In Durango it is common knowledge that there is always a good reason to have a drink! Be it the hot days of summer and a refreshing celebratory beer after a day of biking, paddle boarding, or river rafting or just kicking back on the deck after some yard work. Or in the winter after a long day of work or skiing, while resting in front of the fire sipping on a glass of red wine.
Gout, unfortunately, can be spurred on by a high protein diet and excess alcohol or possibly by kidneys that have a harder than normal time processing purines. I used to think that gout was a sexist ailment, but though it is indiscriminate, it does seem to hit men much harder than women, possibly due to more lax eating habits.
The mechanism behind gout resides in kidneys that are unable to process proteins that are called purines that normaly will break down into uric acid to be excreated by the kidneys.For some, these uric acid crystals do not get broken down efficiently and get lodged, most classically, in the big toe. Weird, right? Also the knees or joints.
The pain of these crystals is similar to having a red hot poker between the joint. It's nothing you can ignore!
Here's the good news! Gout can be safely treated and here's more good news .... diet and herbs are the answer.
If you or someone you know is diagnosed with gout, knowing the food choices that are bad or good for you is a big boost on your road to recovery. Your dietary choices are just as important as the treatment protocols and lifestyle changes that you follow. And Gout Out will offer the herbal support to begin the healing.
At Dancing Willow Herbs we have a tried and true formula called Gout Out. This formula will improve kidney function break down purines and assist the kidneys to filter purines. It can be used for both chronic gout as well as for acute episodes. It contains Shepards purse, Dandelion, Burdock, and Devils Claw.Get fast relief for an acute episode with 3 droppers 3x daily until symptoms subside (relief can be rapid but continue for 5 days ) Chronic gout can be eliminated by taking 2 droppers 2x daily.
If You Suffer From Gout Here are The Big No-Nos
(courtesy of Dr. Mercola)
Eliminate these foods from your diet!
•High-Fructose Corn Syrup: HFCS is found in breakfast cereals, ice cream, sodas, fruit juices and sports drinks. Eliminating this from your diet is crucial because it's known to pave the way for the onset of gout.
Fructose is also connected to other devastating effects. Compared to other natural sugars, fructose is metabolized by your body differently and is transformed into fat immediately. This may greatly increase your risk for liver damage, metabolic dysfunction, weight gain, diabetes, obesity and chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's. Ensure your fructose consumption lies below 25 grams a day, and if you are at risk for diseases such as gout and diabetes, keep it to less than 15 grams a day.
•Processed Foods: The prevalence of processed foods in many Americans' diets is a sad sight. Apart from high-fructose corn syrup, different preservatives and additives are added to processed foods, making them nutritionally deficient and setting many Americans up for the risk of various diseases, with gout being one of them.
•High-Purine Foods: It's a common belief that eating foods rich in purine can cause gout attacks. Purine is a substance naturally found in your body's cells and in foods. When you eat foods with purine, the body breaks it down and forms uric acid. As mentioned earlier, excessively high uric acid levels can lead to gout and, consequently, joint pain and damage.
Notable purine-rich foods to avoid include organ and red meats, shellfish, anchovies, herring, mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower, beans, lentils, spinach and peas, to name a few.
•Alcohol: Alcoholic drinks are a strong risk factor for gout, since these increase your blood uric acid levels and, consequently, your risk of a gout attack. Drinking too much wine can also raise your blood sugar levels, considered to be a major risk factor for diabetes.
Absolute Musts in a Gout Diet
For gout patients, these foods may help with alleviating and recuperating from the sickness. The main rule of thumb for any healthy diet (not just for gout patients) is to eat whole, ideally organic, and locally grown foods, and avoid processed and artificial items. Here are some of the best choices if you or someone you know has gout.
•Organic Cherries: Cherries contain two powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins and bioflavonoids that may reduce the effects of free radicals in the body, and assist with providing pain relief from gout and arthritis. Just make sure to eat cherries in moderation, since these contain fructose that can be harmful if consumed excessively.
•Healthy Fats: Replace non-vegetable carbohydrates with sufficient amounts of healthy fats that may aid in regulating your insulin and leptin levels. Your best bets include coconuts and coconut oil, avocados, raw butter from grass fed cows, olives and olive oil, and raw nuts such as macadamias and pecans.
Add animal-based omega-3 fats like krill oil to your diet as well. Omega-3s are extremely helpful for people who have gout or other types of arthritis because these are known anti-inflammatories that may help combat joint pain.
•Therapeutic Herbs: Therapeutic herbs such as ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, turmeric and ashwagandha may work well in reducing gout-caused pain, because they are potent anti-inflammatories.
•Potassium-Rich Foods: This mineral and electrolyte provides support to gout patients, as potassium citrate, a type of potassium found in fruits and vegetables, may help neutralize uric acid found in your urineand encourages your body to excrete this acid.
Avocados, papayas (preferably unripe ones), Brussels sprouts and leafy greens like spinach, Swiss chard and broccoli are excellent sources of potassium. Although supplements are available to assist with increasing and/or maintaining proper potassium levels, it's still highly ideal to get amounts of this important mineral from potassium-rich foods.
•High-Quality Filtered Water: Drinking more high-quality filtered water may be helpful for gout as it may assist in removing excess amounts of uric acid from the body and lowering risk of uric acid buildup and gout.
Over the years, we have seen amazing results with our Gout Out. We often hear that it has solved issues and brought pain relief where other over the counter remedies have failed. We hope you'll try it for yourself or for a loved one who suffers from gout.