If You're A Middle-Aged Man Suffering From Gout Attacks, Please Read...
"The Gout" by James Gillray (May 14th, 1799)
Is it really possible to live a life without gout?
Can you genuinely avoid doctors, drugs, and drudgery?
What if there is a super simple solution to this dreadful disease? (Most gout sufferers have a tough time believing it.)
What Happened To Me
When I reached middle age, I experienced my first attack of gout.
It's hard to describe the pain. It felt like my foot was being repeatedly STABBED with a piece of broken glass! I seriously considered cutting it off!
It started suddenly around midnight, with a THROBBING, pounding heartbeat in my right foot. I did not sleep at all that night.
The next day my foot was red, sweaty, and swollen. I did not DARE let anything touch it! (A few days later, my entire foot turned a purplish color.)
I was stuck on the couch for days, while my wife and son waited on me.
To get to the bathroom, I had to crawl on my knees or slide on my butt down the hallway floor.
I was FRUSTRATED and EMBARRASSED, because I had always considered gout to be an 'old man disease.'
Eventually, I Went To The Doctor
He officially diagnosed me with gout.
I asked if a change in diet would help me. He replied, "No."
His answer was to give me a prescription drug called Uloric.
I asked, "How much does it cost?"
He replied, "$120 a month."
I thought, "There has to be a better way."
For Months I Searched For Answers
(Because of conflicting information, it's EXTREMELY frustrating to research the cause and cure for gout.)
I came across many studies, articles, and videos. All of them said to go on a low purine diet.
They recommended I avoid red meat and seafood. They also said to not eat foods such as asparagus, spinach, or tomatoes.
Others claimed the magic was in organic celery juice and tart cherry juice.
None of it worked for me.
(Have you ever felt stuck, with no idea how to change things?)
Then one day, I FINALLY discovered what was causing me to have these crippling attacks of gout.
(The answer was so simple, I could hardly believe it.)
It was sucrose and fructose.
So I stopped consuming white sugar and fruit sugar. It's been several years now and I no longer have attacks of gout.
(Most people have a tough time believing it's sugar and fruit sugar that causes gout. It's too simple of an answer for them.)
What I Found Out The Hard Way
After discovering it was white sugar and sugar from fruit that caused me to have gout attacks, I made several major mistakes along the way.
The first mistake I made was to eat candy one Halloween. It resulted in a gout flare up that put me on the couch for days.
Another time, to lose weight for a class reunion, for several weeks I ate nothing but fresh fruit cocktail. I lost 22 pounds - as well as my ability to walk.
A third blunder I made was to eat Valentine's Day candy. I limped around on crutches during our son's state basketball tournament.
One summer, I had a lapse in judgement and ate several bowls of cold watermelon. For weeks, I hobbled around the youth baseball fields.
A final mistake I made was during a Thanksgiving holiday, when I ate several large pieces of homemade coconut cream pie. My wife said it was gluten-free. (I thought that meant it was also sugar-free.)
Consequently, I literally suffered on the couch the entire month of December. (I noticed each gout attack was increasingly worse and lasted a longer length of time.)
After each crippling attack of gout, I would SWEAR that I had finally learned my lesson and would NEVER touch sugar again. Yet, it took several severe and painful episodes before I permanently quit consuming sugar and fructose.
It has now been several years since I've had an attack of gout. (Praise the Lord!)
Should You Take Gout Medication?
The common side effects of gout drugs include nausea, rash, fever, joint pain, gout flares, difficulty breathing, swelling of your hands, face or mouth, kidney problems, and reduced liver function.
The long-term use of gout medication can lead to weight gain, fluid retention, high blood pressure, diabetes, and osteoporosis. (Gout drugs can also be harmful to your liver.)
The FDA has now added a black boxed warning to Uloric, stating in people who have a preexisting heart disease, there is an increased risk of cardiovascular death.
(Do you need these prescription pills if you simply eliminate white sugar and fruit sugar from your diet?)
By the way, I'm not against doctors or medicine. The U.S. has the best emergency care in the world.
At the same time, I do believe an emphasis should be placed on the root cause of sickness and disease, rather than covering up the symptoms with prescriptions and pills. Drugs should be used as an absolute last resort.
Disclaimer: I'm not a medical doctor. I'm just a guy on the Internet. The information provided here should not be used for treating gout. Those seeking medical advice should consult with a licensed physician. Always seek the advice of a doctor regarding a medical condition such as gout.
A Warning About Low Carb and Gout
Following is from Dr. Michael Eades, M.D.
"In general, I have found a low-carb diet to be a sensational diet for keeping gout at bay. In fact, I've had many patients referred to me for help with their gout.
The only problem with a low-carb diet is that occasionally it works so effectively and quickly to reduce insulin and blood sugar and urate, that the rapid fall when beginning a low carb diet alters the solubility of the uric acid in the joints. It can precipitate a flare up of gout in those who switch from a high everything diet to a low carb one.
In people with high uric acid levels starting the diet, I would usually prescribe colchicine in case there is an acute flare up with the dietary change. It doesn't happen often, only once in a while.
But once a person, even one with the genetic predisposition for gout, gets settled in on a good quality, whole-food, low-carb diet, the gout virtually never rears its head again.
When people do follow a low-carb diet and drink plenty of fluids (very important), the uric acid level (urate) generally goes down."
- Dr. Michael Eades, M.D.
Note: I never took colchicin or any other drug for gout. However, when you switch to a low carb diet, colchicin might be a temporary option for you.
Is Gout A Blessing In Disguise?
Gout is a risk factor for other serious health conditions.
The same diet and lifestyle that causes gout, also increases your risk for damaged joints, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, and fatty liver disease.
Let me say that again.
The same diet and lifestyle that causes gout, also increases your risk for heart disease, cancer and stroke, as well as diabetes, kidney disease, and fatty liver disease.
Gout is also a risk factor for obesity, arthritis, stress, and kidney stones. (Yes, in the past I've had several painful episodes of kidney stones. See how all of this is related to each other?)
By reducing or removing sucrose and fructose from your diet, you not only minimize your chances of ever again experiencing a crippling gout attack, but you also reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes and more.
What Else Reduces Your Risk For Gout?
1) Stop consuming alcohol, especially beer, as well as hard liquor and wine. (Did you know alcohol and fructose essentially act the same way to produce gout?)
2) Evidence suggests iron plays a role in triggering gout flares. If you have high levels of iron, it causes inflammation, which can then lead to gout. (One way to lower your iron levels is to regularly donate blood.)
3) Remove seed oils from your diet. They cause inflammation, which can lead to gout attacks. (Restaurants primarily use seed oils to cook their food. You might want to limit how often you eat out.)
4) Lose weight. Obesity raises your risk for gout attacks. One way to lose weight is to eat more protein, as well as high fiber vegetables. (This satisfies your appetite, which means you automatically consume less fat and carbs.) Walk for exercise and and do resistance training to build muscle.
5) Eat a diet and live a lifestyle that reduces chronic inflammation. Meat and eggs are the least inflammatory foods, while refined carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, flour, rice, corn, and cereals cause the most inflammation. Get more sleep, sunshine, fresh air and exercise. When foods come in a bag, box or wrapper, learn to read the labels and list of ingredients.
6) Eliminate your intake of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). (Corn is not a vegetable. It's a grain.) HFCS is found in applesauce, soft drinks, soda, candy, sweets, juice drinks, fast food, sauces, condiments, ice cream, popsicles, packaged breakfast foods, snack foods, jelly, jams, bread, crackers, and syrups.
7) Keep your insulin levels low. Anything that raises insulin levels also raises uric acid levels, which increases your risk for gout. Eating too many carbohydrates on a daily basis elevates your insulin levels, which increases your risk of a gout attack. (Consider a low carb, keto or carnivore diet.)
8) Every single day, drink plenty of water. It helps flush the uric acid crystals that cause gout out of your body. If you are a coffee drinker, continue to drink it. Coffee contains antioxidants, which reduce inflammation and your risk for gout.
9) Get plenty of magnesium and potassium in your diet. You can do this by eating foods rich in these minerals or you can use a supplement. Magnesium helps lower uric acid levels in your body, which lowers your risk for gout attacks. Potassium also helps reduce uric acid levels and increases excretion of uric acid crystals through your kidneys. (You pee them out.)
10) Supplementation. Gout is caused by inflammation. (Sugar and fruit sugar cause inflammation in your body.) Several supplements I take to minimize inflammation and reduce my risk for future gout attacks are BarleyLife, RediBeets, GarlicAIM, and Herbal Fiberblend. (Maybe they'll work for you too.)
Conclusion
Through much research, as well as trial and error, I've finally figured out what works for me, so I no longer experience crippling, painful attacks of gout.
If you decide to follow these suggestions, not only will you significantly reduce your risk for gout attacks, but you'll also greatly improve your overall health.
What if it works for you the way it has for me?
P.S. Gout is caused by inflammation and a build up of uric acid in your body. If your kidneys do not filter out enough of the uric acid, it can lead to a sudden and severe gout attack.
You can reduce inflammation and high levels of uric acid by avoiding sugar and fruit sugar. (They're a double whammy because they not only increase uric acid levels, but also decrease the ability of your kidneys to filter uric acid out of your body.)
Another way you can protect yourself from gout attacks is to supplement with young barley grass.
Studies show that young barley grass decreases inflammation and reduces blood uric acid levels, which lowers your risk for gout attacks.
To learn more, Click Here.
Click Here to see an another way to protect yourself from painful and crippling gout attacks.