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Is this old-fashioned illness creeping up on you?
28th July 2006
I feel like I ought to write today's letter in Old English…
Sorry, Ye Olde English…
Because a surprising number of Good Lifers have written in about gout.
That's right - gout. That staple of black and white comedies.
In fact, one of my favourite Laurel & Hardy films is based around one of the boys' uncles getting his goutridden foot trodden on, slammed in car doors, and attacked by a dog…
Hilarious.
So for years, if I heard about anyone suffering from gout, it brought a smile to my lips. Terrible I know, but I just couldn't help it.
Besides, gout was always associated with living the high life. Too much wine, too much rich food and gout would rear its comedy head.
But the truth is far from funny…
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When you can take the good life too far…
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If there was an awards ceremony organized by the country's illnesses and diseases, Gout would definitely win the Best Comeback category.
It currently affects around 600,000 people in the UK, with us men being the main targets.
Now, you may think this is down to the fact that we like our food and drink more then the ladies, and tend to overdo it when Wales win a rugby match.
But that not the whole truth.
Over indulging in beer and wine, and stuffing your face with food will INCREASE your risk of a gout attack, but it's not the CAUSE.
No - the blame for this 'fashionable' disease lies in the way your body deals with a natural chemical called urate.
I can't seem to find what urate actually does (answers on an email please), but we all have it.
The problem is we sometimes have too much of it.
Now usually, your body gets rid of excess urate through the kidneys. Problem solved. But some of us just can't get rid of enough, which causes the urate to build up and form crystals in the joints.
And boy are they painful.
So what can you do?
Well, as ever, the mainstream just can't reach for those pills fast enough…
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The treatments with the nasty side effects
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Currently there seem to be two treatments favoured by the mainstream…
Bad and badder.
The first port of call is to treat this condition with Acute attacks of gout non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
That's right - the dreaded NSAIDs are back!
And on the surface they seem to do a pretty good job in dulling the pain and helping ease inflammation.
But NSAIDs are notorious when it comes to side-effects…. indigestion, rashes, headaches, dizziness, even asthma can all be triggered by these man-made beauties.
And if that's not enough, your doctor may be forced to reach for his prescription pad and get you on a course of cortisone drugs.
In short - steroids.
Now, if you or a family member suffer from gout, and your doctor prescribes you either of these - I'd have to tell you to go along with it. Always remember, your doctor's advice should ALWAYS be acted on.
But I'm here to give you other sides to the story - ones which will make you more informed and more in control of your life.
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The natural ways to tackle gout
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- Colchicine is an old-fashioned remedy from meadow saffron (the autumn crocus) and as far as I can tell, it works just as well as NSAIDs. But without the side effects.
- Tart Cherry - tart cherries have long been used by traditional healers as a folk remedy for gout, because cherries are thought to lower urate levels in the body, due to a brilliant little substance called anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins block two enzymes, COX-1 and COX-2, which help produce yet another long, complicated word prostaglandins. All I understand is you DON'T want these hanging around - because they seem to be a vital part of the whole process of inflammation.
- Lose weight. If you're overweight, there's a greater chance that your urate levels will be higher than normal, so shifting a few pounds is a priority. However don't go mad on this and look like a WAG.
Starving yourself to death or running till you collapse doesn't help anyone. In fact, losing weigh too fast can actually increase your urate levels! So take it easy, and lose weight bit by bit.
- Cut out this kids' 'nightmare food'. If you want to tackle gout, you'll need to give up all those offally treats like liver and kidneys. Offal is rich in a substance called purines, which urate is formed from.
For more information on gout - check out this site:
www.ukgoutsociety.org
You can download a free information booklet 'All About Gout: A Patient Guide to Managing Gout'.
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Is this new wonder-sugar for real?
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Imagine my delight when I opened up the Daily Mail to discover that there's a new sugar around that's low-calorie - and it protects teeth!
This is being billed as a natural alternative to refined sugars and artificial sweeteners like aspartame (and we all know what I think about that!)… and it sounds pretty good.
It's called Xylitol - and it's derived from the bark of beech trees. It contains 40% less calories than refined sugar, and because it doesn't burn up as quickly as normal sugar, it can reduce your appetite and help you eat less.
It sounds pretty good doesn't it?
But (and there's always a but with me isn't there?)…
I don't know… 40% less calories than normal sugar still seems like a lot of calories to me. And even though this is clearly a step in the right direction, if I want to sweeten my foods (cups of tea included) I just add a dob of honey.
Why? Because honey is one of nature's true super-foods.
It contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate, vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3… plus small amounts of copper, iodine, and zinc.
It would take me an age and a day to list all the benefits of those substances (and I've gone on long enough already), but suffice to say I believe honey should be part of your daily diet.
And this is the best way to take it - bar none. Because it's combined with two other super-foods that can boost your immune system, strengthen your heart, protect you from viruses, and give your health an all-round boost.
Just take a look:
HGV
That's all for today. Enjoy your weekend, keep an eye on your eating and drinking (but don't act like a monk!), and I'll be back before you know it.
Until then, yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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