From Kings To The Average Joe: Gout Makes A Comeback

I was told the last time I went in for a check-up that I "had gout"... I thought gout was the pain associated with the uric acid build-up in the blood which makes the crystals form in joints. Anyways, the uric acid in my blood is high. I think it is because I take Omeprozole (generic Zantac) every night before I go to bed and it is affecting my digestion...I also think the Omeprozole is not allowing digestion of a lot of food I eat and that is making my IBS worse and affecting my cholesterol, too.

But, since I'm not anywhere close to a medical professional...these are just guesses on my part.

I must not be eating right, I don't have gout.

Most treatments focus on getting the right diet for your body type(what a concept!),

and reducing inflammation in the body. Uric acid is not only a marker for gout but a marker for imflammation.

In addition, the right type of kidney support is essential although you will not hear this from a typical medical docs office.

rocky mtn thyroid center wrote: Most treatments focus on getting the right diet for your body type(what a concept!),

and reducing inflammation in the body. Uric acid is not only a marker for gout but a marker for imflammation.

In addition, the right type of kidney support is essential although you will not hear this from a typical medical docs office.

I do believe there is a genetic component to gout susceptibility. That being said, there is much more to gout than red meat and alcohol consumption. Many other foods have high levels of purines, beans, some shellfish, and spinach to name a few. I think the alcohol component has as much to do with dehydration as much and anything. As the good Dr. suggests”

the right type of kidney support is essential

.” Inflammation or irritation also does seem to play a large part. Not all gout attacks begin in the big toe, ankles or knees can also be the first joints to be affected. So if you are 40+ and have unexplained knee, ankle or toe pain, there is a good chance you might be having a gout attack, especially if it hurts like hell. Irritation and inflammation can set off a gout attack so many people after some vigorous activity may feel they have just sprain or strain of the knee or ankle but really could be your first gout attack.

May I suggest Link to the gout haters cookbook

Good comments, Grady. It certainly is more than alcohol and red meat. Genetics play a part but are modified by environment. i.e. what you eat.

Another angle is PH. Here is a question, what causes the uric acid crystals to precipitate out of the blood in the joint space?

Most likely it is a multifactoral response but one big factor is how acidic are you?

An alkaline promoting diet has shown promise.

As a kidney stone and gout sufferer who takes allopurinol, this is a thread of interest to me. Had gout so bad I could not walk. I do not drink but maybe a glass of wine or a beer a couple times a month, and my red meat consumption is generally low too. I may go months without any. There is a genetic link likely as we have a family history of this issue. I'd love to get off the drug, but since getting on it, I've had no more problems. A dietary change I'd try too, but am a little hesitant to get off my treatment to experiment if the diet change was affective.

rocky mtn thyroid center wrote: Good comments, Grady. It certainly is more than alcohol and red meat. Genetics play a part but are modified by environment. i.e. what you eat.

Another angle is PH. Here is a question, what causes the uric acid crystals to precipitate out of the blood in the joint space?

Most likely it is a multifactoral response but one big factor is how acidic are you?

An alkaline promoting diet has shown promise.

I never thought about PH. My assumption was that the crystals form when the uric acid is at such a high level to cause it precipitate out. The crystals can actually form anywhere in the body in the form of Tophus

What would be a Alkaline promoting diet?

I'd be interested in diet information too.

Another question I have is how much strenuous exercise that leaves you dehydrated can promote elevated uric acid production? I know I used to go on many a long bike ride and not drink enough. After the ride my urine was brown and it would take a long time to get hydrated again.

There are no one size fits all for gout. And I have seen normal uric acid levels with gout and high uric acid levels with no gout

Sure genetics are real, but I have heard many stories about gout remission after cessation of drugs. O wait, we can't talk about those because they are not double blind placebo controlled "experiments". Give me a break.

The common factor seems to be avoidance of triggers and alkalinizing.

The best ways to figure out if you are acidic are the urine and saliva ph strips. I like the Alkalive strips. If you want, I can order some, you just pay cost plus shipping.

So the acid forming foods are the ones that are ubiquitous in the American diet.
-grains
-sugar
-alcohol
-meats

there are more for sure but these are the big ones.

Veggies are generally alkalizing, and believe it or not, lemons are too as are most acidic fruits which burn down to an alkaline ash in your body.(Who knew?)

Finally, there has been great success reported with baking soda in water(generally 1tsp 2x per day) but there are complications here and you need to closely monitor because too much alkalinity is just as bad as too much acidity. This can problematic if a person is on other meds.

With gout, as with many diseases, there is a disease specific approach(give everyone allopurinol and NSAID's) or a patient centered approach which respects biochemical individuality. Some consideration to both approaches usually is the key.

Happy to give any more info if desired.

Dr. T