What is Gout? Gout is one of the most common forms of arthritis (joint inflammation). It appears as an acute attack often coming on overnight. Within 12-24 hours there is severe pain and swelling in the affected joint. The skin over the joint may be red and shiny.
Gout usually affects only one or two joints at a time - most often the feet and ankles. The ball of the big toe is the commonest site. Without treatment the attack subsides in a week or so and when patients first develop gout there may be intervals of many months or even years between attacks. As time goes by, these tend to become more frequent and more severe and eventually many joints may be involved, sometimes all at the same time.
At this stage a state of chronic or continuous joint disease may develop with progressive joint damage, disability and crippling (chronic gout). Gout affects mostly men and is very rare in women until after the menopause when it is quite often seen. Gout is very common in New Zealand and it is particularly common in Maoris and Pacific Islanders. Some surveys have shown it to be present in up to 10% of adult males.
What causes Gout? Uric acid is a chemical which is a natural part of the normal breaking down and building up of food and body tissues. The level in the blood can be measured and shows how much there is in the body overall. The condition of raised blood uric acid is called hyperuricaemia. When this is present the uric acid which is normally dissolved in the blood may, from time to time, form microscopic crystals in the joint. These crystals set up the inflammation which is called acute gouty arthritis or acute gout.
It follows that gout may develop in persons whose uric acid is higher than normal.
There are many causes of this. The following are some of the more common causes:
• Higher than normal levels of uric acid can be part of the inherited make-up of some families
• Obesity
• High alcohol intake
• High intake of food containing purines (see below)
• Some of the drugs used to treat high blood pressure.
• Less commonly, longstanding kidney disease may result in high blood levels of uric acid.
(Information from the Wellington Regional Rheumatology Unit, Hutt Hospital, Lower Hutt, New Zealand)
A Suggested Alleviation Method
On an empty stomach, drink 1 tsp. of sole (see making Sole) with good quality water.
Continue drinking good quality water throughout the day, at least 2 to 3 quarts.
Make a cold sole poultice of pure sole solution (26%) and apply it to your infected areas. Wrap with dry cloth bandage.
A Suggested Alleviation Method
