Purine rich foods contribute to a painful type of arthritis called gout. The human body needs a small amount of purine, but it can cause problems if you consume it in excess amounts. Purine gets converted into uric acid. Uric acid that does not get removed from the blood stream normally gets expelled in urine. If the body does not process it properly, it converts to uric acid into urate crystals. Urate crystals build up in joints and cause the type of arthritis known as gout. A good way to avoid developing this painful condition is to reduce the amount of purine rich foods that you eat.

The cause of gout may be metabolic, renal, or both. Metabolic gout is innate, and several genetic factors have the potential to produce the condition. In this form of gout, the body produces more uric acid than can be cleared by the kidneys into the urine. Renal gout is caused by one of many possible renal dysfunctions. In this form of gout, the body may produce normal levels of uric acid, but the action of the kidneys are insufficient to clear the compound from the blood.

Taking large amounts of vitamin C serves as an effective medicine for gout. A study was conducted where two groups of people were given different vitamin C intakes. The people given more than 1,500 mg of vitamin C a day were 40% less prone to getting gout than those who consumed less than 200 mg a day. Doctors are commonly prescribing vitamin C to their patients today to combat the gout.

A major change in diet is an important, if not primary, natural medicine for gout. Gout is seriously aggravated by purine foods, and may even be the sole reason for the gout. Some purine foods include organ meat, meat gravy, stock, mussels, herring, anchovies, shellfish, sardines, asparagus, and mushrooms. White flour, spinach, cauliflower, dried beans, poultry, and sugar may also need to be avoided, being somewhat high in purine. Alcohol, especially beer, is very high in purines and must also be avoided, unless you can compensate with drinking much water along with the beverages to keep acid from building up in your system. Replace these foods with fruits, berries, vegetables, whole grains, and especially wheat grass.

Most doctors will use prescription medicines as the treatment for gout. A medicine called colchicine will help reduce inflammation, swelling and pain caused by sudden gout attacks. The medicine works by decreasing the uric acid crystals built up in the joint. However, the medicine does not reduce the levels of uric acid in the blood stream. Most often the pain usually goes away in about twelve hours of starting the treatment for gout, and is completely relieved by 48 hours. Taking the medicines colchicine, or allopurinol, usually prevents future attacks.

There have been concerted efforts in recent times to harmonize natural herbs and plants extracts in order to get rid of the cause of gout, achieve instant relief and permanently cure gout. These efforts gave birth to Goutezol, a produxt now in the market. It is arguably the best cure for gout.

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