Gout - Unproven Remedies

Unproven Remedies

The promises of quick "cures" and "miraculous relief' sound wonderful to a person with a chronic illness. Most of the products advertised in this way whether drugs, dietary supplements or mechanical devices are not harmful but worthless and expensive. To avoid falling into these traps people should discuss with their doctor any other forms of treatment they are considering.

Gout hurts so much that you will need your doctor's help to get rid of it. The most usual place to get gout is in your big toe and that's not funny even if your friends do laugh! Pain in other joints especially in your feet and ankles can be caused by gout too.

Gout is very common in Maori and Pacific Islanders and men seem to get it more than women. Some of your families may also have pain caused by gout and it is possible that your parents or grandparents had it too. You can't change these things just as you can't cure gout but you can avoid having more bad attacks of this very painful condition.

Gout is possibly one of the most common forms of arthritis or joint inflammation. It appears as an acute attack often with symptoms coming on overnight. Within 12-24 hours there is found severe pain and swelling in the affected joint or joints. The skin over the joint may be red and shiny.  You may also notice a bit heat emanating from the joint.

It is usually found that gout usually affects only one or two joints at a time - most often around the feet and ankles. The ball of the big toe is the most common site of attacks. Without treatment the attack will usually subside in a week or so.  When a patient first develops gout there may be intervals of many months or even a few years between attacks. But, as time goes by, these attacks tend to become more frequent and more severe and eventually many joints may become involved, sometimes all of them at the same time. At this stage a state of chronic or continuous joint disease may develop with progressive joint damage, disability and crippling (chronic gout). Gout affects mostly men and is very rare in women until after the menopause when it is quite often seen. Gout is very commonly found around the world. Some surveys have shown it to be present in up to 10% of adult males.  It is often said that dry, warm climates are the best to avoid outbreaks.


What causes Gout?

Uric acid.  It is a chemical which is a natural part of the normal breaking down and building up of food and tissues of the body. The level in the blood can be measured and shows how much there is in the body overall. The condition of raised blood uric acid is called hyperuricaemia. When this is present, the uric acid which is normally dissolved in the blood may, from time to time, form microscopic crystals in the joint. These crystals set up the inflammation which is called acute gouty arthritis or acute gout.

It follows that gout may develop in persons whose uric acid is higher than normal. There are many causes of this. The following are some of the more common causes:

  • Higher than normal levels of uric acid can be part of the inherited make-up of some families
  • Obesity
  • High alcohol intake
  • High intake of food containing purines (see below)
  • Some of the drugs used to treat high blood pressure.
  • Less commonly, longstanding kidney disease may result in high blood levels of uric acid.

    • Treating the Acute Attack

    One or other of the anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be very effective but to gain the best results the dose should be adequate and the drug taken as soon as possible at the first sign of an attack. Hence medical advice must be sought early. With effective treatment the attack may be controlled within 12-24 hours and treatment need not be continued after a few days. Rest and elevation of the part involved and a fluid intake increased by an extra 4 or 5 glasses of water a day are also important. Drugs used for the acute attack have no effect on reducing uric acid levels.

    Treatment of Gout

    The first step wherever possible must be to correct those factors mentioned above which give rise to high uric acid levels. Purines are substances found in food, which, when broken down produce a lot of uric acid. Therefore the following foods which are high in Purines should be restricted or avoided:

     

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