Gout

I suffer from gout about 2or3 times a year. I have gone to doctors, read health and hollistic books, and tried all the usual cures, and preventitives, avoiding booze, red meat, tomatoes etc. I have tried heavy doses of potasium, vitamin C vitamin B, and several other vitamins. None of this seems to have made any difference.
Any suggestions?
Just an oddball point. In my case, what seems to set it off, is fresh salad. I have quit adding tomatoes, but it still seems to cause my gout to flare up if I eat salad more than 2 days in a row.

[delmarrey]

It's worked for friends and family!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.brownwoodacres.com/

[Alan Wheeler]

Sorry to hear of your infliction. Gout is actually a form of arthritis caused by a build up of Uric Acid in the blod stream. But seeing as my name is not Wheels MD, here is a link that will give you some interesting reading and hopefully some help. The info is from a ligitmate prominant NZ hospital, and not just old wives tales and such.
www.rheumatology.org.nz/nz08003.htm
Good luck.

[Talbot]

Wheels
as a long term sufferer of Gout, you are partly correct. The condition is caused by the uric acid in the bloodstream, but we all have that. what is different about the gout sufferer is that the uric acid crystalises out and deposits in a joint normally one in the foot, but also in knees, elbows hands etc. It tends to be the same joint each time - with me it is the big toe on my left foot.

Now the problem occurs because the crystals act as a form of sandpaper within the joint. The joint then gets inflamed and hurts a tad - when I first got it I would have chopped the toe of with an axe if it had been to hand cause it is so painful.

Treatment: Normally the treatment is to provide pills to reduce the inflamation and possibly some form of diruetic to help flush out the crystals. Do not use the joint as movement will cause additional inflamation until the crystals disappear. Most people the appearance of the crystals is a very short term problem, so they can be treated by treatment of the inflamation when it occurs. For people like myself where the condition is chronic, you can get a pill that lowers the uric acid level below the point that it crystalises (callled in UK "Allopurinal", but there is another called "sulfinpyrazone")
cherries will help the uric acid level as will making sure that you dont get de-hydrated.

The trouble with frequent reoccurence of gout is that it attacks the same joint each time and damages it, that damage is permanent and increases with each atack. The damage is identical to artheritis and after a time, you cannt be sure if pain in the joint is an attack of the gout, or just artheritis because it is cold and wet, or you have taken too much exercise.

BTW, Gout is a genetic problem so if your father has it, youwill probably suffer as well at some time in your life.

Hope this helps

Delmarrey: Thanks, I have been doing the cherry juice thing, and of all the cures (or treatments) I have heard that is the most pleasant.
Wheels: Yes. And good website. It is amazing how much the wifes tales and the medical treatment are the same for gout.
Talbot: I have suffered from gout for about the past 10 years. It seems to have skipped a generation, but my grandfather I believe, suffered from it. I was given the pills from a doctor about 6 or 7 years ago when I finally went to a doctor for it. I did not really see any difference in recovery time.
I am curious, have you noticed anything specific that brings on your bouts?
It is interesting that you mentioned dehydration. That is the one cause I have not heard specific to gout. I have noticed a corralation between stress, and the occurances I have had, but I also know my eating habits change in times of heavy stress. Unfortunately, I can only drink so much cherry juice. The amount recommended in the hollistic medicine books are something like a gallon per day. I think they may be addressing the dehydration at the same time with this amount of liquid.
Anyway, hydration, something new to try. Thankyou.

A short ime after my last reply, my foot started doing it's thing. I immediately started pounding sports drinks. The pain developed for only about 2 and a half days and went away. I think you are onto something Talbot.

[Talbot]

It is something that I have to watch very carefully, as I never seem to drink enough liquid, yet whenever I am in hotter climes, I sweat like a pig. Why not try to keep a track on your daily liquid intake (supposed to be at least 2 litres) ignoring anything that has a diuretic like tea and coffee.

Good thought. I have paid more attention since I started the thread. I have tried to change my eating habits over the years, (age creates the need) but I have not really thought about my liquid diet until recently. So far, it has not been long enough to tell for sure, but it looks promising.

[ssullivan]

**This is not sound medical advice, but a theory.

Logically speaking, things crystalize when there is an absense of fluid for them to dissolve in. Think of the salt on your hull after a good beat to weather. It flies up in liquid form, the liquid vanishes, and then you are left with crystals.

I think remaining hydrated (or even excessively hydrated) would help tremendously in terms of this condition. The cherry juice may have some extra item in it that helps the crystals dissolve more quickly, but I think it's the vast quantities of plain old H2O that will really do the trick.

When I did firefighting training for my STCW-95 Cert, it was in a hot metal building with fires going in July in Fort Lauderdale, FL. To top it off, it was 98 degrees outside and HUMID. No air conditioning. It was so hot it was dangerous for a northerner like myself.

The firefighters had a chart on the wall when you were in taking a leak. It showed various stages of yellow and correlated this to your hydration level. To be completely hydrated (in the absence of asparagus or something) the toilet should be about as clear as the original water when you are done. If it is quite yellow, you aren't getting enough water in hot conditions. It's a simple check to make sure you are staying hydrated.

Hope this helps some.

Great stuff Sean! Yes it helps! As for the cherry juice, I think it has folic acid. That is one of the things that help balance your body chemistry. Great logic on the hydration. I have always kept a pretty good fluid intake, but the past 10 years, I have changed WHAT I drink. (Less water, more tea and soda etc.) Since Talbot's suggestion, I have started substituting most of my flavored drinks with sport drinks. I still maintain about a quart of water per day, but I drink about a gallon of fluids per day overall. I grew up on well water, and it is getting harder and harder to find good tasting drinking water.

[ssullivan]

One more thing, after reading your last post. I'm not sure where you are located, but a quart of water isn't adequate in the southern US/ tropics if you are doing any boat work. You should be producing yellow bowls in the head at that rate of intake.

Like you, I grew up with good well water from a natural spring in NH. Great stuff! I didn't like water much my whole life, until I started to have Poland Spring delivered to my house. It was too expensive, so I switched to a Pur water filter. I started to reach for that instead of soda or juices and found I really started to like it.

Another great filter system (and the one we now have installed on the boat) is a Culligan inline filter system. You can mount a 2nd tiny faucet they make in your galley and enjoy filtered water straight from your water tanks. It's GREAT! And the taste? Well... there is none at all, which is a good thing in water.

All in, the filter system probably cost about $60-$80. Well worth the 500 gallons of tasty (or tasteless??) water it produces between the $30 filter changes.

Sorry for getting so excited about the topic, but it's something I went through too - not really liking water so much as to have it as a main drink.

I am on the central Ca coast, and it is bloody cold out here until summer comes, around november.
We had the Pur filter, but had to change the faucet, and it will not fit the new one. I have been looking for a good inline. Thanks for the tip.
THe quart a day is supplemented by as much or more tea, and clear soft drinks like 7UP. I have added a couple of the liter Gatoraids to the mix, and cut down a bit on the hot tea.

Welllll.. Here we go again. Had some knee pain Sunday, but I figured I had twisted it, then this morning I woke up with my right ankle in pain. I hobbled to work, but lasted about two hours, and the fever got me, so I gave up and went home. Had to ask for help to get down the dock. I could not walk at all.
I have still been taking the B12, Folic Acid, and have increased my water consumption to 80% of my overal liquid. I would have stopped to get cherry juice, but I never could have made it into the store.
So, it's not dehydration, or any of the suggested vitamin deficiencies. I did have salad for a couple of days in a row last week but previously it has hit the next day, so I do not think that is the case this time.
If anyone has any suggestions, I'll just be sitting here trying to chew my leg off

[Alan Wheeler]

Mate, I feel for ya. Is it possible it is not Gout?? Just a thought, but what about a piched nerve, either in the pain location, or something elsewhere making you put unnatural movement on the joint and agrivating it. My wife was a marathon runner and if she had a knee injury, it was often due to her shoes wearing incorrectly and place pressure elsewhere. Just a thought.

Definitely in the joint, not likely a nerve issue, For once, I am going to stay off it for a couple days. The frustrating part is not being able to get around. Hopefully I do not need to get out of the boat, because I can't! At least, not without a great deal of pain. I have tried everything, but I guess I will go to a doctor again. See if the quacks can do anything new.
One benefit, it is in a new location, so the damage should be less permanent.
Thanks for the kind words Wheels.