The age-old condition of Gout is becoming a more common ailment as our fast-paced, convenience-driven lifestyles whisk us into Obesity and Degenerative Diseases. This overly acidic body condition that is the result of poor diet and other less than optimum lifestyle choices has been recorded to be a serious affliction for many people throughout history. It is not surprising that it is back with a vengeance.
Why then is it not just a matter of changing your diet and your habits? To one school of thought it is and to another school of thought it is not.
The basic understanding that Gout is caused by too much Uric Acid is the best place to start. How does the body become too acidic in general?
There are many contributing factors that add to the different ways that acidity can accumulate in the body;
• the food we eat and drink
• the way we breathe and the air we breathe
• the metabolic chemicals produced by our bodies
• the substances that are absorbed through our skin
There is more that can be added and the conversation can become quite complex, however for the purpose of this article, this is the short list.
Fast food, high fructose corn syrup, poor quality fatty meats, deep-fried foods, genetically modified foods, pesticides, antibiotics, and a whole host of other substances are reported frequently for their contributions to disease and poor health in general. Almost all of these foods and drinks are acid-forming when they are ingested.
If these Foods and Drinks were not consumed would the body accumulate less acid? Are there other choices?
Breathing alone is the most important mechanism for regulating the pH of the body. When carbon dioxide leaves the lungs, the body fluid become more alkaline. Smoking, air pollution, and constricted shallow breathing habits interrupt healthy breathing and add to low blood oxygen saturation and the build up of an acidic body.
If Smoking, Air Pollution and Poor Breathing Habits were eliminated would there be less acid build up? Is there a way to avoid these instances?
Stress produces Cortisol and Adrenaline and other very strong chemicals in the body. The presence of these substances are needed for various functions, however, if they are allowed to remain at unnatural levels for extended periods of time, they are the source of corrosive damage.
If Stress was properly managed and controlled would the pH levels of the body fluids be less acidic? Can this be achieved?
Different solvents, soaps, fuels, cleaning products, and cosmetics are often times made with unnatural and detrimental compounds. When the exposure to the skin is minor and infrequent there is not an immediate concern. However, continuous and repeated application and exposure to the skin creates a gateway to the inside of the body through the pores. Many synthetic and unnatural substances are extremely acid-forming when they are metabolized in the body.
If all the different Environmental Substances that contained synthetic chemicals were avoided would it positively affect the acidic condition of the body? With more awareness would different decisions be made?
More often then not, the available information about Gout refers to the consumption of High Purine Foods. The list usually includes organ meats, shellfish, various meats, beans and legumes, and some grains. Uric Acid is formed from the breakdown purines.
What is overlooked is that many of those same foods produce an excessive amount of acidic waste in general or Acidosis. The accumulation of Uric Acid and other metabolic acids produce an overall acidic bodily condition. Not only is there an incidence of Gout but other organs, tissues and body systems are being affected as well. The body is "ripe" with acid, and Uric Acid and Gout are just one piece of a much larger puzzle.
Gout Medications are specifically targeted to inhibit the production of only Uric Acid.
The use of these types of medications is very useful and very important. When a person has endured poor diet and lifestyles choices for an extended period of time, these drastic measures are required to correct the immediate danger and change the destructive course of the disease.
However, if the same choices are still employed after the immediate danger has passed, the acidity still has a tendency to re-occur. Long term dependence on Gout Medications should not be the health goal.
The two most common Gout drugs are Allopurinol and Colchicine.
Allopurinol is a Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor. Xanthine Oxidase is an enzyme that is responsible for the production of Uric Acid. Uric Acid is a natural and needed free radical that is used by the metabolic system. If there is too much, then it crystallizes in a joint and surrounding tissues and is labeled a Gout Attack.
Allopurinol is often prescribed and intended for indefinite and ongoing treatment. It should be noted that it is not without side-effects; most of them minor and acceptable but on rarer occasions very serious. It effectively sidesteps the issue of Acidosis while tending to the ongoing problem of too much Uric Acid.
Colchicine is a derivative of the Autumn Crocus plant and is known for its toxic and poisonous properties. When used correctly it is an effective anti-inflammatory and inhibits the deposition of Uric Acid crystals. When misused it will produce diarrhea, nausea and intestinal discomfort.
The new drugs Krystexxa and Uloric are now making their way into the marketplace.
Krystexxa has not been approved by the FDA at this time due to deaths in the clinical trials. The intention of the drug is to breakdown Uric Acid, not inhibit its production.
Uloric is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor like Allopurinol. Possible side-effects include chest pain, numbness, headache, and nausea.
If Acidosis has been allowed to flourish, it has been a long and slow-moving process that required particularly poor habits. If pharmaceutical drugs are needed to make the course correction, that is unfortunate but unavoidable. The reversal of the habits and choices that lead to the condition can either eliminate or reduce the perpetual need for the prescription drugs.
Whether the course of action to correct gout is medication or natural remedies, knowing the answer to “what are purines?” and learning how low purine foods help with gout is essential.
Bert Middleton, The Gout Killer!