Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

Gout Issues

I have had a gout attack in the past and that is what put me on the path to vegetarian then to raw. I was pretty determined to do whatever it took to not have that pain again. Well I just got back from an ER visit this morning only to find out that my foot problem was another gout attack not a pulled tendon. Much lower level of uric acid than last year but over the "normal" levels of uric acid. I came out with multiple scripts to help me get over this round. I was very surprised to find out that this was another gout attack since I am probably 80% raw overall. Most days (usually 4 out of 7) I am 100%. I have a SAD hubby so sometimes I do eat cooked veggies and wholegrain pastas with him. After I got home I did a pH test and it was 7.5 which is good. Everything else has been getting better and better including my fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel since going raw. I have started losing weight I thought everything was going so good when this came out of the blue. I seldom eat beans or nuts as I have been working on lowering fat grams to under 20%. I have eaten some peanuts this week which I dont normally eat. I dont know if that started it? Has anyone had a gout flare after going raw? Any ideas about what this may be about? detox? or suggestions on how to avoid this in the future?

Comments

  • Kniteangel,

    My goodness, from everying I'm seeing on the internet (however reliable that is?)- you are doing everything right! Can you be genetically prone to it? It sounds like you are doing the right things. I tend to not like to chock symptoms up to "detox." I'm not saying you are doomed to it, just wondering if some people may be more suseptible to it because of heredity?

    I'm going to have to follow this thread- maybe someone has some good ideas. I always "blamed" meat for gout.

    I have heard of sour cherries helping.

  • Sisterbecky, thank you for your response. Genetics are supposed to be partially responsible but the only history I know of is a supposed attack my dad had after eating alot of shrimp in Australia 30 years ago. He never had it verified by a doctor and never had another flare. I eat cherries whenever I can get my hands on them and I also drink cherry juice. After I wrote the original thread I did some more surfing and found a gout link to sodium which got me thinking. I had a colonoscopy this month for which you have to drink a prep solution containing 11 grams of sodium. Very salty water. I havent been the same since - retaining water, mouth dryness, etc. I even did a short juice fast right after but I can tell I still have some of the sodium in me. I have to wonder about that.

    I have blamed meat this past year since I have never been much of a drinker. Just dont like alcoholic beverages. Another flare really shook me up today. Preventing another gout flare is my main reason for trying to eat more healthy. The upside was this time it wasnt as bad. If it wasnt for the blood test I wouldnt have believed it. I really thought I had blown a tendon since I had an attack in the past and thought I knew what it was like. Thats why I posed the questions. I really want to get a handle on this and to see if anyone else has had an repeat flare after going raw or maybe something I havent thought of.

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    Here we go. My dh just got back from the Dr. with another gout attack. He has had attacks since he was in his 40's and he is now 80. Sooo to the reason I feel the attacks are constant now.. Over the years he did not listen to even the small bit of information the Dr. gave him but relied on medication when there was an attack. Last year he tried the raw diet with me but it has not helped. The Dr. said because of so many attacks over the years, his age and weight he will have to be on Colchicin from now on. His body is making more purines than it did when he was younger.

    I am sure you have been researching the subject, but here are a few things I picked up that I didn't know. Anything with yeast in it is a no. Including non-alcoholic beer, bread etc. all legumes and jicama is a legume and a no.. Remember peanuts are a legume and rated high for fungus! Cauliflower and spinach is questionable. Of course you know about meat and broths. All pain pills with Anacin in it, no. Also any coffee or black and green tea and chocolate drinks, will give him an attack. White sugar and corn syrup, white flour. I think these bring on the gout because they are antagonists. I am also keeping him from any gmo and radiated foods.

    Cherries are good only if they are fresh. Which means they can not be canned or frozen and they should be eaten every day.

    Changing your diet to extremes can cause a flare up. Like fasting, dieting or stress, high exercise, over working. I have noticed if I eat cooked foods RA will flair up, and I have heard other people having the say problem with their ailments.

    You may also want to go to www.hacres.com There are people with their stories on their. The forum is off for now, so just directly to the testimonies.

  • Thanks for the great info Beany Beegan! I am a huge peanut fan and living in Alabama sure doesnt help! Also my other favorite is chocolate... these have been the last things I have slowly been giving up. Gave away the last of my peanutbutter after my hospital trip Saturday afternoon... did not know about yeast... that was a new one for me... also Anacin.. going to have to google that one... I am allergic to most pain, antibioitics and sinus meds so dont take much of those ... really more on herbs for most issues... I have been dieting or rather changing my eating patterns for some time but got really serious about raw since the new year... so will pay more attention to that now... I now have an idea of when its starting to come on now so maybe I will be able to head this off better. I will check out the stories on hacres... I had check several websites but not that one... figures... thanks for that reminder too!!!! I really like this website because the folks share with each other and it is so user friendly.

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    Your on the right track. Each person is different. So some things that effect my DH may not effect you. Though I think I gave you the worst of the lot.

    aviatrix, Thanks for the update about jicama. This will make my husband happy.

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    kniteangle, salt and gout. Have been looking for that information but can not find it. Help!

    Aviatrix, I would also like to know where you found the information for jicama. I mean the purines in jicama. Thanks.

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    I should have said aspirin not Anacin. True Anacin will bring on a gout attack but so will Bayer, as they both are aspirin.

    Thanks aviatrix79 for the information.

  • beany beegan, I think I meant my connection to sodium is related to dehydration..Sorry I wasnt clear. I was very very dehydrated after taking that prep solution. In the following link it talks about dehydration as a trigger for a gout flare.

    http://www.medicinenet.com/gout/article.htm

    Its a pretty good informative article. Also goutpal.com is a great place to get information and it has a forum. Its not real easy to maneuver around though. It has odd looping page links...

    I saw my rheumatologist this week. He has me on colchicine for a month to get rid of the current flare. He took me off my diuretic that I have been on for over 25+ years. I go back in 2 months. He is going to let me try to control this with my raw diet. I have to monitor my blood pressure every day. Keeping my fingers crossed! This is a start on getting my meds discontinued with dr approval.

    Thank you for your time in answering me. You are very sweet!

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    Nice to have a Dr. that will work with you, instead of you working with him.

    Hope you get the gout problem all taken care of with eating raw. Please let me know the out come in a few months. May help my DH to see the light. smile

  • Sorry for being late to the discussion, but I only just found it after a link into my site (thank you aviatrix79).

    The crucial point, which applies whether you are trying to control gout by diet or medication, is that painful gout flares are no measure of success or failure - you need to measure uric acid levels.

    Gout flares are the painful swelling caused when our immune system reacts to the presence of uric acid crystals in the joints or soft tissues. This reaction is similar to the reaction to a virus, but white blood cells cannot kill uric acid crystals, so they surround them, and the threat is hidden.

    When we lower uric acid, as all gout sufferers should seek to do, the crystals start to dissolve, shedding the coating, and this often leads to renewed gout attacks until all crystals are eventually dissolved.

    This is why many doctors prescribe short term anti-inflammatory treatment at the same time as uric acid lowering treatment such as allopurinol.

    Gout sufferers who seek to lower uric acid through diet are no different, and pain relief may be necessary for a while. The only true measure of success is to measure uric acid levels. Uric acid must be held below 6mg/dL to have any long term effect on gout. Anything above this increases the risk of gout getting worse, which eventually leads to skin bursting tophi and severe joint erosion.

    I'm sorry that the GoutPal.com site navigation is not all that it should be. It has grown unsteadily over the last few years as my knowledge and experience of gout has grown. Time for a thorough review and makeover, I think, which I hope to get in place soon.

  • Update on progress in case someone is looking for information on gout. After the dr took me off my medicine and let me try diet last year I had the 2 month checkup. My uric acid level was down to 6.5 from 9.5 mg/dL. I have been seeing the dr at 6 month intervals since then with the last one this past week. I have not had another gout attack and its been over a year now. Yeh! Unfortunately since I have had no reoccurrence he has not checked my uric acid levels. I am quite happy anyways that I am not having any more problems to date.

  • Foods that are high in Purines and which therefore should be avoided include: Offal, Game, Beer, Sardines, Scallops, Herring, Mackerel, gravy, yeast, and meat extracts.

    Foods that have a moderate amount of purine in them, and therefore can be eaten in moderation, include: Fish (including shellfish and eels, but excluding those listed above), meat, poultry, asparagus, bran, cauliflower, cereals, eggs, meat, mushrooms, oatmeal, poultry, wheat germ and wholegrain breads.

    Low purine foods, of which there is no restriction, include: Vegetables, Soups (without meat extract), low fat cheese, nuts, tea, coffee, fruit juice, sugar, and soft drinks.

    There are certain foods which reportedly help to eliminate gout and these include: Oily fish such as salmon (but not Mackerel), tofu, fatty acids, cherry juice and strawberry juice. A good, healthy, well balanced diet for gout sufferers should include foods with complex carbohydrates, but which are also low in fat and protein.

    If you suffer severe gout, a proprietary, natural herbal remedy, from any good natural heath food store will help, and once the gout is eradicated, adhering to your gout diet will keep it at bay.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    Nettle leaf is a good choice as it helps remove uric acid from the body.

     

  • Can you eat cooked peas ,when you have gout attack, I read that peas are high in purines, but meat is the highest.

  • greenwoodgreenwood Raw Newbie

    I have a swollen ankle too (it was both but left one is pretty much back to normal now)- and it might be gout- the doc has sent me for a blood test- going on Monday. I found these links really helpful and have been drinking Meadowsweet tea since Friday and have already had some reduction in swelling.

    http://hubpages.com/hub/3-Herbal-Remedies-for-Gout-You-Should-Consider

    http://www.ayurhelp.com/articles/gout_homeremedies.htm

    Gout is a form of arthritis (which my doc thinks I could have)- Meadowsweet is excellelent for this:

    http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_meadowsweet.htm

    I cannot help thinking for myself that it is related to eczema- as my arms were very swollen when the eczema was bad and so were the wrist joints- and the itching on the bones of the wrists was insane.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    meadowsweet is ok but my first choice would still be nettle leaf or magnesium malate for removing uric acid.

     

  • greenwoodgreenwood Raw Newbie

    I'm having both. Wish they were in pure tablet form though as they don't taste nice and I have to let them cool and pour fruit juice in them to be able to glug them down.

  • powerliferpowerlifer Raw Newbie

    How much water are you using greenwood? I try to use as little water as possible so they go over quickly.

     

  • akshayvakshayv Raw Newbie

    I suffer from chronic foot pain, due to Plantar Fasciitis. At times, it keeps me from being as active as I would like. My family was planning a hiking trip up Mt. LeConte in memory of my father & I was determined to to go. The Orthofeet shoes worked great! I would recommend them to anyone with foot pain. We love them. The way they are constructed really eliminates heel pain. So happy to have found them.

  • ayeshakayeshak Raw Newbie

    I have had a gout attack in the past and that is what put me on the path to vegetarian then to raw. I was pretty determined to do whatever it took to not have that pain again. Well I just got back from an ER visit this morning only to find out that my foot problem was another gout attack not a pulled tendon. Much lower level of uric acid than last year but over the "normal" levels of uric acid. I came out with multiple scripts to help me get over this round. I was very surprised to find out that this was another gout attack since I am probably 80% raw overall. Most days (usually 4 out of 7) I am 100%. I have a SAD hubby so sometimes I do eat cooked veggies and wholegrain pastas with him. After I got home I did a pH test and it was 7.5 which is good. Everything else has been getting better and better including my fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel since going raw. I have started losing weight I thought everything was going so good when this came out of the blue. I seldom eat beans or nuts as I have been working on lowering fat grams to under 20%. I have eaten some peanuts this week which I dont normally eat. I dont know if that started it? Has anyone had a gout flare after going raw? Any ideas about what this may be about? detox? or suggestions on how to avoid this in the future?

     I agree with Becky.

    You are doing everything in your power to stop the gout issues, but it seems that sometimes it is just unavoidable.

    I hope nothing serious happens to you. Stay strong and everything will be fine soon enough.

Sign In or Register to comment.