Addressing gout

Gout is near-epidemic in the CNMI, and hundreds of people suffer from it every day.

Because it’s so widespread, it’s important to bring some useful information to people who suffer from this painful and unique form of arthritis, caused by an excess of uric acid in the joints, particularly the big toe.

When I want to learn about a disease and possible treatment options, I always visit mercola.com. Dr. Joseph Mercola is in a class by himself and he knows his stuff.

This is what he has to say about gout:

“A gout attack, or ‘flare,’ usually strikes suddenly and generally at night. Mysteriously, it often targets the large joint of your big toe. Your skin becomes red, inflamed, and overly sensitive. Even the light pressure of a bed sheet can become unbearable.

What exactly is gout?
“Gout is a type of arthritis characterized by painful, stiff and inflamed joints. The stiffness and swelling are a result of excess uric acid forming sharp crystals in your joints, and the pain associated with this disease is caused by your body’s inflammatory response to the crystals.

“Gout is essentially a breakdown of the metabolic process that controls the amount of uric acid in your blood. Gout can occur in any joint of your body, but most commonly occurs in your big toe.

The real cause of gout
“You may have wondered why you developed gout, while your spouse, neighbor, or co-worker didn’t. The simple answer is typically quite straightforward once you understand how your body works and is generally related to your diet and lifestyle.

“At the most basic level, a gout attack usually results from years of having high levels of uric acid in your blood, a condition called hyperuricemia.

“While uric acid normally dissolves in your blood and passes harmlessly through your kidneys, it’s possible for your body to either produce too much uric acid or excrete too little in your urine. The resulting buildup of uric acid forms needle-like crystals in your joints and surrounding tissues that causes the searing pain.

Avoid soft drinks, such as colas
“Countless health problems have been linked to the consumption of high fructose corn syrup (a refined sugar), including gout. A recent study showed that consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing gout.

“Most fruit juices also have added fructose; and fructose contains no beneficial enzymes, vitamins, minerals, or additional micronutrients. Instead, it actually leeches them from your body. High fructose corn syrup (which can be found in many foods and beverages), can also interfere with your heart’s use of vital minerals such as magnesium, copper, and chromium.

Maintaining ideal body weight also part of the solution.

“Another risk factor for gout is obesity. Approximately half of all gout sufferers are overweight. Excess weight worsens gout because irritated nerve endings are further irritated by having to support and deal with extra weight. Additionally, obesity can worsen any type of arthritis.

Avoid prescription drugs for gout unless absolutely necessary
“Over the years, medical science has used a number of pharmaceuticals in an attempt to treat gout. That list includes, among others, Colchicine, corticosteroids, Corticotropin (adrenocorticotropic hormone), Febuxostat, Aloprim, and Zyloprim.

“Even if drugs like these could cure gout (there is little evidence that they do) you still would experience unpleasant side effects.

“Drugs such as Allopurinol and Colchicine work by lowering your uric acid levels and decreasing crystal formation, or by simply blocking your body’s natural inflammatory response. They are also commonly prescribed for gout.

“But these drugs also have dangerous long-term side effects, and gout is frequently regarded as a lifelong condition, so you may end up staying on these drugs for a long time, which can wreak havoc on your health.

Cherries to the rescue!
Although Dr. Mercola writes that fresh cherries and strawberries are helpful, these fruits are very expensive in the Commonwealth, if they are available at all. That is why you should substitute a bottle of “tart cherry extract” capsules, available at various Internet health sites. (swansonvitamins.com is a very good source and their prices are reasonable).

Dr. Mercola also mentions cherry juice concentrate. Although it is probably not available in local stores, you can certainly find it on eBay.

“Cherry juice concentrate can contain about 55 to 60 tart cherries in every ounce. That’s a single recommended serving, so in other words, you’d have to eat 55 to 60 cherries to get the same health benefit (and I don’t recommend eating 55 to 60 cherries, as that is too much sugar… but with a concentrate, you can get the health benefit of the cherries without all the sugar).

Coping with gout
“Avoid drinking soda, fruit juice, or other sweetened beverages. Instead, drink plenty of pure water, as this will help to remove uric acid from your body. Cut back on all forms of sugar in your diet.

“Limit the alcohol you drink (or eliminate it altogether). Alcohol may raise the levels of uric acid in your blood.

“Try tart cherries or concentrated tart cherry juice. Tart cherries contain two powerful compounds, anthocyanins and bioflavonoids. Both of these compounds slow down the enzymes Cyclo-oxyygenase-1 and -2, which helps to relieve and prevent gout and arthritis in your body.”

Although Dr. Mercola doesn’t mention apple cider vinegar, two ounces in a glass a water will also go a long way to helping to reduce the pain from gout. If your pain is a 10, the vinegar will reduce it to 5.

The best vinegar (for a variety of uses) is organic apple cider (such as Bragg’s) which has “the mother”—which is the unfiltered, unprocessed part of the apple. It’s a quick pain reliever for anybody who suffers from gout.

I feel compassion for anyone who has gout, but, as Dr. Mercola writes, there are a number of things you can do to alleviate the pain. If you suffer from gout, I encourage you to try them all.