Almost 90% of gout
victims are men over thirty years old.
But women can also suffer from gout, especially if they take certain
medications such as blood pressure drugs. Most women who suffer from
gout are
60 years or older.
Gout is a form of arthritis caused by high levels of
uric
acid in the blood, tissues, and urine. The uric acid can form crystals
which
collect in joints such as the big toe. In fact, your big toe can become
so
painful and swollen that even the weight of a bedsheet can be agonizing.
If gout isn’t properly controlled, it can cause
kidney
stones and even more serious kidney disease. Gout is also associated
with high
blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis.
You should always consult a doctor for treatment of
gout.
But some of the drugs used for gout — such as allopurinol, colchicine,
indomethacin, and prednisone — can cause serious side effects.
So you may want to discuss with your doctor if an
alternative approach might work for you. An approach without the toxic
side
effects of gout drugs.
One dietary approach is simply to eat cherries. In
the
1950s, Dr. Ludwig Blau discovered that he could keep his gout away by
eating a
minimum of 6 cherries a day. It helped his crippling gout so much that
he was
actually able to get out of his wheelchair and start walking again.
He discovered his “cherry cure” by accident. One
day, he ate
a large bowl of cherries and the next day, his foot pain was gone. He
found
that as long as he ate the cherries every day, his gout was controlled.
Many other people — some of whom have written to
Prevention
magazine — have also found relief by adding cherries to their diets.
Supposedly, if you already have crippling gout or if
you
feel a gout attack coming on, you should eat 15 to 30 cherries a day at
first
to get your gout under control, then 6 to 10 cherries a day after that
to keep
the gout away.
Red and black cherries — fresh, frozen or canned —
have been used successfully to treat gout. Drinking several tablespoons
of black
cherry juice daily may produce the same effect.
It’s best to eat the cherries or drink the cherry
juice
between meals.
So why do cherries work for some people with gout?
Because
gout destroys the collagen that is needed to form
connective tissue and cherries stop that destruction.
Cherries also neutralize uric acid and have
anti-inflammatory properties.
There are other changes you can make to your diet, too.
For example, eating a cup of strawberries may help
to control gout.
You should also drink plenty of water to help flush
the uric
acid out of your body. Six to eight 8-ounce glasses a day is probably
best.
Losing excess weight may also reduce uric acid
levels, but
it must be done gradually and under a doctor’s supervision. Severe
dieting or
fasting can actually make your gout worse.
Many people also try to eliminate foods with high
purine levels from their diets.
Some of these foods may worsen gout by increasing your level of uric
acid.
Some high-purine foods are meats, especially organ
meats,
gravies, herring, mussels, sardines, fish, and alcohol.
At least one study suggests that high-purine foods
such as
beans, peas, mushrooms, spinach and cauliflower do not make gout worse.
But you
should consult your doctor for the latest information and
recommendations.
Important
Disclaimer: This information is presented
for educational purposes only. This isn't medical advice and it's not a
substitute for any advice or treatment from your physician. You should
always
see your doctor before starting any new diet plan for losing weight or
controlling gout.
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