Keep Gout At Bay With A Low Uric Acid Diet

                

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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.

The Missing Link Between Gout And Alcohol Consumption

                

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Although there are many factors that can contribute to a build up of uric acid within your system, alcohol consumption appears to be a leading factor in gout development. However, this doesn?t mean that people who drink alcohol modestly on a regular basis will develop gout. Furthermore, research has discovered that different types of alcoholic beverages have different impacts on uric acid levels.

For hundreds of years, medical researchers have suspected that gout is linked to specific lifestyles such as diets high in red meat, salt and alcohol, combined with little to no exercise. This type of lifestyle, which many people in Western countries tend to adopt as they become older and closer to middle age, is very much like the lifestyle that was once led by English kings. In fact, gout is often called ?the disease of kings?.

Today, researchers that have conducted studies on men in relation to alcohol consumption and its link to gout, have found that men who drank excessive amounts of certain forms of alcohol ? especially beer ? greatly increased their risk for developing gout.

What has been discovered is alcohol may not only affect the production of uric acid, but also its removal from the body. It appears that when alcohol is changed into lactic acid, it decreases the quantity of uric acid that the kidneys are able to remove from the body. The reason is because uric acid has to compete with the lactic acid in order to be removed by the kidneys.

In addition, researchers have found that certain types of alcohol have less risk of causing gout than others. Of all the alcohols studied, it appears that Beer poses the highest risk of gout, while moderate consumption of wine or spirits has little to no increased risk of gout.

What?s so risky about beer? Some researchers believe that beer has a non-alcoholic ingredient that makes the increase of gout even higher than other alcoholic beverages. Beer is apparently the only alcoholic beverage to include purines, and an excessive amount of purines in the system can lead to higher production of uric acid. Conversely, other researchers do not believe it is the purines in the drink that increase the risk of gout. These researchers don?t believe that having too many purines in the diet increase the risk of gout. Their reasoning is based on a study that was conducted on vegetarians from Taiwan who indulged in a diet that was high in purines. The study revealed that theses individuals actually had a lower risk of developing gout.

So, if it?s not the purines in beer then what is it? Some experts have a hunch that excessive beer drinkers have a higher risk in contracting gout due to their lifestyle. For instance, a person who drinks wine usually has their alcoholic beverage with a meal, or with healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, crackers and cheese. A beer drinker, on the other hand, will often indulge in eating salty and fatty snacks such as peanuts and chips, while they sit and watch TV on the couch hour after hour. Thus, enthusiastic beer drinkers are likely to have a more sedentary lifestyle.

Regardless of the alcohol beverage you enjoy, you can dramatically reduce your risk of developing gout by drinking modestly (IE a glass of wine or beer per day). Overindulging in alcohol on occasion isn?t going to have a dramatic effect on your chances of getting gout, but regular overindulgence may eventually lead to a serious pain in the big toe.

For more information about Gout diets take a look at Cure Gout Now.

Gout Treatments

                

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A common cause of gout is the accumulation of a chemical called uric acid. Uric acid is a normal breakdown product of another chemical called purines. The treatment involves controlling the inflammation, which causes the pain and swelling and ultimately damage to joints. Also, lowering the uric acid level is a logical means to controlling gout.

There is some benefit to avoiding foods that cause gout but most people who get gout will need medication to prevent joint damage and also prevent future attacks which often happen sooner and are more severe. They can also cause permanent damage to the kidney and joints. The crystals can also deposit on the skin and are then called tophi.

Most of the time the symptom can be controlled by anti-inflammatory medications like naproxen or indomethacin. In severe cases steroids like prednisone may be needed. Some people even need injections into the joints. Fluid from the swollen joints can be removed and analyzed for the uric acid crystals.

The treatment includes medicines like allopurinol, which decrease the level of uric acid, or there are other medicines like colchicine, which decrease inflammation. Also there are medicines called uricosuric agents that increase the removal of uric acid in urine. Colchicine works best if taken really early in the attack and sometimes repeat does may need to be taken periodically such as every two hours or so till there is pain relief or a maximum dose is reached or there are side effects like gastrointestinal upset.

The specific dose and the manner of taking these medicines are best discussed with your healthcare provider.

Common side effects of these drugs include stomach upset and ulcers from prednisone and ibuprofen type of medications, diarrhea from colchicine and sometimes gout can get worse from allopurinol especially if the person is not on colchicine first during an acute attack.



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Remedies for Gout Relief

                

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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

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