"I have a problem that needs sorting. Gout. Had it of and on for years now, however of late it has been pretty well there all the time. Don’t know if this is your field or not. I have tried conventional medicine (steroids, anti inflamitories and alluperinol)."Mathew
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Gary Moller comments:
Mathew is 45 yrs old, does a lot of exercise, drinks more than 7 beers per week. He has recently competed a course of prednisone and anti-inflammatory medication for his gout. He also has a dodgy calf muscle.
Mathew, the first thing you need to do is to become an expert about gout and an expert about your body.
While there may or may not be a family history of gout, there are still strong lifestyle factors that you can work on. You may find that you need to give your body a break - the opportunity to get on top of the problem. This means going on a health kick for several months. Once you are on top of the problem, you may find you can ease off; but you might be so enthralled with the increase in energy and sense of well-being that you decide to keep going with it!
Gout is symptomatic of bigger things going on within body and mind and merely medicating the gout symptoms is not the solution. It is time to tidy up your body, mind and lifestyle and to hunker down for the long term.
Here's what you need to do; but first discuss with your medical practitioner:
- Go on a diet that is low in purines and other substances/chemicals that are acid forming (refer the notes at the end of this article)
- Go alcohol free for at least three months
- Go on a heart healthy diet and take several heart healthy supplements (These are good for the kidneys which work hard to eliminate uric acid): Fish oil, vitamin E, lecithin, vitamin C and lysine.
- Reduce stress in your life, including moderating exercise - take a long, hard look at your life and make the hard decisions that may have been long ignored.
- Start by taking a long relaxing holiday in a warm tropical place like Samoa or the Cook Islands.
With regards to your dodgy calf muscle, come and see me sometime and I will help you to sort it out once and for all.
Notes about gout:
What is gout?
Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid in the body. This excess can be caused by an increase in production by the body, excessive cellular degeneration, under-elimination of uric acid by the kidneys and bowels, or by increased intake of foods containing purines which are metabolized to uric acid in the body.
With time, elevated levels of uric acid in the blood will lead to deposits in connective tissue around joints. Eventually, the uric acid may form needle-like crystals in the joints, leading to acute gout attacks.
The extreme pain is from the infection and not the crystals themselves. Uric acid may also collect under the skin as tophi or in the urinary tract as kidney stones.
High purine foods:
Sweetbreads, Anchovies, Sardines, Liver, Beef kidneys, Brains, Meat extracts (e.g Oxo, Bovril), Herring, Mackerel, Scallops, Game meats, Gravy
What foods/substances cause gout?
Alcohol, anchovies, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, consommé, herring, meat gravies, broth, bouillon, mussels, sardines, red meats, organ meats, processed meats (hot dogs, lunch meats, etc.), fried foods, roasted nuts, any food cooked in oil (heated oil destroys vitamin E), rich foods (cakes, sugar products, white flour products), dark greens vegetables, dried fruits, fish, caffeine, beans, lentils, eggs, oatmeal, peas, poultry, yeast products.
Acetaminophen, and low doses of aspirin which may be inadvertently prescribed to relieve the pain caused by gout, may exacerbate the problem by causing an increase in body acidity and stress on the kidneys and liver.
A person suffering gout, or with a history of gout, should avoid acid-forming foods.
Body PH should be slightly alkaline with the ideal being PH 7.4. This can be measured using a PH testing kit.
Extremely Acid Forming Foods - with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5
Artificial sweeteners, Carbonated soft drinks & fizzy drinks , Cigarettes , Flour (white wheat), Goat, Lamb, Pastries & cakes from white flour, Pork, Sugar, Beer, Brown sugar, Deer, Chocolate, Coffee , Custard with white sugar, Jams, Jellies, Liquor , Pasta, Rabbit, Semolina, Table salt refined & iodized, Tea black, Turkey, Breads White / Wheat, White rice, vinegar.
Extremely Alkaline Forming Foods - pH 8.5 to 9.0:
Lemons, Watermelon , Agar Agar , Cantaloupe, Cayenne (Capsicum), Dried dates & figs, Kelp, Karengo, Kudzu root, Limes, Mango, Melons, Papaya, Parsley, Seedless grapes (sweet), Watercress, Seaweed
Moderate Alkaline Forming Foods - pH 7.5 to 8.0
Apples (sweet), Apricots, Alfalfa sprouts Arrowroot, Avocados, Bananas (ripe), Berries, Carrots, Celery, Currants, Dates & figs (fresh), Garlic , Gooseberry, Grapes (less sweet), Grapefruit, Guavas, Herbs (leafy green), Lettuce (leafy green), Nectarine, Peaches (sweet), Pears (less sweet), Peas (fresh sweet), Persimmon, Pumpkin (sweet), Sea salt , Spinach, Apples (sour), Bamboo shoots, Beans (fresh green), Beets, Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carob , Daikon, Ginger (fresh), Grapes (sour), Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce (pale green), Oranges, Parsnip, Peaches (less sweet), Peas (less sweet), Potatoes & skin, Pumpkin (less sweet), Raspberry, Sapote, Strawberry, Squash , Sweet corn (fresh), Tamari , Turnip, Sour Dairy
Slightly Alkaline to Neutral Forming Foods - pH 7.0
Almonds , Artichokes (Jerusalem), Barley-Malt (sweetener-Bronner), Brown Rice Syrup, Brussel Sprouts, Cherries, Coconut (fresh), Cucumbers, Egg plant, Honey (raw), Leeks, Miso, Okra, Olives ripe , Onions, Pickles (home made with brown rice vinegar), Radish, Sea salt , Spices , Taro, Tomatoes (sweet), Vinegar (sweet brown rice), Water Chestnut, Amaranth, Artichoke (globe), Chestnuts (dry roasted), Egg yolks (soft cooked), Goat's milk and whey (raw) , Horseradish, Mayonnaise (home made), Millet, Olive oil, Quinoa, Rhubarb, Sesame seeds (whole) , Sprouted grains , Tempeh, Tofu, Tomatoes (less sweet)
Slightly Acid to Neutral Forming Foods - pH 7.0
Barley malt syrup, Barley, Bran, Cashews, Cereals (unrefined with honey-fruit-maple syrup), Cornmeal, Fructose, Honey (pasteurized), Lentils, Macadamias, Maple syrup (unprocessed),Low Fat Milk (homogenized) and most processed dairy products, Molasses organic , Nutmeg, Mustard, Pistachios, Popcorn (plain not microwaved), Rice or wheat crackers (unrefined), Rye (grain), Seeds (pumpkin & sunflower), Walnuts, Blueberries, Brazil nuts, Butter (salted), Cheeses (mild & crumbly) , Crackers (unrefined rye), Dry coconut, Egg whites, Goats milk (homogenized), Pecans, Plums , Prunes , Butter (fresh unsalted), Cream (fresh & raw), Milk (raw cow's) , Whey (cow's)
ACID FORMING FOODS FATS & OILS
Avocado Oil, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Flax Oil, Lard, Olive Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil
Fruits
Cranberries
Grains
Rice Cakes, Wheat Cakes, Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Oats (rolled), Quinoa, Rice, Rye, Spelt, Kamut, Wheat, Hemp Seed Flour
Nuts and Butters
Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Peanuts, Processed Peanut Butter, Pecans, Tahini
Animal proteins
Beef, Carp, Clams, Fish, Lamb, Lobster, Mussels, Oyster, Pork, Rabbit, Salmon, Shrimp, Scallops, Tuna, Turkey, Venison
pasta (white)
Noodles, Macaroni, Spaghetti Distilled Vinegar, Wheat Germ
Beans and legumes
Black Beans, Chick Peas, Green Peas, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Lima Beans, Pinto Beans, Red Beans, Soy Beans, Soy Milk, White Beans, Rice Milk, Almond Milk
Drugs and chemicals
Aspartame, Chemicals, Drugs (Medicinal), Drugs (Psychedelic), Pesticides, Herbicides
Alcohol
Beer, Spirits, Hard Liquor, Wine
Activities
Overwork, Excessive exercise, Anger, Fear, Jealousy, Stress
Moderate Acid - pH 6.0 to 6.5
Cigarette tobacco, Cream of Wheat (unrefined), Fish, Fruit juices with sugar, Maple syrup (processed), Molasses (sulphured), Pickles (commercial), Breads (refined) of corn, oats, rice and rye, Cereals (refined), corn flakes, Shellfish, Wheat germ, Whole Wheat foods , Wine , Yogurt (sweetened) Bananas (green), Buckwheat, Cheeses (sharp), Corn & rice breads, Egg whole (cooked hard), Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Oats, Pasta (whole grain), Pastry (wholegrain & honey), Peanuts, Potatoes (with no skins), Popcorn (with salt & butter), Rice (basmati), Rice (brown), Soy sauce (commercial), Tapioca, Wheat bread (sprouted organic)
Extremely Acid Forming Foods - pH 5.0 to 5.5
Artificial sweeteners, Beef, Carbonated soft drinks & fizzy drinks , Cigarettes (tailor made), Drugs, Flour (white wheat), Goat, Lamb, Pastries & cakes from white flour, Pork, Sugar (white) , Beer , Brown sugar , Chicken, Deer, Chocolate, Coffee , Custard with white sugar, Jams, Jellies, Liquor , Pasta (white), Rabbit, Semolina, Table salt refined & iodized, Tea black, Turkey, Wheat bread, White rice, White vinegar (processed).
