Natural gout remedies
I suffer from gout from time to time but am very reluctant to take the permanent medication my doctor has now suggested. Is there a more natural alternative treatment?
Gout is a form of arthritis and while we tend to think of it as only affecting older men who have grown too used to the good life, it can strike both sexes as young as 30.
It is caused by an accumulation of uric acid in the blood, urine, and tissues. This excess solidifies in the joints to form sharp, needle-shaped crystals which then jab at the surrounding tissue when the body moves. Inflammation and severe pain may be the first signs of a problem, especially in the big toe where gout is most common. It can also occur in the joints in the middle of the foot, in the ankle or the knee, the thumb, wrist, finger or elbow joints and even, in chronic cases, in the cartilage tissue of the ear.
Gout is linked to a high consumption of rich and fatty foods, heavy meats and alcohol. The trouble with heavy meats, for example, is that they are rich in substances called purines, which promote the production of uric acid in the body.
As well as red meats, sweetbreads and all organ meats, purine-rich foods also include consomme, aspargus, shellfish, mussels, herring and sardines - but vegetarians may be at risk too since yeast products, white flour, sugar, mushrooms, oatmeal, spinach, cauliflower and even lentils also all increase uric acid in the body.
Slimmers are another group at risk because crash and yo-yo dieting, like extended fasting (more than three days), also works to increases the production of uric acid. Gout sufferers have also been found to be lacking in the digestive enzyme, uricase, which then oxidises the relatively insoluble uric acid into a highly soluble form to prevent it from crystallising.
A good natural remedy is quercetin - a bioflavanoid and anti-inflammatory agent that inhibits the enzyme xanthine oxidase which triggers the production of uric acid. Quercetin is found in red and yellow onions but you would need to eat two onions a day to get a high enough dose - the equivalent of 250mg, three times a day - to prevent or treat gout, so it makes sense to take a supplement.
Vitamin C has now been shown to increase the urinary excretion of uric acid and since all the bioflavanoids, including quercetin, work better when taken with this nutrient, look for a supplement that combines both.
*Source Naturel’s Activated Quercetin contains vitamin C as well as quercetin and costs £13.99 for 50 tablets. (To mail order call Revital on 0800-252875).