The Real Causes of Gout, and Practical Solutions

I've been struggling with gout for years. There is so much contridictory information out there, about gout and it's causes. These videos by Dr. Kim, make more sense than many things I've seen. It seems like sound, relatively easy advice to follow, so it's my current guide on the subject:





I've already been doing some of these things, but I think it's a question of finding the right balance, and keeping an eye on the larger picture, of how many things work together.

     

Gout attacks, and purines in meat; the proof

Foods to Avoid if You Want to Avoid Gout Attacks
Gout Flare-ups Nearly 5 Times as Likely in People With Diets High in Some Meats, Seafood

May 30, 2012 -- If you have gout, you may want to pass on the liver and keep the anchovies off the pizza.

People who had the highest amounts of compounds called purines in their diets increased their risk of having a gout flare-up by almost five times compared to those eating the least purine-rich foods, a new study shows.

Foods with the highest purine content include liver, organ, and game meats, sardines, mussels, anchovies, herring, and beer.

Foods with moderate levels of purine include red meats, chicken, fish, asparagus, mushrooms, peas, beans, lentils, cauliflower, and spinach.

Although a purine-rich diet has long been considered a risk factor for recurrent gout attacks, this is the first large study to explore this connection and quantify it.

[...]

For the study, which appears in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, scientists tracked 633 people with gout and monitored their health online for one year. More than three-quarters of the volunteers were men, and their average age was 54.

During the study period, each person was asked to submit information about any gout attacks they had. These details included any potential triggers and dietary information for the two days leading up to the attack, their symptoms, and what drugs they were taking to manage the condition.

As a comparison, participants also provided this same information over a two-day period every three months when they did not have a gout flare-up.

Purine-rich foods can trigger a gout flare-up relatively quickly -- often within two days of eating higher amounts of them, researchers found.

The odds of a gout flare-up were greater when purine came from animal food sources than from plant sources.

"Avoiding or reducing purine-rich foods intake, especially of animal origin, may help reduce the risk of recurrent gout attacks," the study concludes.

I suspected as much. Vegetables high in purines don't trigger attacks in me, the way that certain meats, in certain quantities, will do.
     

More Info about Gout and Herbal Treatments

A recent flare up of gout caused me to look up some more information. I found these two links interesting:

Ease Gout Pain

[...] During acute gout attacks, herbal anti-inflammatories including boswellia (Boswellia serrata), curcumin (Curcuma longa), devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) and yucca (Yucca spp.) can be tried instead of aspirin or arthritis drugs. [ 11 ]The British Pharmacopoeia recommends guaiacum resin extract (Guaiacum officinale; G. sanctum), an anti-inflammatory, for gout. Commercial preparations are available in the United Kingdom. [ 12 ] Boswellia is similar to guaiacum in terms of the types of phytochemicals present and is more readily available in North America. [ 13 ] Whichever herb is selected, the dosage should be at least two 500-mg caspsules of the dried herb three times daily for two to seven days. While the herbs mentioned here do not work as quickly as colchicine, they should help within 24 to 48 hours. [...]

I haven't tried Boswellia before, I'm going to look into it.

Treatment for Gout

[...] Goutezol is the only natural medicine for gout on the market that includes the Chinese method of Mulberry tree extracts. The pills are easily taken and are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Goutezol is a blend of herbs and enzymes, attacking the gout withing 24 hours. It is said to be one of the easiest and most effective cures for gout available. This medicine for gout is quickly growing more popular, since it is less tedious than many other medicines available. [...]

Goutezol also sounds like something worth looking into.

My gout attack wasn't severe, but it was painful enough to wake me up at night. Mostly I don't have problems with it, but occasionally I eat to too many things that have high purines, combined with lack of sleep, not enough water, or extra stress on my feet (like standing too much all day). Mostly I can control it by keeping all the various factors in balance.