Dietary advice for the treatment of Gout

Gout is primarily an ailment of the joints. It is a form of arthritis, and it is often a very painful condition. It occurs due to the accumulation of needle like uric acid crystals in the spaces between the joints.


Typically, gout begins at the toes, and gradually, it affects the other joints such as ankles, fingers, wrists, elbows and knees. One of the major causes for gout is poor eating habits. If you are regularly eating foods that are rich in a compound known as purine, you are more prone to suffer from gout. Uric acid in the body is produced as a result of the breakdown of purine. When there is excess quantity of uric acid in the body, crystal formation starts taking place, which ultimately leads to the development of gout.

Symptoms of Gout:

• Swelling with severe pain around your joints

• Stiffening of joints due to white lumps below your skin and around the joints

• Redness around your joint

• Mild fever (in some cases)

Causes for Gout:

• Eating in excess foods that contain high quantities of purine

• Reduced excretion of uric acid by your kidneys, or in other words, urinating infrequently

• Other ailments that may cause an increase in uric acid

• Family history of gout.

These are some of the major causes for gout in a person.

Symptoms of Gout:

• Swelling with severe pain around your joints

• Stiffening of joints due to white lumps below your skin and around the joints

• Redness around your joint

• Mild fever (in some cases)

Causes for Gout:

• Eating in excess foods that contain high quantities of purine

• Reduced excretion of uric acid by your kidneys, or in other words, urinating infrequently

• Other ailments that may cause an increase in uric acid

• Family history of gout.

Gout Treatment Diet:

• Liver, kidneys, beef, and meat extracts

• Sea food such as crabs and fish roes, including mackerel, herring, and sardines

• Poultry products

• Vegetables like potatoes, dry peas, corn, cauliflower, spinach, green peas, asparagus, and mushrooms

• Lentils

• Alcoholic beverages, especially beer

For Gout attacks, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofin (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve) may provide relief if case in not too severe, but you must never take any medicine on an empty stomach, such as these. However, for severe case of Gout, your doctor may prescribe a cortico-steroid drug such as prednisone. Once the acute attack is under control, your doctor may recommend preventative measures to slow the rate at which your body produces uric acid or to increase the rate at which it is excreted. However, there are side affects and your doctor can go over them with you if needed.

• When an attack of gout strikes, eat lots of fruits and vegetables for 1-2 weeks.

• Consume ½ pound of fresh cherries or drink organic cherry juice. Cherries have been shown to be effective in lowering uric acid levels and preventing gout.

• Drink plenty of water. This will help rehydrate the body and flush excess uric acid out of the body.

• Reduce or eliminate the consumption of meats, fried foods and foods high in purine. Purine foods include asparagus, meat gravies and broths, mushrooms, mussels and sardines.

• If you are overweight, consider shedding a few pounds. Weight loss lowers serum uric acid levels. Avoid crash dieting however.

• Incorporate flax seed or omega 3 oil into your diet to help reduce inflammation and tissue damage.

• Burdock root can help rid the body of acidic waste build up and help supports normal uric acid levels in the body.

• To help reduce joint inflammation and swelling as well as reduce the uric acid build-up in the body, supplement with Joint Support or Joint-Ease.

• To alleviate the pain and reduce the inflammation experienced during a flair-up, try Ayurvedic Joint Health.

Diet and Nutrition:

Diet and nutrition are the primary means of treating gout naturally. Dietary treatment for gout sufferers is intended to reduce the production of uric acid to normal levels. Cherries, hawthorn berries, blueberries, and other dark red or blue berries are rich sources of compounds that favorably affect collagen metabolism and reduce inflammation of joints. Bioflavonoids found in black cherries have been used to reduce uric acid levels and decrease tissue destruction associated with gout. Gout sufferers could consume half a pound of fresh or unsweetened frozen cherries per day for a period of three to six weeks as a healing protocol.

Also strongly recommended for arthritic conditions are Noni juice, acai berries, and the whole or juiced goji or wolfberries. Pomegranate fruit extracts have been shown to block enzymes that contribute to cartilage degradation. As of 2006, the natural foods marketplace has been flooded with an exciting range of new products that are high in Bioflavonoids, anti inflammatory properties, and loaded with anti-oxidants. Look for Acai, goji and Noni puree, juice or powder that you can add to your diet.

Gout patients should eliminate alcohol intake, which both increases uric acid production and reduces uric acid excretion in the kidneys. Elimination of alcohol reduces uric acid levels and prevents gout in many individuals. Gout sufferers should also maintain a low-purine diet, which completely omits organ meats, shellfish, yeast (brewers and baker's), herring, sardines, mackerel, and anchovies.

Foods with moderate levels of purines, including dried legumes, spinach, asparagus, fish, poultry, and mushrooms, should also be curtailed. To control gouty arthritic symptoms, refined carbohydrates and saturated fats should be kept to a minimum. Weight reduction in obese individuals, using a high-fiber, low-fat diet is also recommended. Liberal fluid intake should also be maintained, because it keeps urine diluted and promotes the excretion of uric acid.

For the complete whole foods eating plan we recommend to heal and eliminate all imbalances and disease, connect to the full article: Whole Foods Diet. In many cases, a raw food eating plan can be extremely beneficial. To learn more, read Raw Food Diet.
 

Environmental Medicine:

Allergy and allergy-like sensitivities are often factors that contribute to the painful symptoms in arthritic patients. Theron G. Randolph, M.D., and the founder of environmental medicine, discovered the link between arthritis and allergic reactions to environmental chemicals and foods. His research with over 1,000 arthritis patients found commonly eaten foods, especially nightshade vegetables, as well as chemical substances (ranging from natural gas, auto exhaust, paints, perfume, and hair spray to insecticides, tobacco, and tobacco smoke) caused many of his patients' symptoms.

Additional research has found that foods, chemicals, grasses, pollen, molds, and other airborne substances caused allergic reactions in the joints of nearly 85% of the arthritics in one study. Food additives, as well as foreign invaders like protozoa, bacteria, yeast, and fungus, can also trigger or aggravate arthritic symptoms.

Although any food can theoretically trigger an allergic reaction in an individual, this list includes the most common food allergens of arthritis patients: dairy products, beef, wheat, yeast (both baker's and brewers), eggs, chocolate, oranges, sugar, nuts (especially peanuts), corn, green or yellow wax beans, and nightshade vegetables (eggplants, Irish potatoes, green and red peppers, paprika, tomatoes and tobacco).

All arthritis patients should be tested for food allergies. Once you have identified the foods you are allergic to, the next step is to eliminate them from your diet. Initially, you should completely refrain from eating all allergenic foods for 60-90 days. After this period, you can begin to slowly reintroduce them into your diet. You should also vary the foods that you eat on a daily basis to avoid developing new allergies.

Cleansing and Detoxification can help arthritis patients reverse the accumulation of toxins that otherwise promote the destruction of joint tissues and contribute to other degenerative conditions. Many methods of detoxification are currently available, including colon and bowel cleansing therapies, kidney and gallbladder flushes, physical medicine, and homeopathic remedies. Related therapies for detoxification incorporate bodywork, lymphatic drainage, aromatherapy, antioxidant defense support, and nutrient and herbal support to bolster the organs of detoxification.

Fasting is another detoxification strategy used to reduce allergic reactions and the corresponding arthritic symptoms. During a fast, a patient typically eats only high-nutrient soup broths, purified water, and/or vegetable juices. Following this type of protocol under an alternative doctor's care for several weeks can prove very helpful, and decreases the number of immune complexes (the substances formed when antibodies attach to antigens) circulating in the blood.
 

Exercise and Physical Therapy: Isometric exercises, stretching, and yoga can help ease arthritis pain.

Herbal Medicine: In clinical trials with gout patients, devil's claw was found to relieve joint pain, as well as reduce blood cholesterol and uric acid levels. For gout sufferers, professionals can recommend: 1-2 g of dried powdered devil's claw root three times a day; 4-5 ml of (1:5) tincture three times a day; or 400 mg of dry solid extract (3:1) three times a day.

Juice Therapy: Organic cherry juice is especially good for gout.

Nutritional Supplements: For gout patients, the following nutritional supplements are recommended: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 1.8 g daily), vitamin E (400-800 IU daily), folic acid (under a doctor's supervision, 10-40 mg daily), and quercetin with bromelain (125-250 mg three times a day between meals).

Alternative Professional Care
For treating gout, the following therapies can be helpful: Acupuncture, Detoxification Therapy, Energy Medicine (electrodermal screening), Environmental Medicine, Magnetic Field Therapy, Mind/Body Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Orthomolecular Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Qigong, Reflexology, Sound Therapy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Glossary for descriptions of these Alternative Therapies.)

Quick Action Plan for Gout:

• The goal of diet for those with gout is to reduce the production of uric acid to normal levels. Cherries, and all rich colored berries, such as blueberries, are recommended. Consume half a pound of fresh or unsweetened frozen cherries per day for a period of three to six weeks as a healing protocol.

• Organic cherry juice is especially good for gout, as are many of the new "magic juices" such as Goji, Acai and Noni juice, puree or powder. Pomegranate fruit extracts have been shown to be effective as well.

• Eliminate alcohol consumption, which both increases uric acid production and reduces uric acid excretion in the kidneys. Gout sufferers should also maintain a low-purine diet, which completely omits organ meats, shellfish, yeast (brewer's and baker's), herring, sardines, mackerel, and anchovies.

• Intake of dried legumes, spinach, asparagus, fish, poultry, and mushrooms, should also be curtailed. Refined carbohydrates and saturated fats are best kept to a minimum.

• Drink plenty of pure water, because it keeps urine diluted and promotes the excretion of uric acid.

• Test for food and environmental allergies and avoid all foods and substances to which you are allergic.

• Cleansing and Detoxification, including colon and bowel cleansing therapies, fasting, kidney and gallbladder flushes, physical medicine, and homeopathic remedies.

• In clinical trials with gout patients, devil's claw was found to relieve joint pain, as well as reduce blood cholesterol and uric acid levels. For gout sufferers, professionals can recommend: 1-2 g of dried powdered devil's claw root three times a day; 4-5 ml of (1:5) tincture three times a day; or 400 mg of dry solid extract (3:1) three times a day.

• The following nutritional supplements are recommended: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 1.8 g daily), vitamin E (400-800 IU daily), folic acid (under a doctor's supervision, 10-40 mg daily), and quercetin with bromelain (125-250 mg three times a day between meals).
  

Gout occurs as a result of accumulation of uric acid, which is broken down from purine-rich foods, such as, yeast, beer, mushroom, anchovies, sardines in oil, fish roes, herring, spinach, organ meat, asparagus,legumes, cauliflower and meat gravies. Foods which may be beneficial to people with gout include dark berries, lean meats,low fat dairy products, tofu (a better choice than meats),eggs, certain fatty acids found in salmon, flax or olive oil. It is important to take a moderate amount of protein, 2-3 litres of fluids/day, prescribed medications, a balanced diet and exercise.

For more information on gout, refer our article on the same at Home Remedies for Gout