The last few days have been some of the most excruciating pain I`ve ever felt.
When I broke my elbow, it took 4 days to go to the hospital because I didn`t think it hurt `that bad.` I had mono for 5 months before finding out because I thought I was only a `little bit sluggish.` After unknowingly walking around with a dislocated finger (and doing farm chores for 5 days), I put the digit back in the socket myself.
And yet the last 3 days have been some of the worst pain I`ve ever had.
Gout (once known as the `Kng`s Disease`) is largely related to what you eat. I have the lucky combination of enjoying some of the problem foods while also having a history of gout in my family.
My Father explains it really well; `Cartlidge cushions your joints from rubbing into eah other. Got attacks a single joint and turns everything int crystals – th slightest movement of the joint crushes those crystals together and causes pain.` He takes his hands, press his fingers with his pals pointed towards his chest and moves them like two gears – showing how the crystals (his fingers) connect like mismatched gears on a clock. His explanation is only part metaphor – crystals do indeed form although it`s not the transformation of cartilage.
Gout typically appears at night and arrives with little warning. I`ve had minor attacks most of my life but was diagnosed with acute attacks about a year-and-a-half ago and informed I would have an attack about every 18 months. It`s been 17.5.
The attacks are triggered by consuming foods with high uric acid. These include foods high in purines such as:
- beer (some say alcohol in general though there is some debate)
- cheese
- red meat
- mushrooms
- excess legumes
- fatty foods
- asparagus
- cauliflower
- consume
- baker`s yeast
- gravy
- organ meat
- oils
- and more..
Gout is a form of arthritis and t attacks a single joint – often the big toe, ankle or knee. The joint becomes swollen, often turns red and is painful to touch (a simple touch of a blanket or even resting your heel on something which subtly puts pressure on the other parts of your foot is enough to writhe in pain – putting a sock on brings one lose to tears).
Treatment includes antibiotics, painkillers and natural helpers including
- low-fat milk
- cherries
- adequate carbohydrates, especially complex carbs such as whole grains, fruits and veggies
- lots of water
- tomatoes, kale, cabbage,
- Fruit juices, oranges, bananas
- and more…
Maintaining an ideal body weight is also an important factor in avoiding gout.
I have several lifestyle changes I can adjust to avoid. We`ve drastically reduced the amount of meat we eat over the last few years and will have to make some more adjustments going forward.
It`s amazing – yet mind-numbingly logical – how much what we eat affects us. Despite the pain, gout is a relatively minor complication of diet. What is the addiction of fast food, convenience foods and additions of mysterious chemicals in pre-packaged foods doing in our society at large?
The important disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a scientist; just a dude with a sore foot. Using the above as medical reference would be very silly, if not dangerous to your personal health. If you have gout or any other maladies please do not use this article as a reccomendation on how to diagnose, treat or cure your ails. That would just be a bad idea.
Ouch! I hope this attack passes quickly. Make sure you put up lots and lots of cherries this season!
I had gallstones (a pain frequently called “worse than childbirth” by those who have experienced both) in university, which were similarly driven to attack (more frequently, about once a week) by fatty foods, alcohol, caffeine, etc. I went off cheese and drinking for 6 months but still had frequent attacks, so I understand your pain. Luckily I had my whole gallbladder removed which obviously removes the threat of attacks (but had a whole slew of other digestive repercussions, but I digress..). One of the hardest parts was ordering at restaurants. I couldn’t say I was lactose intollerant as they might use oil, and it seemed silly to ask for fat-free food while dining out. The point of my rambling is, I understand, and hope you feel better soon.
Very sorry to hear this!
My brother has had a long and very painful relationship with gout. After numerous experiments, he has found the elimination of beer from his diet to be the single biggest help. That and cherries (in some sort of concentrated health-food-store form). He’s been almost attack-free for quite a while.
I am sorry..I understand though..I do the same thing (I’ve had mono too)
If you had mono there is a chance you had one of the Herpies viruses..like CMV or Epstein-Barr, or even HPV6. EB is the easiest to test for but I don’t trust the tests they use. It is in the system and it never leaves. If you improve your immune system, it can help keep it on an upper level so if you do get another attack it is milder…the more frequent you get it..ie: not getting the rest and water you need, and pushing yourself too hard before it is completely over, it will be worse the next time because your body didn’t have the chance to push it up out of the deeper cells.
Depending on how strong your immune system is, when you do get an “attack” (that’s what I call them) it may be brief with lighter symptoms. (ever have a summer “cold” with copious amounts of mucus, or even worse what they call “summer flu”..PS there IS NO summer flu..flu is a winter disease..what you have is CMV and medical Drs often dismiss it) and you feel so tired it takes week to get over it?…CMV in the “higher” level. Once it gets deeper into your cells, then you have all sorts of “migrating” symptoms, that may mimic other diseases. (including gout) And sometimes have trouble getting a correct diagnosis (because they are testing for the diseases they “think” you might have based on the symptoms, but since you don’t HAVE that disease, only the mimic-ed (or phantom) symptoms, they can’t get a correct diagnosis. It sounds complicated but yet it is simple..we are amazing bio-machines..(all connected..look into some natural remedies or things you can take to support the kidneys)
As for the cherries…do NOT can them..the sugar will go against every good they can do for you..eat them fresh…
Hope you feel better..Love your blog…
Gout is an autoimmune condition and many people around the world have healed an astounding variety of autoimmune conditions with a grain-free diet rich in lactofermented foods, bone broths and fat from animals raised on pasture. There are different “versions” of this basic diet, including the Gut and Physiology/Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) protocol, developed by Natasha Campbell-McBride and the Body Ecology Diet. These protocols have helped kids with autism/ADD, adults with autoimmune conditions such as arthritis, thyroiditis, chronic fatigue, and others.
The point is to remove foods that trigger the immune system, provide the probiotics necessary to balance the gut flora, and heal the gut so that improperly digested food particles (like gluten and casein, as well as others) do not escape through the gut lining into the blood stream and continue triggering the immune system.