Gout Pal Interactive

Thanks to WouteR for this image

Gout sufferers know how good water is.

1. Water reduces uric acid concentration, lowering the risk of pain-inducing crystals forming.
2. Water helps flush excess uric acid, and many toxic gout treatments, from the body.

Two - Nil is brilliant.

Where’s the third one coming from?

I’ve had a recent email exchange with a long-term gout sufferer who reckons he has found a new way to combat gout with water.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Gout, swimming, water

I’ve just read a fascinating study about a substance called L-carnitine and it’s effect on uric acid.

The study is not concerned with gout, but anything related to uric acid interests me. This particular study looks at how uric acid rises after strenuous exercise. The fact that exertion raises uric acid is the reason why I recommend gentle exercise for gout sufferers - exercise is important to aid mobility and help weight loss, but too much can have a bad effect.

L-Carnitine

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L-carnitine is currently being promoted widely as an anti-aging / anti-dementia supplement. It is produced naturally in the body if sufficient lysine (an amino acid found in protein), vitamins B1, B6 and iron is available. It is available from diet - mainly muscle and organ meat, fish and milk products.

The study about uric acid, exercise, and l-carnitine (L-Carnitine L-tartrate supplementation favorably affects markers of recovery from exercise stress) uses a commonly available carnitine supplement LCLT, combining L-carnitine with L-tartrate.

In the study, the subjects took the LCLT supplement for a 6 day rest period prior to starting the exercises. Although the study is mainly concerned with the effects during and after exercise, the volunteers on LCLT displayed lower uric acid levels even during the rest period.

The big question is - will it do any good for gout? If you’ve taken this supplement, please let me know how you got on with it.

Tags: l-carnitine

This one is to allopurinol takers everywhere.

Why do you put up with such shoddy service?

Every week, I get messages from gout sufferers, and their carers, about problems with allopurinol. Most of these show that absolutely no thought has gone into the treatment.

If you bought a car with only two wheels, would you accept it and drive round in a shower of sparks?
If you called a plumber to fix your leak, would you be happy to pay a weeks wages for him to merely turn the water off?
Would you pay an optician who grabbed the nearest pair of specs and said, “Here, these will do,” without testing your eyes?

Why take allopurinol without checking that it is doing it’s job?
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allopurinol treatment, _alipurinal, _alipurinol, _allipurinal, _allopurino, _allopurinol, _alopurenol, _alopurinal, _urate lowering therapy, _uric acid

Today’s third, and final, short gout question is home cure for gout.

Strange that you don’t get many people looking for “home heart surgery” or “home laser eye treatment”. There’s something about gout that makes us want to cure it at home.

Let’s face it, if your standard of gout medical care is the same as that described in some messages I get from disgruntled gout patients, then I don’t blame you.

But, you know, you should never Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s second short gout question is about natural uricosuric agent.

I think I’m like many other gout sufferers - a little wary of taking too many medications. But it’s funny how our reactions change to so-called natural products.

Colchicine is a common gout medication. It’s derived from autumn crocus, yet few people would regard it as a natural product.

Many so-called natural, or herbal, gout remedies are far removed from their natural sources. Most are pounded, processed and packaged to a form far removed from anything that might be regarded as natural. The truth is, Read the rest of this entry »

Somebody asked me the other day, “Can I stop taking allopurinol?”
The short answer is, “Maybe.”
Not very useful, so read on for the long answer.

First of all understand how allopurinol works.

It is all to do with uric acid. Uric acid is a good thing, but, when you have too much, it can form uric acid crystals (commonly called urate). These crystals build up in and around your joints causing gout. The only way to get rid of them is Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: can i stop taking allopurinol, _alipurinal, _alipurinol, _allipurinal, _allopurino, _allopurinol, _allopurinol side effects, _alopurenol, _alopurinal, _urate lowering therapy

You asked GoutPal about medication for gout.

The key thing to remember is that all gout medication falls into two groups:

• Pain Relief
• Urate Lowering Therapy

I have given full information about all common Gout Remedies
for Pain Relief">gout pain treatments and all common urate lowering therapies at GoutPal.com.

The most important of all medication for gout is treatment to lower uric acid. The most common, and currently most effective, urate lowering therapy is allopurinol. It is important that you study all the information about allopurinol on GoutPal.com.

When you start taking urate lowering medication, it is vital that you keep taking it every day. It does not matter if you are having a gout attack or not. Stopping the uric acid lowering treatment will not help the pain of that attack. If you stop taking it, you will increase the chances of more pain in future.

You need pain relief medication until the urate lowering therapy has done it’s job and all uric acid crystals have gone from your body. There is a wide choice available, and you should discuss different ones with your doctor. Do not put up with taking colchicine if it makes you sick. There are many alternatives, and you should be able to find one or two that suit you.

This post answers a short gout question in the gout cures section. If you need any more information about medication for gout please see my Gout Questions page.

Tags: medication for gout, _allopurinol, _pain relief, _urate lowering therapy

Just like me, it seems, the LA Times gets letters from it’s readers about the danger of gout.
It published three letters about gout yesterday, and the depth of ignorance from sufferers, alternative medicine promoters and qualified medical personnel drives me to despair.

One gout sufferer blames beer. Though alcohol can affect kidney performance in some people, and drinking beer can promote dehydration - a sure cause of gout, to hope that simply stopping drinking beer will stop gout is naive in the extreme. He notes that avoiding dehydration and restricting joints can trigger gout attacks. Both these are true, but avoid the main danger of gout.

Another reader claims respite from gout pain for a year through black cherry concentrate capsules daily, and indomethacin when required. These may well reduce gout pain, but again, they do nothing to avoid the main danger of gout.

The worst story come from a man who has consulted 4 doctors - 2 of these have had gout and ought to know what they are talking about. But they don’t. He has even been given allopurinol, the best current cure for gout, but it has not worked - presumably because he has not been advised properly how and when to take it.

I was moved to write to them, in the hope that at least a few gout sufferers in Los Angeles might find some permanent relief. I have no idea if they will publish my letter - I’m not even US resident, never mind LA.

Just so you don’t miss out dealing with the danger of gout, here are the key points:

Keep uric acid levels below 6mg/dL.

allopurinol is best, but if you cannot tolerate it ask about other uricosuric treatments, or new uric acid lowering therapies, like febuxostat or uricase derivatives

Get treated!

Many gout patients do not get uric acid lowering treatment. Those that do are not monitored to ensure the dose is correct - a complete waste of time and money.

Expect pain

Reducing uric acid often causes temporary gout pain until all existing crystals are dissolved. Your doctor should prescribe appropriate pain relief, like colchicine, ibuprofen or other NSAIDs

Consider alternatives

You might lower uric acid through dieting, if your got is not too severe. It is vital to monitor uric acid levels frequently. Do not rely on pain to tell you if you are getting better. The pain caused by new uric acid crystals is the same as pain caused by old uric acid crystals dissolving.

Consult a rheumatologist

I’ve mentioned The American College of Rheumatology listing of rheumatologists on many occasions. Use it.

Do not waste your money on anything unless you understand these basic facts about gout. There are many things that will help you, but only lowering uric acid below 6mg/dL will avoid the long term danger of gout from uric acid crystals.

If you do not treat uric acid crystals they will increase, often slowly, over many years, and with no real pain symptoms. Then the true danger of gout reveals itself - crippling joint damage and skin-bursting tophi.

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These are some of the most important points about gout. As part of my better gout treatment campaign, which I launched in my last newsletter, I am developing key points about gout into a gout patients charter. Please help me focus on the issues that are important to you by completing my gout survey.

Announcing 3 clinical trials of gout treatments. Do not miss your chance for the latest medication for long term gout relief.

These clinical trials are all in United States, specifically :

• Jonesboro, Arkansas
• Evansville, Indiana
• Lexington, Kentucky

2 trials are run by Research Solutions, who are investigating a new medication to lower uric acid levels in the body. This is for people with a history of gout or who have gout symptoms.

Contact:
Research Solutions, Jonesboro, AR
Located in:
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Telephone: 870-268-8431
Fax: 501-223-4717

Contact:
Research Solutions, IN
Located in:
Evansville, IN 47714
Telephone: 812-475-1820
Fax: 501-223-4717

Kentucky Medical Research Center is conducting a similar research study for gout patients. They have included more details in their announcement:

A Phase 3, Randomized, Multicenter, Double-Blind, Allopurinol-Controlled Study Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Febuxostat in Subjects with Gout

The objective of this study is to compare daily febuxostat to allopurinol in controlling gout and high uric acid levels.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males and females 18 to 85
• History or presence of gout

Exclusion Criteria:

• Females pregnant or breast feeding
• Secondary hyperuricemia
• History of Xanthinuria
• Active peptic ulcer disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Contact:
Shelley Miller, Coordinator
Kentucky Medical Research Center
354 Waller Ave. Suite 110
Lexington, KY 40504
Telephone: 859-225-5672
Fax: 859-276-1020

I believe all three gout treatment studies relate to nationwide trials for febuxostat prior to final FDA approval. If you are not in the states recently announced, there may still be related trials open in your area.

If you take part in these clinical trials, or any other gout treatment trials, be sure to share your experience here, preferably in the gout forum.

Insanity and apple cider vinegar (ACV) have never been linked before, but some of the stuff I am reading is driving me mad.
I am researching apple cider vinegar for gout. Does it help? If so, how?

I start by looking for scientific research - there is none.

I try things myself - haven’t got round to ACV yet.

I listen to other people - but only sane ones, without a commercial affiliation.

Now, you ask is this another GoutPal rant. Sorry, yes.

I know that everybody has different gouty experiences and gout treatments that work for some people never work for others. That is life.

I love getting messages from people who have found something that brings them some relief from gout so I can share this with other gout sufferers, but I get suspicious when people shout about miracle cures. The latest message was quite sensible, offering vitamin C ^(*), which he took at the same time as ACV, as a potential alternative explanation for his gout improvement. But he directed me to a website that was brimming with testimonies about apple cider vinegar as a cure for gout.

I will not give that website publicity by naming it. It is either a deliberate scam or an appalling attempt to mislead people who are seeking help and advice. I would contact the site owners to discuss the contents privately before public comment, but as they hide behind an anonymous registration service, I cannot.

I can understand anonymity to prevent spamming, but they seem quite happy to publish the email addresses of their contributors. They promote their independence by claiming they will not endorse manufacturers. Well, they wouldn’t if they were also one, would they. Might look a bit suspicious if they only promoted their own products. Grooming the alternative medicine market when you have a good market share is at least one way that an unethical company might operate. On the other hand, they may be a completely legitimate advice organization - I really wish I knew. If you have worked out who I am talking about, and you know who they are, please let me know.

The pity is, there is some quite good gout information mixed in with the bad. I will unravel it and report back. This may take some time, as one page of gout cures covers over 7000 words - not all of it about apple cider vinegar. I will do the analysis in stages, and hope that the ACV induced madness is only temporary.

^(*)Vitamin C has been shown to lower uric acid, but probably not by enough to cure gout.