely sensitive to the touch. Uric acid is a byproduct of certain
foods, so gout is very related to diet. Obesity
and an poor diet and nutrition will greatly increase the risk of
getting gout.
The disease gout has been nicknamed "the rich man's
disease", because it is associated with too much rich
food, meat, and alcohol. However, it does affect people of all
types, ages, and areas not just rich men. The people
most at risk are men between 40 and 55 years of age. Gout may
be inherited or brought on by sudden dieting, drinking,
certain medications, overeating,
stress,
surgery, or injury to a joint. Over 90% of the persons who
suffer from gout are male. Uric acid kidney stones can be
another related health problem. The best way to get a
definitive diagnosis of gout is for a physician to insert a
needle into the problem joint, remove some fluid, and examine
the fluid under a microscope for the characteristic uric acid
crystals.
Good diet and nutritional supplementation work well for both
the healing and prevention of gout. Make sure to drink lots of good clean water and steam distilled water is best.
Nutrient /
Supplement |
Importance
( 1 - 10 ) |
Helpful notes |
Essential
fatty acids |
10 |
helpful in repair of body tissues,
aids in healing, restores proper fatty acid balance, extremely important
for reducing inflammation caused by gout and arthritis. They
also aid
also increasing blood circulation. Fatty acids
are found in omega
fatty acids from fish oil, flax seed oil, and
borage seed oil. |
Folic acid |
9 |
helps with nucleoprotein metabolism and
are also very
important for general health.
|
Chicory |
9 |
herb that works
well with dandelion with purifying properties
|
Zinc |
9 |
important in protein metabolism and for the repair of body
tissues. Men need more zinc then women as they lose a lot by
sweating.
|
Bioflavonoids |
9 |
bio-flavinoids are agents that
promote the production of natural healing items in
the body can be found in supplements
derived from vegetables and fruits.
|
vitamin
C |
9 |
works well with bioflavonoids to
lower serum uric acid levels
|
Multi-vitamin
& Mineral supplement |
10 |
contains vitamin
B, vitamin E,
vitamin C, zinc
which all are helpful for both arthritis and gout. |
vitamin E |
9 |
improves circulation
and aids healing process |
Pantothenic
acid |
9 |
vitamin B5 helps with
stress |
Alfalfa |
8 |
has vitamin K and
minerals that help reduce serum uric acid |
Potassium |
8 |
required for good
mineral balance |
Calcium |
8 |
helps reduce stress
and works with magnesium |
Magnesium |
8 |
magnesium helps balance calcium which is
beneficial to people with gout, a good
source of magnesium is a quality multi-vitamin &
mineral supplement especially one with calcium and zinc. |
Grape
seed extract |
8 |
powerful antioxidant
helps fight free radicals |
Sarsaparilla |
8 |
herb that helps reduce
repeat gout attacks |
Other Changes To Make
-
drink 6-8 glasses of steam distilled or
filtered water a day
-
eat 50% raw fruits and vegetables (organic is best)
-
nuts, seeds, and whole grains are good
-
juice is good (make your
own with a juice machine)
-
do not worry as much about calories as eating the right foods
-
carrot and celery sticks are good to use as a snack
-
a colon cleansing can be very helpful - (do several times each year)
-
do not drink coffee, alcohol, soda pop, other junk food drinks
-
do not eat processed foods white sugar, white flour, etc...
-
use stress relief like going for walks in the park
(or the 10/90 rule - see
Stress)
-
brown rice is good to eat
-
avoid red meat and animal fats
-
reduce dairy products cheese, milk, and others
-
fast a few days a month
-
get at least 8 hours of sleep
-
exercise light to moderate amounts
-
avoid artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and NutraSweet
-
do not smoke and avoid second hand smoke
-
do not skip meals - just eat better and not as much at each meal
-
do not chew gum - it can cause you to feel hungry
-
do not watch too much TV try reading a book or something else
|