THE DISEASE of THE FAT CATS!

Gout: The disease the of the "fat cats" !

Origial post date: |   May 27, 2013 07:41pm ET

Michelle Edmonds, M.A., M.Ed, Sr. Nutritionist @ Serenity Weight Loss and Detoxification Program.Author|Founder:THE SAVE YOUR LIFE  MISSION

Also called "gouty arthritis," gout is a painful form of arthritis caused by too much uric acid in the blood.

Gout is characterized by painful flare-ups that may be concentrated in the big toe (a symptom known as podagra), as well as swelling and pain in the ankles, knees, feet, wrists or elbows. Flare-ups can last days or weeks, and commonly occur at night. Left untreated, gout can cause permanent damage to the joints and kidneys, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Gout is most commonly seen in men (particularly those between the ages of 40 and 50), people with a family history of gout, those who are overweight, patients with kidney problems, people who have had organ transplants and those who drink too much alcohol, according to the National Institutes of Arthiritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Uric acid is a waste product created during the normal breakdown of purines, naturally-occurring substances found in foods and drinks, such as liver, anchovies, mackerel, dried beans, beer and wine, according to the NIH.

Uric acid is normally cleaned out of the blood by the kidneys, and passes out of the body along with urine. However, high levels of uric acid can accumulate in the body, either when the kidneys excrete too little uric acid or when the body produces too much uric acid. This condition is known as hyperuricemia.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the high concentration of uric acid in the blood will eventually convert the acid into urate crystals, which can then accumulate around the joints and soft tissues. Deposits of the needle-like urate crystals are responsible for the inflammation and the painful symptoms of gout.

Test and diagnosis

While gout has painful and distinctive symptoms during flare-ups, its symptoms can be vague during other times, according to the NIAMS. Your doctor may extract a sample of joint fluid so it can be examined under a microscope for any presence of urate crystals.

Certain joint infections can produce symptoms similar to gout. If an infection is suspected, your doctor may culture the joint fluid to see if any bacteria are present.

Blood tests can reveal the concentration of uric acid in the blood and further confirm the diagnosis. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, blood tests can be misleading, because some gout patients do not have an unusual level of uric acid in their blood, and some people with high levels of uric acid do not go on to develop gout.

Traditional Treatments 

The painful symptoms of gout can be alleviated by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can reduce both pain and inflammation around the joints, according to the University of Maryland. Depending on the severity of the flare-ups, patients can be treated with over-the-counter NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin), or naproxen (such as Aleve) or with prescription-strength painkillers such as indomethacin (available under the trade name Indocin).

Corticosteriods, such as prednisone, can be injected directly into the affected joints for relief within a few hours, according to Mayo Clinic. However, despite their effectiveness, cortosteroids must be used sparingly, because they can weaken cartilage and bones, and therefore create even more joint problems down the line.

Another pain reliever commonly used to reduce gout pain is colchicine. It is most effective when taken within the first 12 hours of symptoms, according to NIAMS. Once the flare-up subsides, the doctor may prescribe low, daily doses of colchicine to ward off future attacks.

Aside from painkillers, other drugs may help treat the underlying uric acid imbalance. Medication that limits uric acid production, such as allopurinol (also known as Zyloprim and Aloprim) and febuxostat (Uloric), may lower the blood's uric acid level. Another drug called probenecid (Probalan) can reduce gout attacks by improving the kidneys' ability to eliminate uric acid.

NON-DRUG TREATMENTS and PREVENTION

The frequency of flare-ups can be controlled or cured through exercise and dietary adjustments.   Because uric acid is created during the digestion and breakdown of purines, patients can reduce the concentration of uric acid in the blood by avoiding high-purine foods such as anchovies, asparagus, dried beans and peas, mushrooms and organ meats (such as livers and kidneys). The Mayo Clinic also suggests that patients should drink more water and less alcohol, because alcohol can raise the level of uric acid in the blood

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Gout: The disease of Affluence

Since gout is commonly referred to as the "disease of Kings" it only makes sense to reintroduce the style of eating followed prior to the introduction of all alcohol and basically all the food  man can eat. We recommend following the Serenity MINI FAST, which is a very slightly modified  #Paleolithic diet

The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet, "garden of Eden" diet  and hunter-gatherer diet. it is a modern nutritional plan based on the ancient diet of wild plants and animals that  humans habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years which ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture and grain-based diets. In common usage, the term "paleolithic diet" can also refer to actual ancestral human diets, insofar as these can be reconstructed.

Centered on commonly available modern foods, the contemporary "Paleolithic diet" consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, seeds and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.

Paleo eating was first introduced to the mainstream in the mid-1970s by gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin, this nutritional concept has been promoted and adapted by a number of authors and researchers in several books and academic journals. A common theme in evolutionary medicine, Paleolithic nutrition is based on the premise that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture, and modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors. Therefore an ideal diet for human health and well-being is one that resembles this ancestral diet

Proponents of this diet argue that modern human populations subsisting on traditional diets, allegedly similar to those of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, are largely free of diseases of affluence.^[ They assert that multiple studies of the effect of Paleolithic diet in humans have shown improved health outcomes relative to other widely recommended diets. Supporters also point to several potentially therapeutic nutritional characteristics of preagricultural diets.^[

As you can imagine, the Paleo Eating lifestyle is a somewhat controversial topic amongst some dietitians   and anthropologists. That is to be expected. If everyone returned to this diet, it would cause entire industries to collapse, including the majority of restaurants. So while we are under no allusion that 'Paleo" eating will once again become the dominant form of eating, there is little doubt that it should be the plan of choice, and the dominant weapon  for combatting obesity and related diseases. 

Moreover, the real appeal  of this eating lifestyle is that it does not lend itself to opinion. It is merely reporting the way first man ate and noting the differences in health when man transitioned to the agriculturally-based diet that is now domamant. In that sense, Paleo theory  rises above the plethora diet  theories and internet gimmicks for losing weight. These includes  the blood-type diet (which you did not think about when you were gaining the weight) , Atrkins (who is dead, from cardiomyopathy-fatty-enlarged heart, April 17, 2003) Gary Null (who is on dialysis from taking his own green food supplement, 2011) Weight Watcher's (majority owned by  H.J Heinz, as in ketchup, 1999) and Jenny Craig, (owned by Nestle, as in chocolate, 2006, and up until just this year) 

 #Dr.JoelWallach, while not publicly using the paleolithic term,  espouses this lifestyle. Within this context, we can better understand how  he could advocate the use of lard over margarine

To read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet