Gout
Gout is a painful condition caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the body’s soft tissues and joints. From the preceding link we see:
Symptoms of acute Gout:
- Symptoms usually involve only one or a few joints. The big toe, knee, or ankle joints are most often affected.
- The pain starts suddenly, often during the night and is often described as throbbing, crushing, or excruciating.
- The joint appears warm and red. It is usually very tender (it hurts to lay a sheet or blanket over it).
- There may be a fever. The attack may go away in a few days, but may return from time to time. Additional attacks often last longer.
- After a first gouty attack, people will have no symptoms. Half of patients have another attack.
Most commonly, the big toe joints are affected. Gout can be very painful and reduction of pain in the acute stage is a primary concern. To reduce pain and swelling (and for long term resolution), nutritional changes are essential. Make sure you:
- Avoid alcohol
- Drink plenty of pure (spring) water, not distilled water.
- Eliminate purine-rich foods you eat, especially anchovies, sardines, oils, herring, organ meat (liver, kidney, and sweetbreads), legumes (dried beans and peas), gravies, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, consommé, and baking or brewer’s yeast.
- Eliminate or limit how much meat you eat at each meal.
- Avoid fatty foods such as salad dressings, ice cream, and fried foods.
- Eat enough complex carbohydrates.
- If you are losing weight, lose it slowly. Quick weight loss may cause uric acid kidney stones to form.
Nutritional and herbal supplementation can be very helpful. One meta analysis review of several studies concluded: “vitamin C supplementation significantly lowered SUA [serum uric acid].” The median dosage of vitamin C in that study was 500 mg/day and more than that can certainly be used with safety.
One study (Ann Intern Med. 21 August 2012; 157(4): I-40) suggests that even low levels of lead increase the likelihood of having gout. So it makes sense to follow a strategy to reduce lead by the use of homeopathic (isopathic) chelation formulas to knock out lead. Several classic homeopathic remedies can be utilized for relief from gout (including aconite, ledum, colchicum, and nuxvomica), and need to be reprioritized according to the individual.
Herbs that may be effective for reduction of gout and its pain are alfalfa leaves, nettles, yarrow leaves, and Joe Pye root (Eupatorium fistulosum.) Herbalist, Hanna Kroeger, reported that Romans used okra powder to help chelate out lead from their toxic water systems.
Many metabolic disorders, including gout, can be helped by the integrated natural therapies used at Davis Holistic Chiropractic Center.
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