Pain, it can be intense. It can be tiring. It can be ugly. It can be chaotic. Arthritis is painful and there are a lot of different types of arthritis. Today, I want to talk about Gout. I have two forms of arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Gout. I have these and two more autoimmune disorders that are chronic conditions.
Gout is an inflammatory arthritis that affects one joint at a time. It usually affects the toes, but on me, it affects my fingers and my wrists and then sometimes my ankle when I have flares. I have been taking medications that have helped me a lot. I’ll explain how, further, down below.
The symptoms of gout include:
- Sudden intense pain in the joint
- Swelling in the joint
- Redness in the joint
- Intense heat in the joint
The cause of gout is a condition called Hyperuricemia, which is where your body makes too much uric acid. The body makes uric acid when the body has too much purines in the blood. Purines are a chemical compound found in some foods and some medications.
Foods high in purines are:
- Alcohol beverages, all of them
- Fish
- Seafood
- Shellfish
- Bacon
- Turkey
- Veal
- Venison
- Organ meats
There are medications that cause uric acid to build up too. They are:
- Aspirin
- Blood pressure medications: Beta blockers and Angiotension II receptor blockers
- Diuretics
I had a high amount of uric acid in my bloodstream. Normal amount is 5 or below and when I was first tested I was at 15. I was in a lot of pain. One of my blood pressure medications was causing me to make too much uric acid. I switched medications and started on some medications that have put me at a lower level so I don’t get flare ups. I haven’t had a flare with my gout in 4 years.
Here are things that will increase your chances of having gout:
- Being male
- Being obese
- Having congestive heart failure
- High blood pressure
- Insulin resistance
- Metabolic syndrome
- Diabetes
- Poor kidney function
- Using a diuretic
- Using a high blood pressure pill
- Eating and drinking foods high in fructose
- Eating foods high in purines
There is a treatment plan that works well if you have gout. Here is the plan:
- Manage your pain by using Nsaids or a medication called Colchicine
- Prevent flares by creating Wellness Plan that addresses your eating plan, movement, and stress relief
- Having an eating plan that helps you eat well by limiting your alcohol intake and eating foods with less purines in them.
- Learn self management skills
- Exercise
- Talk to your doctor about medications that will lower your uric acid. These medications include, allopurinol, febuxostat, probenecid, pegloticase
- Try alternate treatments: essential oils may help with the symptoms of gout. Here are some oils that may help: Lemongrass oil, Celery seed oil, Yarrow, Olive leaf extract, Chinese Cinnamon.
If you need help with a wellness plan, meal plan, and an exercise plan Karen G Clemenson and the Wellness Works NW Team are happy to guide you on your journey to having good health.
Here are some links I would like to share with you:
- Everything You Need to Know About Gout by Tricia Kinman and Stephanie Watson and medically reviewed by Shilpa Amin, MD, CAQ, FAAFP for Healthline
- Gout by Arthritis Foundation Staff
- Gout by Catherine Burt Driver, MD and edited by William C Shiel Jr, MD, FACP, FACR for MedicineNet
- Gout by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Staff
- Gout by MedlinePlus Staff
- Gout by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease Staff
- Gout: Living with gout and other conditions by Healthtalk.org Staff
- Image Credit: Gout Pictures Slideshow: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments of Gout by WebMD Staff
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Jamie Holloway is a co-owner of Wellness Works NW and she is also our Research Manager and writes our Chasing Wellness with Jamie Holloway and Dear Jamie columns. Jamie is also an Independent Wellness Advocate at dōTERRA. She lives in the Portland, Oregon area. Since October 2011 she has been sharing her Journey Toward Health and Wellness with Vasculitis through her blog at JamieChasesButterflies.com. We hope you are as inspired as we are with the raw candor Jamie uses in her writing. If you would like to help support Jamie’s writing efforts please Donate now.
