Gout

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Gout

It’s hard to put your best foot forward when your big toe has swollen as big as a beet and is just as red. But that’s what occurs with this form of arthritis, once called the disease of kings because it usually resulted from too much of the good life.

These days, we know that even commoners can get gout if they produce too much of a chemical called uric acid or if their kidneys fail to flush away excess amounts through urination. The uric acid then forms into tiny crystals and eventually lodges in joints—the big toe is particularly vulnerable—causing a royal pain that leaves the affected area hot, swollen and extremely tender. The pain is especially bad at night and can wake you from a sound sleep, say doctors.

Gout tends to run in families, but it usually strikes middle-age men who are overweight, drink alcohol and eat a lot of organ meats, gravies and other foods rich in purines, a substance that causes excess uric acid. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help prevent gout attacks or relieve the symptoms of gout, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... You have repeated gout attacks or they don’t improve after three to four days. You suddenly lose a lot of weight. You suffer from dehydration, some symptoms of which are excessive thirst, dry lips and decreased urination. You’ve had diarrhea for 24 hours or more. You are prone to gout and also take medications such as salicylates, diuretics or some antibiotics or cancer drugs. You are prone to gout and frequently drink alcohol.

Aromatherapy

To ease the pain of gout, make a massage oil with one ounce of olive oil (available in most health food stores) and five drops of juniper oil, then massage into the joint several times a day, suggests San Francisco herbalist Jeanne Rose, chairperson of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, in Aromatherapy: Applications and Inhalations.

To soothe gout pain in the feet, try a cool footbath spiked with juniper and rosemary essential oils, suggests Greenwich, Connecticut, aromatherapist Judith Jackson, author of Scentual Touch: A Personal Guide to Aromatherapy. She says to add ten drops of each oil to two quarts of cold water.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Food Therapy

Eat more blueberries and cherries, because they’re rich in substances that counteract purines, which cause gout, says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. He says that some gout patients report finding relief by eating from a handful to up to ½ pound of cherries each day. He also advises people with gout to avoid anchovies, asparagus, mushrooms and organ meats such as liver and kidney, since they’re high in purines.

Homeopathy

Gout often requires medical care, but you can use one of the following treatments until you see your medical doctor or homeopath or as a complementary treatment until you feel relief, says Chris Meletis, N.D., a naturopathic physician and medicinary director at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

If you have red, hot, swollen joints that are worse with motion or from the lightest touch, Dr. Meletis says to try Belladonna 12C every couple of hours. He says Aconite 12C, taken every few hours, is the choice if you have an acutely painful and red joint. Colchicum 12C, taken every few hours, is very helpful when the swelling is in your big toe, which is red and tender, especially if you also feel irritated and weak, he says. For burning, itching and swelling in the gouty area, he suggests Urtica urens 12C, taken every few hours.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase homeopathic remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

Ice and cold water treatments are great first aid for painful gout attacks, says John Abruzzo, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Rheumatology and Osteoporosis Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Apply a cold, wet compress directly to the affected area for 20 minutes, or wrap an ice pack in a plastic bag and place it over a towel on the skin, suggests Dr. Abruzzo. “Never leave a cold treatment on for more than 20 minutes, though, or you could damage your skin,” he cautions.

While cold treatments usually relieve the pain, see your doctor right away if a single application doesn’t help. “Gout is comparatively easy to treat if it is recognized early enough. If you let it go for too long, it’s much harder to get under control,” says Dr. Abruzzo.

Juice Therapy

Juicing about four handfuls of pitted cherries with ½ cup of strawberries can help neutralize excess uric acid and may help prevent gout attacks, says Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington, and co-author of Juicing for Life. She says people prone to gout attacks should drink this juice every day as a preventive.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

Work the kidney reflexes on both feet, recommends St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology.

To help you locate these points, consult the foot reflex chart on page 592. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

See also Arthritis; Foot Pain; Joint Pain