Gout

Out with Gout

The oldest records we have establish gout as a disease of over-feeding of protein foods. The simplest preventive solution is vegetarianism. The simplest therapeutic solution is raw-food vegetarianism and fasting. Those who are not whooped up about fasting might be able to do a "pseudo-fast" by simply not eating meat and drinking lots and lots of water.

One reader says:
"Until about a year ago I was suffering from increasingly frequent attacks of gout mainly in my big toe joints. The relief came from precriptions of Indomethacin. As I avoid drugs wherever possible, I decided that something different should be found. For reasons which now escape me, I decided to drink large quantities of water, i.e. about 2 litres per day. I have now been free of gout for over a year. This may be coincidence and this is why I have called the evidence inconclusive. However, my doctor observed that this has the effect of stimulating the kidneys. A very recent item on UK radio by a nutritionist and doctor came to the conclusion that we do drink to little water and that many can be suffering dehydration.

"My brother rang me and mentioned he had gout. This was last Saturday. I recommended he try drinking as much water as he could handle. It may be his gout was already going into remission, but anyway by Sunday the pain was receding and gone by Tuesday. Could be coincidence, but... he took no drugs."

"My advice is, go for that water."

Another anti-gout hint: Increased Vitamin C consumption improves urinary excretion of uric acid. (Cheraskin, Ringsdorf Jr., and Sisley: The Vitamin C Connection, Harper and Row, 1983.) Use buffered ascorbate "C".

But perhaps the tastiest solution is eating cherries. Lots of cherries, cherries by the bowlful. Sour cherries work best, but fresh sweet cherries will help a great deal as well. Such an odd-sounding but time-honored remedy sounds almost too simple to work. Well, it does.

For further reading, a site search for "uric acid" or "protein" at the http://www.doctoryourself.com mainpage might be worth your while.

Andrew Saul is the author of the books FIRE YOUR DOCTOR! How to be Independently Healthy (reader reviews at http://www.doctoryourself.com/review.html ) and DOCTOR YOURSELF: Natural Healing that Works. (reviewed at http://www.doctoryourself.com/saulbooks.html )

Andrew W. Saul

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