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Hello. I?m trying to help my 66 yr old husband who has gout attacks 2-3 times a yr. for approx 15 yrs. He is overweight at least 30 lbs. Allipurinol makes it worse, Colcrys helped it last attack, but is too expensive for us. I have made my way around your website but got confused (but so happy I found it!). My questions are: 1. Is Tart Cherry juice best? He drinks about 2-3 tbsp of BLACK cherry juice (from health food store) every morning mixed w whatever juice I buy but never orange or apple as he doesn?t like them.
2. I am cooking as we speak a pot of black beans so he can drink the broth as I read this on your sight-that this will help. HOWEVER, I want to make sure about this. The post said do not eat the beans & I know that legumes are on the purine No No list. SHOULD I GIVE THIS BROTH TO HIM?
3. This is the first time it?s ever gone to a finger. Most always in his big toe or ankle joint. Reason for this?
Finally, I have started him on Braggs ACV soaking his index finger and drinking a jigger of it mixed w honey & water & 1/4 cup,of the black cherry juice w honey & water.
Seems like the ACV soak brought the swelling down a bit & pain has lessened a bit so I do not want to do him more harm w the bean broth if the other things are helping a little bit. THANK YOU & bless you!Hi Cyndi,
I noticed you also asked this in a different topic. Thank you for posting it as a new topic – I’ve deleted the other one so we don’t end with people posting in different places. I will be back shortly to answer the questions you raise, but please can you post your husband’s uric acid levels for as many results as you have available. A good history of uric acid levels is one of the best ways I can give relevant advice.
Hi Keith. We do not know his uric acid levels. Jerry goes to the local VA clinic but by the time he gets appt, gets blood work/results, his gout would be gone.
I am wondering which testing meter is the most economical but reliable? Before finding your site, we didn’t even know you could buy such a thing.
I have kept him on strict diet since his pain set in last Wed/Thurs & continued doing the things as stated in my original post & of course by now swelling is down alot, (although still red) & pain is much better.
Again, thanking you in advance for your kindness & willingness to share your wisdom. CyndiSorry for the delay, Cyndi. I’ve now moved home, but still many boxes to unpack.
First, I need to clarify what gout is. Most people think of the painful episodes, and most doctors only get involved when their patients are suffering acute gout attacks. However, gout is an ongoing, progressive disease. This means that, even if gout pain has gone, gout is still there. The uric acid crystals that cause gout attacks are still growing inside Jerry. He needs to get rid of the uric acid crystals. The only way to do this is to get uric acid to 5 mg/dL or below. Failure to get uric acid under control will lead to gout getting worse, so we have to find ways to control uric acid.
5mg/dl is the target for allopurinol, and other uric acid lowering drugs, but it is also the target for natural methods. You cannot control gout without knowing uric acid levels, so please contact the clinic and ask them to write down the results and dates for all the tests that they have records for – the more information, the easier it is to get a plan.
You and Jerry can decide whether to go for pharmaceuticals or natural remedies, or a combination. It does not really matter, except that pharmaceuticals are easier to manage. If Jerry’s eating habits are bad, then he might fall into the small group who can control gout with diet and lifestyle changes. Even if you decide to use allopurinol, lifestyle improvements can help with reducing heart attack and stroke risks.
Whether pharmaceutical or natural, there are two separate things to consider. One is lowering uric acid, and the other is pain control.
Colcrys (colchicine) is for pain control. There are many cheaper alternatives, and it often needs to be combined with anti-inflammatories for best effect (ibuprofen, or naproxen, or Indocin, etc). Colcrys is available free or at reduced cost to those that qualify, and I strongly recommend you search needymeds.org for Colcrys (they have lots of other assistance programs for all aspects of health care).
There are some natural products that help reduce inflammation and pain, but I do not know of anything that will cope with a gout attack. People talk of cherry juice or black bean broth, and they may work for some people, especially at the first twinge of a gout attack. Once a gout flare has got hold, I believe only pain meds, or high pain toleration works, but I’m always willing to listen to people who have found things that work for them. The most important thing to realize is that you only need pain control whilst you have uric acid crystals in your body.
If you get rid of the crystals, you get rid of the pain. It takes a few months to get rid of uric acid crystals with allopurinol at the right dose, but it will usually take much longer with natural methods. The best way is often to start with allopurinol, then try to improve lifestyle so you can reduce allopurinol dose in future.
There are some natural products that will lower uric acid, but without those test results, I cannot advise how to use them properly.
If funds are tight, the last thing I would spend money on is a home uric acid test kit. I can get blood tests at my doctor every month without charge if I need to. Monthly tests are good at first, but every two or three months is still acceptable in most situations. I’m assuming your VA clinic tests are free?
I think the best thing to do now is to gather information and then we can work out a plan. See if you can get old test results. If not, see if you can get results in future, and arrange another test. Please tell me more about the costs involved with uric acid tests at the VA clinic (I’ve tried to Google it, but I just get this discussion, or links to it! :shock:).
Checkout the NeedyMeds website to see if you can get help for Colcrys – if not, we can develop a pain control plan that does not need Colcrys.
Let me know how Jerry feels about pharmaceutical versus natural so I can put a better personal emphasis on a plan that suits him.
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