Gout Treated with Natural Medicine

John Mepham asked:


Should you take Vitamin C for gout? The answer is probably yes, but read on for a possibly relevant caution. Gout cures require that uric acid levels be reduced. Vitamins and drugs work in two ways to reduce uric acid levels. One is restricting its supply by inhibiting purine breakdown into uric acid, the other is improving uric acid’s breakdown into the urine. Vitamin C is thought to be a uric acid excretory, not an inhibitor. Improving excretion may be more important than reducing production.

One complicating factor is that elusive fact that most people with hyperuricemia (excess uric acid)do not get gout. Another is that some people with normal uric acid levels do.

A few studies over the past 30 years have concluded that Vitamin C will reduce the uric acid level. They have differed in the amount of Vitamin C given to study participants. A U.S. study of 184 non-smokers, published in 2005, concluded that the amount required to achieve a serum (blood) uric acid level reduction was 500 mg daily. (The Vitamin C was taken as a supplement). This is not a mega dose.

Previously it has been thought that the amount needed was at least 4,000 mg (4 grams) daily. For example, Dr. Robert Atkins in his book ” Vita Nutrient Solutions,” recommended 5,000 -10,000 mg as part of his formula natural remedy for gout.

In the 2005 study by how much did 500 mg of Vitamin C reduce their uric acid level? It found an average, across all participants, reduction of about 10% (0.5 mg/dL). In addition, reductions were larger among participants who had higher levels of uric acid at the start of the study. Participants took the 500 mg daily level for two months. Those who were given a placebo (i.e. not Vitamin C) showed a slight increase in uric acid levels.

0.5 mg/dL is a useful reduction but for most people probably not a natural remedy for gout, although the 0.5 mg/dL figure is an average and some participants did better. But a 0.5mg/dL reduction will not be enough to reduce uric acid below the 6.0 mg/dL level at which the MSU crystals may dissolve. However, when combined with other vitamins for gout, a low purine diet and other natural remedies for gout, it could be.

THE CAUTION

Rapid changes in uric acid levels can trigger a gout attack. This rapid change can be brought about by many factors in addition to possibly mega doses of Vitamin C and by drugs such as probenecid and sulfinpyrazone. People who are susceptible to gout must consider these rapid changes.

Such a rapid change concerned the authors of one study in the 1970’s who had recorded that mega doses of Vitamin C (4,000 mg and 8,000 mg daily) reduced uric acid levels significantly, and by more than in the 2005 study. However, as far as Vitamin C induced changes in uric acid levels is concerned, this triggering has not been reported in any study.

VITAMIN C AS A GOUT PREVENTOR

If 500 mg daily of Vitamin C can reduce uric acid levels, then Vitamin C ought to act as a preventative gout vitamin too. A Taiwan study of males in the late 1990’s examined the weight, diet and lifestyles of gout and non-gout sufferers in Taiwan. It concluded that Vitamin C, folic acid (folate) and fibre were protective against gout.

It also reached the well-known and accepted conclusion that hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity are risk factors for gout. And one other very different conclusion from the conventional wisdom about purines — purine intake, with the exception of alcohol, was NOT associated with a risk of gout.

However, restricting purines in your diet is not difficult, so it is still worth doing. The conventional wisdom may be correct. Uric acid level tests should tell if a low purine diet works for you.

1,000 MG PLUS DOSES

If you wish to try Vitamin C for gout in doses over 1,000 mg as part of a natural gout remedy discuss it with your doctor or a qualified naturopathic doctor. The 500 mg level is below the British government’s 1,000 mg (1 gram) recommended upper safety level safety limit for Vitamin C. It is half of the maximum amount (1,000 mg) in a Vitamin C tablet sold in the U.S. and many other countries.

If you take Vitamin C for gout as a dietary supplement, remember that it is reckoned to work better in a product that contains added citrus bioflavonoids. In addition, because it is excreted quickly, take it twice daily. To avoid excess acidity (lower pH) also take alkalizing minerals, or another alkalizing agent recommended by your doctor.

Joe Barton


A few years ago, my friend Greg approached me about his arthritic problem of gout! He told me about his daily battle with the pain associated with gout! He also mentioned how going to bed (typically when a gout attack occurs) was more like a chore than a pleasure! Can you relate with Greg? The pain, the misery, the dread of the next attack! Or do you know a loved one who suffers from this painful disease?

If you know anything about gout, you would guess that Greg was the perfect candidate for this arthritic condition. Greg was 30 pounds overweight, had a sedentary lifestyle (a sitting job), didn’t exercise, typically ate high carb/fat meals, loved his beer and was 38 years old. I later realized, I probably could have approached him about wanting to try our natural gout cure as opposed to him coming to me.

But like Greg (who has been gout free for almost 8 months now), you can naturally cure gout with simple gout remedies and gout prevention cures! And an added bonus, if you live a gout free lifestyle, I guarantee that you will lose weight and decrease your chance of heart disease in the process.

Let me explain!

Curing Gout and Decreasing Your Chance of Heart Disease

My career is centered around health! Therefore, my favorite part of the newspaper is the ‘Health’ Section. And while reading the daily paper, I noticed an article about gout! “Gout Increases Risk of Coronary Heart Disease”. I instantly flipped the page and thought ‘duh’. But, after thinking about my friend Greg, his family, our friendship, his life… I immediately flipped back and read the interesting article!

A European study reported a 16 year follow-up of over 9,000 men between 41 and 63 who entered the study with no evidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). After the study follow-up, most men continued to suffer with gout attacks but also were considered high risk for coronary heart disease. And as you might know, 1 out of every 5 deaths is associated with heart disease.

And the kicker! Men with gout were about 50% more likely to die from an acute heart attack than those men without gout! With millions of gout hospital visits each year, and over 500,000 coronary deaths per year… Can you understand the seriousness of gout?

Gout can be a life and death ailment if left untreated! I immediately made a phone call to Greg to check up! Greg followed our simple Natural Gout Cure and cured his gout, lost over 20 pounds and his blood pressure was over 15 points lower! I jokingly told him that he will be our ‘cure gout poster child’.

How did he do it? He was pro-active about curing gout and began living a healthy lifestyle! And you can too!

A Natural Gout Cure- No mediations needed and NO side-effects

Here is a list of some basic tips if you or a loved one is suffering from gout!

1.) Maintain Your Healthy Weight!

2.) Avoid Eating Meats (Purines)!

3.) Drink half your weight in water! In ounces that is! I weight 180 pounds so I would drink 90 ounces of water per day! Roughly, 11 cups of water per day!

4.) Avoid or limit Alcohol Consumption.

5.) Exercise on a daily basis! Try to get at least 15 minutes of activity per day.

And finally, if you want to follow the same path that Greg and hundreds of other ex-gout sufferers followed, please take a few seconds to consider:

Do you want a simple step-by-step natural gout cure treatment that is guaranteed to work?

Are you sick of popping pills to ‘band-aid’ the pain?

Do you want to discover how you can cure the pain and not hide it?

Are you tired of wasting over 200 dollars on a hospital visits and over-priced medication?

Do you want to discover a simple ‘kitchen cupboard’ cure that works in minutes?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, please take a few moments to check out our www.CureYourGout.comand our NO-RISK guarantee! I would love to help you get your life back, cure your gout and possibly save your life!

Lisa McDowell :


In its first onslaught, gout usually attacks the big toe. In fact, approximately 90% of people who develop gout develop gout symptoms in their big toe. However, it is possible for gout to affect other joints. Whether it occurs in the initial attack or in later recurrences, gout can also be present in the:

- Instep

- Heel

- Ankle

- Knee

- Finger

- Wrist

- Elbow

Why does gout affect other joints? Gout occurs in other parts of the body for the same reason as it occurs in the big toe. Essentially, the body has a build up of too much uric acid. The excess uric acid develops into crystals that are often deposited into joints.

Regardless of what joint gout affects, the first attack almost always strikes at night and the infected area becomes inflamed, red, swollen and incredibly tender and painful. Most initial gout attacks clear up with in 3 – 10 days and more than half of the people, who have experienced an acute attack of gout, will have another attack within the year. If action isn’t taken to prevent gout, over time, the recurrence of gout may become more frequent, last for longer periods of time and affect more joints.

For those gout sufferers who experience frequent lingering attacks, their gout condition will eventually become chronic. Chronic cases of gout involve more joints, and the constant presence of uric acid crystal deposits within the joint, and the soft tissues that surround it, leads to persistent inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a sign that destructive changes have occurred within the joint.

Furthermore, long-term cases of severe gouty arthritis will affect the fingers and can cause different joint to be inflamed simultaneously. This often occurs in elderly gout sufferers, and is a type of gout classified as polyarticular gout. In addition, those who failed to treat their gout condition, and experience regular attacks, will usually develop the most serious case of gout known as Chronic Tophacerious Gout, which usually occurs 10 – 20 years after the initial attack.

Chronic tophacerious gout is characterized by the formation of tophi. Tophi are crystallized uric acid deposits that can be found directly under the surface of the skin in the joint area that is affected. The presence of tophi creates a lump. Small tophi may not be obvious, but they often appear as mobile lumps. Larger tophi make its presence known by poking through the skin and forming hard chalk-like nodules. Tophi nodules can appear on the: Outer ridge of the ear, forearms, elbows, hands, fingers, knees and feet.

Tophi nodules can become painful, especially if they are close enough to a joint that they restrict movement and cause stiffness. However, they usually are not sensitive to touch. Tophi within a joint will eventually cause the bone and cartilage to erode. Moreover, if the tophi are particularly large, permanent deformities can result. Chronic tophacerious gout is the most difficult form to treat.

As you can see, even though it isn’t common during the initial attack, gout symptoms can affect almost any joint, and the risk of it going beyond the big toe increases with recurrences and age. Therefore, if you suffer or have suffered from gout, you need to make sure that you keep your uric acid in check to avoid future attacks and protect the health of your other joints.