Keep Gout At Bay With A Low Uric Acid Diet

                

>>  Get Your Treatment Now <<

 

Does a low uric acid diet bring relief from gout symptoms? This question is, like most health questions, answered with both a yes and a no.

However, it is worth noting that it is not a low uric acid diet that will make a difference, but a diet low in purine that can reduce Gout symptoms.

Gout can usually be identified by the sudden onset of swollen, red, painful joints, usually in the foot. This excruciating pain and swelling is due to hyperuricemia; a state developed when there is a high level of uric acid in the blood.

Uric acid is the by-product the body produces when metabolizing purine - a compound that is found in a lot of protein based foods. It is dissolved in the blood stream and excreted via the kidneys in our urine.

Our bodies are designed to produce and process uric acid, the problems arise when there is either over-production in the body, or the body is unable to eliminate uric acid at an appropriate rate.

Eliminating insufficient amounts of uric acid can often be linked to a person?s genetic makeup and over production is normally linked to eating too many purine-rich foods in the diet.

Uric acid floats around in the blood and when levels rise too far, crystals are deposited in the joints and soft tissues that connect joints. These sharp, jagged crystals are the cause of the pain and swelling.

It can take years for uric acid levels to build up and a lot of people never experience a gout attack. However, when the tipping point is reached and the uric acid levels are too high to be carried by the blood, deposits are made and the uric acid crystallizes in your joints. This is why the initial attack usually comes on extremely suddenly.

Once the initial gout attack is over, further episodes are normally experienced, as the uric acid level remain high.

Having high levels of uric acid can lead to other complications such as the development of kidney stones. Left untreated, kidney stones can cause a lot of damage to the kidneys, impairing their functions. Kidney stones can lead to severe cramping and pain, and sometimes vomiting.

If you think you have kidney stones, it is important to make an appointment with a doctor and get yourself checked out.

To stop further gout attacks and avoid the possibility of developing kidney stones, you need to reduce the amount of uric acid in your blood. To do this you either need to slow down production or increase expulsion.

Following a low purine diet is a great way to slow down production and helps to normalize uric acid levels in the body.

The key to a low uric acid / low purine diet is to avoid foods high in purine, such as red meat, organ meats, processed meats, yeast extracts, shellfish and gravies. Instead, swap these foods for low-purine foods such as: cereals, fruits, rice, tomatoes, corn and some types of green vegetables.

It can take a little time for your uric acid levels to drop, however, once they have been stabilized at a position where your kidneys can keep up with processing, you can start to reintroduce some higher purine foods, but only in moderation.

More information about low purine diets and naturally treating gout can be found in our free newsletter.

While following a low purine diet it is important to keep your body as hydrated as possible. Drinking lots of water helps to dilute uric acid and flush it through the kidneys.

So, a low uric acid diet can make the difference to someone with gout symptoms, and reduce the chance of future flare-ups.

By Lisa McDowell. Sign up for a free newsletter & discover how a low uric acid diet can be an effective natural cure for gout.

Gout vs Cherries?

                

>>  Get Your Treatment Now <<

 

Every disease that is faced by man has a colourful history behind it. Stories such as ?Your brother?s best friend?s cousin beat leukemia by eating a dozen raw eggs a day? or ?A guy in Kentucky woke from a 30-year coma after listening to nothing but William Shatner records for 2 days? litter the rich, social fabric of human history. Is it true or is it all an old wives tale? And if it is true, was this miracle cure just a coincidence or was it actually due to the unorthodox treatment?

One such tale that has been around for decades is the ?connection? between cherries and gout. It is believed that if you dine on these ruby red orbs as soon as you begin to show the painful signs of gout, it will speed healing.

The tale goes as far as to say that if you incorporate cherries as part of your daily fruit intake, you may never even get gout to begin with.

While this medical rumour sounds like it was started by the Worldwide Cherry Federation in an attempt to boost sales, the connection between gout and the cherry can be traced back to 1950 and a doctor who cured himself of gout.

Dr. Ludwig Blau discovered that by eating between six to eight cherries a day, you could stave off the return of gout indefinitely, but was the doctor a quack or was he on to something?

As it turns out, cherries do help battle gout on two different fronts. The first is based on what cherries keep together. The collagen in the body is used to create connective tissue and it?s this tissue that gout damages. Cherries help keep collagen strong and less susceptible to attacks of gout.

Cherries also contain a natural enzyme that helps the body to lower the uric acid levels in the blood. High levels of uric acid cause outbreaks of gout.

If that wasn?t enough, cherries also have unique antioxidant properties that can assist in the body expelling larger amounts of uric acid than normal.

A recent study at the University of California ? Davis bears out Dr. Blau?s findings. The ten women who took part in the study enjoyed a breakfast of 45 cherries and then the testing began.

The study, performed by the Agriculture Research Service with the United States Department of Agriculture showed that the amount of uric acid that was expelled from the body after a breakfast of cherries was significantly higher. Scientists were able to measure the amount of uric acid present in the body before the subjects dined on their cherry-only meal, and then measured it a second time. The findings were matched by blood samples that were also taken.

While not all myths and legends about diseases and cures are accurate, you do find an occasional truth among the old wives tales, and in this case, cherries might not only be the most effective way to treat gout, but they are certainly one of the tastiest!

If you are looking for more help for Gout symptoms please visit CureGoutNow.com and sign up for a free newsletter.

Is There a Gout Cure? Treatments to Consider and Use

                

>>  Get Your Treatment Now <<

 

Gout is one of those conditions that have been around for so long that it's nearly impossible not to have a cure by now. Unfortunately, that is exactly the case. Modern science has not come up with an exact cure and millions of people still suffer from its symptoms and complications.

However, like most conditions with no cure, gout can be treated. There are various drugs and therapies that can be utilized to alleviate its symptoms and provide the patient a quality of life that will allow him to live comfortably in spite of his condition. First, gout must be understood first and various treatments discussed.

The cause of gout

Uric acid is considered the main culprit in gout cases. In healthy individuals, it is normally dissolved in the blood. However, if its level increases, it can cause an abnormality in the chemical functions of the body. Uric acid can form urate crystals and can cause painful inflammation if they accumulate in the joints.

A high level of uric acid in the blood is a condition referred to as hyperuricaemia. Sharp, needle-like uric acid crystals become deposited in joint spaces and/or connective tissues, causing swelling, pain, redness and stiffness. These uric acid deposits are called tophi.

Are you candidate for gout?

Almost 20% of people suffering from gout have family members who have this disease. It is also more common in adults and men. While weight is not a direct cause of gout, it can also contribute to an increase in risk. Another factor that can increase the risk of gout is excessive alcohol intake.

Treating Gout

Currently, there is no known single cure for gout which can totally eradicate the condition once and for all. However, it can be treated with success and many patients with gout are living pain-free lives. The key is treating it in its early stages, so that unnecessary pain may be avoided in the long term. Immediate action can also relieve symptoms within a day of the attack.

Medications

To combat pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs might be prescribed. NSAIDs help reduce the swelling and block a chemical called prostaglandin, which is responsible for causing pain and inflammation. Other drugs that may be prescribed to block pain and bring down swelling are colchicines and adrenocorticotropic hormones (ACTH).

If a patient shows intolerance for NSAIDs, corticosteroids may be prescribed instead. These also help ease joint inflammation. Drugs like allopurinol that lower or prevent the production of uric acid may also be used for long term treatments and are usually prescribed to older patients.

Fluid intake

On top of the 8 glasses of water intake a day, it is recommended that gout patients add at least 4 more glasses to help the body excrete toxins. Water helps the kidneys eliminate uric acid through urine.

Obesity

Pain caused by gout can be alleviated by regulating weight. Excessive weight means that there are more tissues susceptible to breakdown and that the body will produce more uric acid. A lighter body will also be easier on the joints, specifically on the knees and ankles.

Diet

Some foods, while healthy, can aggravate the symptoms of gout. These foods include excessive intake of red meats and organ meats like tongue, tripe, livers and kidneys. Other foods that can worsen gout symptoms are shellfish, mussels, oysters, scallops and fish roe.

Some vegetables have also been implicated in gout attacks, like dried beans, peas and mushrooms. A low-fat diet can also be helpful, since some studies show that the foods linked to problems with cardiovascular functions are the same foods responsible for gout.

If you are susceptible to gout or are already suffering from it, it's best to stay away from crash diets. While they may help you lose weight in a short period of time, they can also induce the production of too much uric acid, which won't help your condition.

Medications for hypertension

Drugs used to treat high blood pressure may also contribute to the intensity of symptoms. If you are a patient suffering from both gout and hypertension, you will need to change your diet and check with your doctor about possible drug alternatives.

Beware of quick and miraculous cures

You've probably seen the ads for these drugs, supplements and devices, promising immediate relief and total cures. Most of them may not be harmful but may not effect any relief at all and be a complete waste of money. If there is something that interests you, better seek the advice of your doctor before considering other forms of treatment.

What's being done

Just because a cure has not been discovered yet doesn?t mean that scientists and doctors have stopped trying. More research is being done to find better medicines and further clinical studies are being conducted. The purpose of course is to learn our more about gout and ultimately find the cure.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://gout.topicgiant.com where you can learn more about gout and explore different gout remedies.

Treating Gout

                

>>  Get Your Treatment Now <<

 

Gout occurs in four stages; asymptomatic, acute, intercritical and chronic. The asymptomatic stages are marked by a rise in urate levels. The Acute stage is marked by a sudden attack of joint pain, swelling, and joins feeling hot and tender, or looking bruised and dusty. This stage only tends to last between five and ten days. The intercritical stage is marked by symptom-free intervals between episodes of gout. Finally, the chronic stage is marked by joints that are persistently painful because of large urate deposits settling on the cartilage, tendons and soft tissues. The skin over the deposits during this stage tends to develop sores releasing a white pus, and those suffering from gout usually experience stiffness of the joints and limited motion of the affected joint or joints.

There is currently no cure for gout, but through the right diet, lifestyle and medications, it is possible to relieve the symptoms and eradicate the risk of further episodes completely.

Proper diet entails avoiding or restricting foods that are high in purine, which is a substance that tends to produce uric acid as it breaks down. Foods that are high in purine include anchovies, sardines, liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, tripe, tongue, mussels, oysters, scallops, peas, beans, lentils and large amounts of red meat. Proper diet also entails drinking between ten and twelve eight-ounce glasses of fluid daily.

A healthy lifestyle entails reducing your consumption of alcohol, and losing weight.

Medicating is a little more difficult, and entails tailoring the treatment to each individual patient. Additionally, it may need to be altered over time. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, called NSAIDs may be prescribed to relieve the pain and swelling associated with in acute attack. These medications include colchicines, corticosteroid drugs, and/or adrenocorticotropic hormones, also known as ACTH. In an attempt to prevent the occurrence of future attacks, a doctor may recommend colchicines, probenecids like Benemid, Parbenem or Probalan, or allopurinol.

Lowering risk factors entails a supervised weight-loss program involving exercise, avoiding a purine-rich diet, avoiding alcohol consumption especially in the case of binge drinking, and changing to another drug if currently taking diuretics for hypertension.

Self Care at Home for Gout entails taking all medications as they are prescribed, and staying off or elevating a joint that is hot and swollen. You may want to use a cane or another similar support in an attempt to keep your weight off the joint. If you keep the join elevated as much as possible above your chest, it will aid in letting the joint heal and make the pain lessen significantly.

Surgery is rarely needed for gout, unless the joint damage is significant and has occurred as a result of lack of effective treatment.

Want to learn more about Gout Treatments?, feel free to visit us at: http://www.about-goat.info

The 8 Signs And Symptoms Of Gout

                

>>  Get Your Treatment Now <<

 

Gout generally starts by developing in the joint of the big toe, which is called the hallux. Some of the symptoms of gout are inflammation of the joints affected, pain and redness of the area which gout has occurred, stiffness in the joints affected, and swelling around the joints affected.

Some of the other symptoms or signs of gout can be found throughout the body these may include pain and swelling in areas such as: the big toe, ball of the foot, arch of the foot, ankle, knee, knuckle, wrist, elbow, and hip. Some of the more clear cut signs that gout has occurred are: gouty arthritis, tophi (hard lumps that are under the skin and happen around the joints affected), Hyperuricemia, skin lumps, arthritis of one joint, arthritis attacks which are rapidly onset, and recurrent arthritis attacks.

When moving or touching a toe that has been affected by gout it is severely painful and by not letting it breath or by keeping it covered it can become even more painful. Gout is a disease in which the symptoms develop at a quick pace. Many times the symptoms occur in one day and generally it only occurs in one joint at a time.

It?s pretty rare if symptoms of gout develop in two or three joints at the same time. When widespread symptoms occur like this it is more than likely not gout. But if symptoms are left untreated and it is gout than it is very serious, as gout can permanently damage joints and even cause disability. This is why it?s vital to not delay in getting gout diagnosed. If you feel you are displaying any gout symptoms your best course of action would be to make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible.

Once you?ve got yourself along to the doctors there are four common methods for pinpointing the disease.

1. Medical history review and a physical examination ? Your physician should look at your family history and personal medical history. A clear indication of gout can be tophi, which are lumps under the skin, as well as a red shiny area above the affected area. There are some conditions besides gout in which these symptoms occur so a thorough medical examination is needed.

2. Blood test ? A blood test is important as it can determine the amount of uric acid in the blood. However, this isn?t always the best method for diagnosing gout, as high uric acid in the blood does not always mean you have gout. Also if a person is currently undergoing a gout attack uric acid levels in the blood can be in the normal range.

3. X-Rays ? Tophi crystals show up in x-rays as they can be seen under the skin. Many times though x-rays can miss affected joints as they can have gout but appear to look normal.

4. Arthrocentesis ? The most reliable method of diagnosing gout is by using arthrocentesis. Basically a sample of the synovial fluid is taken from the affected joint via syringe and needle. This synovial fluid is then looked at under a microscope and if there is a presence of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the fluid than you have gout.

Once you have a firm diagnosis of gout, you can take steps to keeping the condition under control.

Lisa McDowell has an interest in Gout. For further information on Gout please visit Gout or Gout Symptoms

Issues Regarding Gout Treatment

                

>>  Get Your Treatment Now <<

 

Due to improper diet, sedentary lifestyle and obesity, many people suffer from gout these days. Gout predominantly affects men and the disease is most likely to occur at a more advanced age. Men with ages over 50 usually develop forms of gout. In some cases, women can also develop the disease after the age of 60.

There are many factors that facilitate the development of gout, but the actual cause of the disease seems to be the body?s excessive secretion of a substance called uric acid. Uric acid is a residual product that is excreted from the body through urine. The surplus of uric acid inside the body leads to its accumulation in the form of uric crystals. These crystals deposit in different regions of the organism, causing inflammation. Gout mainly affects joints, especially those of the lower body limbs. Gout causes inflammation, swelling and intense pain of the affected areas.

Although the disease can be corrected through an appropriate gout treatment, there is no specific cure for it. Many medicines prescribed for gout usually control its symptoms, rather than the actual causes. However, some of the causes of gout can be overcome through the means of a good, healthy diet. It is very important to reduce the consumption of alcohol when suffering from gout, as it interferes with renal activity. Smoking is known to cause damage to arteries and it can also slow down the process of healing.

Gout usually involves intense pain of the joints. Pain episodes tend to become more intense during the night and sometimes people with gout have trouble sleeping. Although some medicines don?t prevent pain attacks from reoccurring, they are effective for temporarily reducing it. Common medicines prescribed in gout treatments are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin, ketoprofen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and naproxen). They are efficient in calming the inflammation and also ameliorate the pain. Anti-inflammatory drugs are usually well-tolerated by the body. They are administered orally, in the quantities prescribed by the doctor.

Another substance used in gout treatment is Colchicine. Although it considerably reduces pain and discomfort of the regions affected by gout, it also has a lot of side effects. Due to this fact, Colchicine is only administered to patients suffering from acute gout or to those who don?t respond well to gout treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Corticosteroids are also used in some gout treatments. They quickly relief the pain and they can usually be injected directly into the affected joint. However, they are used only in extreme cases, due to their multiple side effects.

Although proper diet and drinking larger quantities of water are a natural way of getting rid of the surplus of uric acid from the body, some medicines can also help to normalize the levels of the substance. Such medicines are usually used in chronic gout treatment. Allopurinol is an inhibitor that decreases the quantities of uric acid secreted by the body. Uricosuric Agents like probenecid and sulfinpyrazone improve the activity of the kidneys, aiding the process of excretion.

Many symptoms of gout can be ameliorated by following an appropriate gout treatment. However, when suffering from chronic forms of gout the symptoms reappear after certain periods of time and ongoing treatment is necessary.


So if you want to find out more information about gout and especially about gout treatment please click these links. You'll see one of the best gout information websites.

Remedies for Gout Relief

                

>>  Get Your Treatment Now <<

 

There is no cure for gout, but it can be controlled and treated. Usually, the pain associated with gout will subside within 24 hours after treatment has begun. The main objectives of treatment are pain relieving and prevent future attacks of gout.

Although gout is well known, it is not a typical arthritic condition. Gout is caused by an accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints, causing joint pain and inflammation.

Colchicine is a traditional drug used since the 1800's as a treatment for gout. Although Colhicine produces desirable results, it does have side effects of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are also used to treat gout, which does not have the side effects of colhicine. Indomethacin is a widely used NSAID in the treatment of gout. Patients should avoid Aspirin and aspirin-containing products during the attack of gout.

Those people who have had multiple attacks or developed tophi or kidney stones should stabilize uric acid level in the blood. Probenecid is an important drug, which helps the kidney, eliminate uric acid. Another drug called Alopurinol is used to block the excess production of uric acid by the body. The drug of choice between these types of drugs depends upon the quantity of uric acid excreted through urine.

Zyloprim, is a potent treatment for gout, and is usually prescribe for gout patients with kidney stones or other kidney problems. This drug slows down the rate of production of uric acid by the body. The patients who took this drug showed side effects such as skin rashes and stomach upset. Both of these symptoms usually go away as the body began accustomed to the drug.

As we know, prevention is better than treatment; avoiding the intake of food high in uric acid can readily prevent the occurrence of gout. Reducing alcohol consumption is also often helpful.

Alcoholic beverages should not exceed 3 ounces per day. Reduce or eliminate the purine-containing foods such as organ meats (sweet breads, liver, and kidneys), shrimp, sardines, dried legumes, and anchovies.

There are many natural products available in the market. Incorporate flax seed or omega 3 oil into your diet to help reduce inflammation and tissue damage. Burdock root can help rid the body of acidic waste build up and help supports normal uric acid levels in the body.

If you suffer from gout, see your doctor and discuss a pain relief program and a correct diet to reduce gout occurrences. With correct treatment and diet, gout outbreaks can be well controlled.

For more information about gout, visit http://www.goutinfocenter.com and http://www.naturalherbalremediesinfo.com

David Chandler For your FREE Stock Market Trading Mini Course: "What The Wall Street Hot Shots Won't Tell You!" go to: http://www.stockmarketgenie.com