Nutritionist & Naturopath

Nutritional Treatments

There are many effective treatments for gout and it may take a combination of these to eliminate it.  The first part of this article outlines tips for treating gout and the second part provides you with information about why gout happens.  Often making some basic diet changes is enough for many people to eliminate gout.   Some basic starting guidelines are:

• Eliminate alcohol intake
• Drink plenty of water
• Eat foods low in purines
• Maintain a healthy body weight
• Eat cherries
• Try key nutritional supplements, if needed

Water and Alcohol

Drink lots of fluids and eliminate alcohol.  Drinking plenty of water helps to dilute the uric acid in the blood and prevent the crystals from precipitating out from the blood.  Dilution of the urine also reduces the risk of kidney stones. Drink at approximately 2 L of water each day, depending on your size and activity levels.

Alcohol worsens gout in two ways.  It increases uric acid production by increasing the breakdown of purines. It also reduces uric acid excretion by increasing lactate production, which impairs kidney function. Many people never have a reoccurrence of gout once they eliminate alcohol.

Diet

Purines
A low purine diet can significantly decrease uric acid levels.  Foods with high purine levels should be take out of your diet completely. These include: many meats (kidney, liver, veal, turkey and venison), shellfish, yeast, sardines, mackerel, fish roes, mussels, scallops, and anchovies.  Intake of foods with moderate levels of purines should also be reduced. These include: dried legumes, spinach, asparagus, fish, poultry, and mushrooms.

Cherries
Cherries, blueberries, and other dark red-blue berries are rich sources of anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins. Eating approximately one-half pound (225 grams or 1 can usually) of fresh or canned cherries per day has been shown to be very effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing attacks of gout. The anthocyanidins give cherries and other fruits their deep red-blue color.  Cherries reduce uric acid levels because the specific anthocyanidins in them, may inhibit xanthine oxidase, an enzyme involved in the production of uric acid. This causes the body to make less uric acid. The anthocyanidins in cherries also block pain and inflammation and act as anti-oxidants.  You can use any type of cherry but choose darker cherries if buying fresh ones.

Key Supplements

Your genetic make-up, medical history, and environment, should all be taken into consideration when devising any treatment plan. If you are finding diet changes are not enough to eliminate gout for you, then you likely need a more comprehensive treatment plan that includes other therapies, including nutritional supplements.  For treating gout, I use a combination of diet changes, a few key nutritional supplements (for example: celery extract), herbs, hydrotherapy, and homeopathy, all based on my patients’ specific requirements and underlying imbalances in the body.

More about Gout….

What is it?

Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a build up of uric acid crystals in a joint.  In about 50% of people it affects the big toe but can also develop in any joint, tendons, kidneys, and other tissues, where it causes inflammation and damage.

Gout can be extremely painful and usually occurs as an “attack” that can last up to 3-10 days.  After the attack the joint usually feels normal and pain-free again.  Gout attacks cannot be predicted and, if left untreated, can cause future attacks to be more frequent and last for longer, as well as cause uric acid kidney stones.

Uric acid is a normally harmless waste product of the body which is a by-product of purines.  Purines are found naturally in the body as well as in certain foods and alcohols. Gout is very common, affecting 1 in 200 people, and mainly affects men as they have higher uric acid levels than women.

Causes

There are two types of gout:  primary and secondary.  Primary gout is typically from a genetic malfunction in metabolizing uric acid and accounts for 90% of gout. You will often find gout runs in families.  Secondary gout is seen in 10% of cases and is usually caused by certain medications (diuretics, chronic low dose aspirin) or a co-existing condition such as renal disease.

It is not always known what triggers a gout attack. For example, some people can have high levels of uric acid in their system but never suffer from gout, and some people who are affected by gout will have a normal level of uric acid.

Symptoms

The typical symptom of gout is sudden and severe joint pain, usually in joint of the big toe. The pain will often occur during the night but can also happen at any time. Other symptoms include:

• inflammation and swelling
• red and shiny skin over the affected joint,
• peeling, itchy and flaky skin over the affected joint, and
• chills and shivers, sometimes with a mild fever during an attack

Approximately 62% of people experience a repeat attack of gout within a year. However, some people will only ever experience one attack in their lifetime.

Diagnosis

There is no one specific test that diagnoses gout.  As there are many conditions that can cause the symptoms of joint pain and swelling, the diagnosis may not be made right away.  Some tests may include, a blood test for uric acid, syovial fluid sample (synovial fluid is what lubricates your joints), or an x-ray to rule out other conditions causing joint damage.