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Basic Facts About Gout

March 8, 2011 By

Gout, a form of arthritis, happens mainly due to the build-up of uric acid crystals in the joints of the body like wrists, ankle, fingers, etc. Extremely painful, this form of rheumatism causes inflammation of the area and can incapacitate the patient to a large extent.

One of the basic facts of gout is that it is generally associated with ‘high living’ and can be found among people who enjoy their drinks and meat. Excess intake of red meat, wine, beer, alcohol, rich and fatty food like gravies and sauces, seafood, mushrooms, asparagus, anchovies, etc on a regular and frequent basis can cause the accumulation of uric acid in the body. Normally, Uric acid is secreted out of the body with the help of the kidneys, but in the case of the body producing excess of this stuff, they are not effectively eliminated and hence tend to accumulate as needle like crystals in the joints, leading to an attack of Gout.

Gout commonly attacks the big toe joint in the foot, causing much pain to the person. Other joints like the ankle, knee, elbow, hand, wrist, fingers, etc too can be affected by this form of arthritis. Very often, the Gout afflicted patient tends to feel sharp and intensive throbbing pain in the joint with considerable redness, swelling and inflammation along with fever and chills. The joint often feels as though on fire and the pain could be so very excruciating that it takes on agonizing dimensions. X-ray of the area could reveal a damaged joint which would have taken a bony prominence in the later part of the disease.

Gout, basically affects more men than women, although menopausal women too are at risk to a considerable extent. Other medical problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels in the body could also trigger a Gout attack. Apart from indulging in the wrong type of food and heavy alcohol intake, it is seen that medications like diuretics as well as aspirin could which builds-up uric acid levels in the body, could also lead to Gout.

It is very important that you go in for prompt treatment if you are diagnosed with Gout. In fact, if at all you find yourselves debilitated with a sudden attack of red, hot, swollen joint with unbearable pain, it would be best to consult your doctor at the earliest and get it treated. In the usual course, your doctor may prescribe certain non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), oral steroidal medicines, cortisone injections, etc to ease pain and get you back in condition. But if your Gout is frequently recurring, you may be put on long term drugs like Allopurinol, Probenicid, etc to bring your condition under control.

Gout attacks can which recurs frequently can play havoc with your emotional state too and leave you feeling shaken and depressed. Prevention is definitely better than cure, especially when it concerns Gout, and it is better to lead a healthy lifestyle. If at all you suffer from Gout, do opt for gout treatment at the earliest.

Visit us at http://www.gout.ca for more information regarding Gout.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Dicker

 

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Gout and the Cherry Diet Myth

March 8, 2011 By

There is a lot of false information being circulated in the online world concerning natural treatment of Gout, the cherry diet being one of them. Highly regarded as a sort of miracle cure, it is said that eating cherries can help in treating this painful arthritic condition.

Like many other Gout patients, you too may be on the lookout for an effective Gout cure. You may have come across the cherry diet and might be contemplating trying it out. But before you start on any diet for that matter, it is important that you realize a few basic facts about Gout.

A form of arthritis, Gout is characterized by red, hot, swollen and inflamed joints, especially those of the toe, wrist, fingers, ankle, etc. This happens due to the excessive build up of uric acid in the body that accumulates in such joints as crystals and causes much pain and discomfort. A sedentary lifestyle sans any sort of physical exercise, a regular diet rich in meat, alcohol, beer, rich sauces and gravies, and such causes the rise in uric acid levels which gradually lead to this dreaded and painful disease. As such, medical science has not found an effective cure for Gout, and medicines and injections only helps in managing the condition to a large extent.

Coming back to Gout and the Cherry Diet, and the way this miraculous berry is supposed to cure this painful condition, one need to think in a logical manner. It is an undoubted fact that Cherries are an excellent source of a lot of vitamins and other minerals which are extremely beneficial to our body. They taste very good and are rich in anti oxidants which are necessary for the well being of our health. Cherries are low in fat, thus making it an excellent food for those who are trying to lose weight. They are also thought to have certain anti-inflammatory properties, and this could be the basis of the Cherry Diet Myth which supposedly cures Gout.

Sure, including cherries in your diet could be beneficial for your Gout by relieving some of its painful symptoms, but it should also be supplemented with other factors too for managing your condition in a better and more effective way. Regular medication prescribed by your doctor could help you in managing your painful condition to a very large extent, and so would a sensible diet as well as regular exercises like walking and swimming.

Gout is basically a disease which is brought forth by various factors like genetic, lifestyle, food habits, etc and it is important that you fight the cause of the disease rather than going behind non-existent miracle cures. If you are overweight, try to cut down on calories and lose weight, if your food habits are unhealthy, try cutting down on meat and consume more of healthier vegetables, if you are a heavy drinker, cut down on your alcohol intake, if your lifestyle is sedentary, try to include some physical activity like walking or swimming. All these could most certainly make a great difference in managing your Gout rather than a bunch of cherries. For more information regarding Gout Myths, visit us at http://www.gout.ca.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Dicker

 

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Gout – Its Causes

March 8, 2011 By

Are you familiar with the situation where you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain on your big toe? It could be a sharp, throbbing, unbearable pain and the toe may feel hot, red, and swollen. It looks like you are in for a bad attack of Gout. There are a vast majority of similar Gout sufferers who are riddled with various questions about their condition.

Gout is regarded as one of the most painful of all arthritis and commonly affects the big toe of the foot as well as the various joints of the body like elbows, wrist, fingers, ankles, knees, etc. Pain and swelling in these joints are caused when uric acid produced by our body deposits as crystals in the space between two bones, resulting in inflammation.

So, how exactly is Gout caused? As mentioned above, Gout is caused due to the build-up of excessive uric acid in the body. Uric acid is produced normally in our body as a by product, but several reasons can result in it being produced in excess by our body and it builds up as crystals and leads to inflammation due to its inability to be excreted through urine. But do you know the reason which contributes to the rising levels of uric acid? There are various reasons why this occurs:

  1. Excessive alcohol intake can lead to Gout. In fact, anything more than two drinks per day is considered risky.
  2. A diet filled with red meat, poultry, seafood, rich gravies and sauces, and generally those rich in animal protein could contribute to symptoms of Gout.
  3. A sedentary lifestyle without any form of physical activity or exercise could lead to the person being afflicted with Gout.
  4. A person with body weight on the higher side has every possibility of contracting Gout because the more tissues the body has, the more it helps in the formation of uric acid.
  5. Medical problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, high levels of fat and cholesterol in the body, arteriosclerosis, etc could sometimes be a cause to contracting Gout.
  6. Medicines like diuretics, anti inflammatory drugs with salicylic acid, niacin, etc could be a reason for promoting Gout.
  7. Genetics play an important role in the person being afflicted with Gout. If there is a family history of this disease, it is possible that this problem be recurrent in generations.
  8. A male who is aged between 30 and 50 is more prone to contracting Gout, while more of menopausal women are seen afflicted with Gout.

 

As seen above, the cause of Gout could be many depending on your life situation. All or some of these criteria could lead to your body being forced to produce excess of uric acid which the kidneys are unable to eliminate through urine. This leads to a situation where the uric acid gets deposited in the various joints as needle like crystals that inflame the whole area and lead to the problems of redness, swelling, acute pain, rigidity of the joint area, etc. Gout can be life threatening if left untreated. Hence it is advisable to get prompt medical attention at the earliest so as to manage your situation effectively. Visit http://www.gout.ca for more details concerning Gout.

 

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