Gout

Gout Considerations:

Gout never gets much of a high profile as far as health problems are concerned. This is partly due to the fact that only a small percentage of the population suffer from it and these are mostly men. The other reason is that gout is often associated with ‘high’ living and drinking! In fact, this is not correct, but it is true that certain foods can quickly trigger an attack of gout. These include shellfish, prawns and red meat, as well as beer and high yeast products.

The real culprit here, is uric acid and the fact that it builds up over many years to levels that cause it to crystallize, particularly in the joints. Normally, the body can dispense with the uric acid as a waste product through the urine, where about 70% is expelled, with the balance being expelled through the faeces. Gout, is a very painful condition, where crystallized uric acid builds up in the extremity joints such as the big toe. It can occur in any joints, such as the toes, fingers and hands.

The good news is that gout can be prevented and essentially cured. Whilst drugs are available, a better option may be to look at the all natural remedies, which are widely advertised. In addition, a change of diet is probably a necessity, as a number of foods may need to be avoided. Although certain purine rich foods, such as mentioned above can be a problem, recent studies now indicate that purine rich vegetables are not a problem. Gout affects about 3% of the population, but this is only a fraction of those suspected to have high uric acid levels.

What is not widely known is that high levels of uric acid can build up in the body and not necessarily result in gout. These high levels can cause kidney stones and even lead to kidney failure. High uric acid levels can also result in other skeletal type problems, such as an arthritic condition. Recent reports now indicate that high uric acid levels can definitely cause cartilage damage and also lead to osteoarthritis, which results in considerable pain and loss of mobility.  You can read more about this subject by visiting the WebMD website.

It is also very important to note that high uric acid levels and gout can result in complications with other medical conditions such as psoriasis, kidney problems and forms of anemia. Interestingly, obesity and diabetes are both linked with arthritic gout conditions and this is a very strong reason why glucose, cholesterol and uric acid blood levels should be regularly checked. Self-testing in the home environment is a very easy, quick and cost effective manner of monitoring these levels. The EasyMate multi-function monitoring system has a kit specially designed for this purpose.

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