Understanding Gout

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 109: Image by cnick from Pixabay)

Have you ever had a throbbing pain in your big toe? to the point when you'll nearly scream? Well if you don't, I do. If you do not have an injury from slipping or tripping yet your feet is aching, then maybe you have a condition called "GOUT". This is one of the most painful feelings that I had apart from toothache. And also, this is one of the triggering factors why I had to be aware of my health and wellness. This is why I really want to share with you the topic of understanding gout - which I have experienced myself. The ideas that I'm gonna share with you are the results of my research since the time I had this foot problem.

 

Gouty Arthritis or Gout is an accumulation of "Uric Acid" crystals (metabolized from purine found on certain foods like liver) in the joint areas of our bones usually in the big toe. As a result of such accumulation, our body presents an immune response that will inflame the affected area and would cause throbbing pain. During my research about this condition, I saw a photo in Wikipedia which shows how these uric acid crystals looked like in polarized light and this will probably explain why the sensation of the pain is like needles pricking continuously. The pain often attacks at night time and it is really terrible.

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 109: Image from Wikipedia)

As a standard threshold, the blood uric acid level for men should not be higher than 7 mg/dL and 6 mg/dL for women. To know this, your blood must undergo laboratory examination for Blood Uric Acid or BUA which means you will have to perform fasting for 8-10 hours (no food and drinks). The medications that you can use when having gout include pain reliever and the one that lowers the Uric Acid Level (Allopurinol). For those conditions that are met with non-severe aching of the joints, definitely, I would just recommend the pain reliever when the pain is so unbearable. This is because I found some articles on the web that talk about the side effects of allopurinol which include muscle weakness, sore throat, etc. 

What I will focus my recommendations about overcoming this condition is more on lifestyle particularly in eating habits. Since Uric Acid Crystals are formed from purine, then you have to be moderate in consuming purine-rich foods. These are red meat (especially beef), anchovies, salty foods, other animal organs like the liver, sugary drinks (drinks high in fructose) and alcohol. 

  (Health, Wellness and Awareness 109: Image by Aga Maszota from Pixabay)

Instead, the great foods to consume are those fruits high in citric acid like lemon, lime, calamansi and orange. It is believed that citric acid can dissolve uric acid in the blood and therefore there is no chance for it to form crystals. Especially when you have confirmed that you have gout already, the diet that you must comply with should be fruity and veggie type. 

 (Health, Wellness and Awareness 109: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay)

Since uric acid can also be considered as a waste product that has to be eliminated from the body, drinking plenty of water is very important. It is through the process of detoxification that the body can get rid of the excess uric acid. 

(Health, Wellness and Awareness 109: Image by silviarita from Pixabay)