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Sunday, November 6, 2011

Gout

Gout is a kind of arthritis. It can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe. These attacks can happen over and over unless gout is treated. Over time, they can harm your joints, tendons, and other tissues. Gout is most common in men.
Gout is caused by too much uric acid in the blood. The most common sign of gout is a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and sharp pain in your big toe. You can also get gout attacks in your foot, ankle, or knees. Your doctor may  do a blood test to measure the amount of uric acid in your blood.Or they can also take a sample of fluid from your joint to look for uric acid crystals. Avoid regular daily intake of meat, seafood, and alcohol (especially beer). Drink plenty of water and other fluids.  Read my tab Special Diets for more information.

18 comments:

  1. Kim,
    You are so correct about gout and how the proper dietary intake and restrictions on foods that are high in pureens, can alleviate the need to take the toxic medications that are so readily prescribed for gout.

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  2. Also, the reason that beer is particularly bad for a person with gout is that the yeast in beer is a major trigger for flare-ups. Although peas, beans, mushrooms, cauliflower and spinach are all rather high in purines, the latest studies indicate that these foods DO NOT raise uric acid levels in the blood. But you must avoid all organ meats, certain shellfish like mussels and scallops (there is debate about lobster and crab), sardines and anchovies, and it hurts to say a week before Thanksgiving, but TURKEY, as well. If you suffer from gout, stay close to a restroom because you should be drinking absolutely as much water as you can manage. The minimum amount of water needed to flush the purines out of your system is 14 eight ounce glasses a day. As I said, a Porto potty may just be in order for those like myself that have to manage gout through proper nutrition.

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