Did you know that gout, a type of arthritis, effects 4% of the US population? A disease once thought of as the disease of kings plagues an estimated 12.5 million Americans. True, some cases of gout are genetic but it has been associated with opulence for centuries for a reason: lifestyle plays a huge factor!
Gout is characterized by the painful build-up of uric acid in the joints due to either trouble eliminating uric acid (90%) or by making too much uric acid (10% of cases). Uric acid is the break-down product of alcohol, especially beer, red meat and refined sugars so the easiest way to prevent a gout attack is to cut down on those offending foods. You may even loose weight in the process!
NPR recently did a study on the rising rate of gout in the United States. Click here to listen.
I hope you find it as fascinating as I did!
Gout is one of those conditions which can be aided considerably with a change in diet and lifestyle, and is a form of arthritis which is normally associated with "high living". This condition causes a rather painful accumulation of crystals of uric acid around the joint. I have seen many gout patients over the years, and I think I have seen only one or two a women over the years in my clinic complaining of this rather painful condition. Let's have a closer look at gout, what it is and what causes it and more importantly, how we can help the gout patient with some good natural medicine suggestions.
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