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Gout, or gout, has been the subject of jokes by comedians and authors of satirical cartoons for centuries. However, the number of people suffering from this extremely painful disease has doubled in the past ten years, and there is certainly nothing funny about it for them.
Reasons for gout
Gout, otherwise goutis caused by too much uric acid in the body. Gout is often associated with excessive consumption of alcohol and red meat. The acid in the blood forms crystals that build up in the lower body, most often in the big toe. This leads to swelling, which causes excruciating pain and prevents you from moving normally.
Famous historical figures who have suffered from this disease include Henry VIII, Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac Newton and Queen Victoria. According to Anthony James, professor of neuroreumatology at the University of Manchester, gout makes us hilarious because it is the result of excessive self-indulgence. “Gout is becoming more common because of poor eating habits,” he explains. – We drink too much, eat the wrong thing, have too little exercise and weigh too much.
However, to get gout, you don’t have to overeat like Henry VIII.
Andrew Bailey, lat 66
Andrew, a resident of New Mills, Derbyshire, used to cycle and swim a lot before being diagnosed with gout at the age of 3. Andrew, even five days a month, was unable to move and was in excruciating pain. As he says: – I have never felt such severe pain in my life as during the first attack. I went to bed early, but woke up at XNUMXam. I had a terrible burning sensation in my right ankle and I was almost crying in pain, it was so excruciating.
The ankle was red and swollen and so sore I couldn’t even touch it. It hurt so much that even the touch of the sheets hurt me. I went to the doctor and he gave me a blood test and he diagnosed gout. I was amazed because I am not overweight and I dislike myself in particular – and these are the elements that are associated with this disease. I like to drink a glass of red wine or a few beers from time to time, but I don’t eat much red meat and I’m generally healthy and in good shape.
The doctors prescribed me some painkillers, and they worked for a while. In the beginning, I had attacks every six months. After that, seizures became more frequent – every three or four months. Each attack lasted roughly three days. Gout attacked one or both ankles, and sometimes the knees as well. I couldn’t bear even the slightest pressure on my feet, so I had to stay home during my gout attacks. This worsened over time, and attacks continued, even longer – up to five days.
Gout is a disease taken with a pinch of salt, something people generally don’t like to talk about – like sexually transmitted diseases. Now I have to be very careful about what I eat. Meals like steaks can trigger an attack, and I’ve also noticed that oatmeal has a similar effect. However, the bottom is unpredictable. I knew about some products that they could be dangerous, but in other cases I chose my dishes carefully, and the disease attacked anyway.
The turning point came when I went to the hospital limping on crutches. The doctor recommended cherry juice to me – he had heard that it could be very helpful in treating gout and that maybe I should try it. So I went online and ordered a pack of CherryActive capsules. I noticed an improvement quite quickly. Within a month, the attacks decreased significantly. Now I take these capsules regularly and I hate it anymore. But I will never forget the excruciating pain I felt during the first attack.
Kelvin Reay, lat 28
Kelvin, an engineer, lives in Putney, in the south-west of London, with his wife, Jen, 37, a marketing director. He got his first attack of gout after a supper in food and drink.
“When I heard about gout as a teenager, I thought it was a disease of older people, like Alzheimer’s,” she recalls. “I knew it was related to drinking and eating too much, but I assumed it would take years of unhealthy lifestyle to get sick. I was a young, slim and healthy man who was fit and did not think that this problem could apply to me.
Six years ago, when I was 22, I spent an evening with my father; we were catching up after the whole semester I spent at the university. We drank beer, wine, finally pulled out 30-year-old house wine, and after 22 pm we had a delicious moussaka. When I went to bed I felt fine, but in the middle of the night I was awakened by a shooting pain in my big toe – as if it had been burned, the sharpest pain imaginable. I had no idea what was happening. It went on all night, so I didn’t sleep a wink until morning.
In the morning I told my father about everything, and he immediately said it looked like gout. There have been cases of gout in our family, he said, indifferently enough, and I was already imagining that I was doomed to a life full of pain. I checked on the internet, all symptoms were correct. We went to the GP, and he confirmed our suspicions – gout and its symptoms were caused by uric acid build-up in the big toe joint. I heard that I should avoid heavy dinners late in the evening.
The doctor asked me if there had been any cases of gout in my family. We said that my uncle and cousin fell ill with the disease when they were in their twenties. I was warned that the seizures were likely to repeat themselves and that if they did occur frequently I would need to take my medication daily. Anyone who has ever suffered from gout knows that you don’t need extra motivation to follow your doctor’s recommendations. Since then, I have been very careful about what I eat, especially after 20, and the attacks, thankfully, did not happen again.
How to cure gout?
Experts say that by consuming cherries you can reduce the risk of gout. Researchers in the United States found that patients who ate a batch of cherries every other day had a 35 percent reduction in their risk of seizures. Their research, published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism (Arthritis & Rheumatism), shows that cherries contain anthocyanins – antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties.
It is also important to lie or sit with your leg up during an attack. Avoiding touching the joint and keeping it cool is also helpful. It’s a good idea to remove your sock and apply an ice pack for 20 minutes. However, it should not be applied directly to the body and should not be kept for more than 20 minutes as it may damage the skin.
To reduce the risk of relapse, avoid eating the following purine products: meat, especially kidney, liver, veal, turkey and game, and fish and seafood, especially anchovies, herring, mackerel, sardines, clams and scallops. Certain vegetables, including asparagus, beans, lentils and spinach and products containing yeast extracts, such as Marmite paste or Quorn meat substitute, are also not recommended. Beer and porter are the worst of alcoholic beverages.
In the initial phase of gout treatment, non-steroidal painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are most commonly used. If your doctor prescribes them, you should carry them with you at all times so that you can take them at the first sign of an impending attack.
In acute conditions of gout, your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids.
Prophylactically and supportively during treatment, it is worth drinking an infusion prepared on the basis of Gout – a mixture of herbs available on Medonet Market.