Gout
Gout refers to a certain form of
inflammation of the joints and swellings of a recurrent type. Although chronic
in character, it breaks in acute attacks. It is a disease of the wealthy and
chiefly affects middle-aged men. Women, after menopause, are also sometimes
affected by this disease. Gout was known to the physicians of ancient Greece
and Rome. The classical description was written in 1663 by Sydenham, himself a
life-long sufferer, who clearly differentiated it from other joint disorders.
It was recognised in the 18th century that large enjoyable meals and the consumption
of alcoholic drinks were often the prelude to an attack of gout. This disease affected
many famous men in history, including Alexander the Great, Luther, Newton,
Milton, Dr. Johnson, Franklin and Louis XIV.
Symptoms
An attack of gout is usually
accompanied by acute pain in the big toe, which becomes tender, hot and swollen
in a few hours. Usually, it is almost impossible to put any weight on the
affected foot during the acute stage of the disease. It may also similarly
affect other joints such as the knees, and the wrists, and sometimes more than
one joint may be affected at a time. The attack usually occurs at midnight or
in the early hours of the morning, when the patient is suddenly awakened. The
acute attack generally lasts for a week or so. During this period the patient
may run a slight fever, and feel disinclined to eat. His general health
generally remains unaffected. The attack may occur again after several weeks or
months. The interval becomes shorter if the disease is not treated properly.
The joint generally becomes damaged by arthritis. This is chronic gout, in
which chalky lumps of uric acid crystals remain in the joint and also form
under the skin.
Another serious complication of gout
is kidney stones containing uric acid, causing severe colic pains in the
stomach.
In some cases the kidneys become
damaged and do not function properly. This is a serious condition as the
poisonous waste products which are normally removed by the kidneys accumulate
in the blood.
Causes
The chief cause of gout is the
formation of uric acid crystals in the joints, skin and kidneys. Uric acid is
an end product of the body’s chemical processes. Those affected by gout have a
higher level of uric acid than the normal, due either to the formation of
increased or reduced amounts of acid being passed out by the kidneys in the
urine. This uric acid usually remains dissolved in the blood. But when the
blood becomes too full of it, the uric acid forms needle-shaped crystals in the
joints which bring about attacks of gout. Heredity is an important factor in
causing this disease and certain races are prone to gout. Other causes include
excessive intake of alcoholic drinks, regular eating of foods rich in protein
and carbohydrates and lack of proper exercise. Stress is also regarded as an
important cause of gout. During the alarm reaction, millions of body cells are
destroyed and large quantities of uric acid freed from these cells enter the
tissues after being neutralised by sodium.
Treatment
For an acute attack, there is no
better remedy than a fast. The patient should undertake a fast for five to
seven days on orange juice and water. Sometimes the condition may worsen in the
early stages of fasting when uric acid, dissolved by juices, is thrown into the
bloodstream for elimination. This usually clears up if fasting is continued. In
severe cases, it is advisable to undertake a series of short fasts for three
days or so rather than one long fast. A warm water enema should be used daily
during the period of fasting to cleanse the bowels. After the acute symptoms of
gout have subsided, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet, for a further
three or four days. In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of juicy
fruits such as grapes, apples, pears, peaches, oranges and pineapple. After the
all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon the following diet:
Breakfast: Fruits such as
oranges, apples, figs, apricot, mangoes, whole wheat bread or dalia and milk or
butter-milk.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables
such as lettuce, beets, celery, water-cress, turnips, squash, carrots,
tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes, chappatis of whole wheat flour, cottage cheese
and butter-milk.
Dinner: Sprouts such as
alfalfa and mung beans, a good-sized salad of raw vegetables such as carrots,
cabbage, tomatoes, whole wheat bread and butter.
The patient should avoid all purine
and uric acid producing foods such as all meats, eggs, and fish. Glandular
meats are especially harmful. He should also avoid all intoxicating liquors,
tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and its products and all canned and processed
foods. Spices and salts should be used as little as possible. The cherry, sweet
or sour, is considered an effective remedy for gout. This was discovered by Ludwig
W. Blan Ph.D. some 35 years ago. Himself a gout sufferer, Blan Ph.D. some
cherries to be miraculously effective in his own case and published his own
experience in a medical journal.
Subsequently, many people with gout
used this simple therapy with great success. To start with, the patient should
consume about 15 to 25 cherries a day. Thereafter, about 10 cherries a day will
keep the ailment under control. While fresh cherries are best, canned cherries
can also be used with success. Foods high in potassium such as potatoes,
bananas, leafy green vegetables, beans and raw vegetable juices are protective
against gout. Carrot juice, in combination with juices of beet and cucumber, is
especially valuable. 100 ml. each of beet and cucumber juices should be mixed
in
300 ml. of carrot juice to make 500
ml. of combined juice. The juice of French or string beans has also proved
effective in the treatment of gout. About 150 ml. of this juice should be taken
by the patient suffering from this disease. Raw potato juice and fresh
pineapple juices are also beneficial.
The feet should be bathed in Epsom
salt foot bath twice daily. Half a pound to one pound of salt may be added to a
foot bath of hot water. Full Empsom salt baths should also be taken three times
a week. The baths may be reduced to two per week later. Cold packs at night,
applied to the affected joints, will be beneficial. Fresh air and outdoor exercise
are also essential. The patient should eliminate as much stress from his life
as possible.
Source: www.healthlibrary.com through www.scribd.com
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