Your body is an engineering marvel. Even an action as seemingly simple as blinking your eye is tremendously complex.
- Your eyes sense they’re dry.
- A message goes to the brain.
- The brain sends out messages to various muscles.
- Those muscle contract bringing your eyelids down and back up again.
And it all happens – quite literally – in the blink of an eye. Half the time, you’re not even fully aware you’ve blinked. It’s like a computer program that runs in the background.
But, as you can imagine, a lot can go wrong with a machine as complicated as your body. And that’s why the causes of some health problems are often overlooked.
The hidden cause of painful joints
Take aching joints for example.
Most people with aching joints don’t think, “Oh, my uric acid levels must be high.” They may not even have any clue what uric acid even is.
But that is often the case. And – fortunately – it’s a problem you can do something about.
You see, your body creates substances called purines when you digest certain kinds of protein. The breakdown of these purines creates uric acid (UA).
Normally, your body eliminates excess UA, and everything is fine. But genetics, kidney problems and other causes can lead to a uric acid build-up. And that’s when the trouble starts.
UA crystals can form deposits in your joints, causing…
- swelling,
- tenderness
- and serious pain.
Attacks may come and go quickly at first, but tend to last longer and longer over time.
Excess uric acid can also contribute to long-term blood sugar and kidney problems. So keeping your levels down really pays off in terms of health.
Food fixes to tame uric acid levels & reduce UA crystals
A team at Mass General Hospital and Harvard University found that a number of foods can have a marked affect your UA levels.1,2
- Eating lots of meat and seafood tends to INCREASE UA levels.
- Low-fat dairy products appear to encourage LOWER levels of uric acid.
- Beer is linked to HIGHER UA levels.
- Liquor also RAISES UA, but less than beer.
- Moderate wine intake appears to have NO effect.
More recently, researchers in British Columbia added soft drinks sweetened with fructose to the list of foods that raise UA levels.3
Besides dairy, getting more fiber, vitamin C and folate – a B vitamin – have all been linked to lower levels of UA.4
For a tasty treat that does double duty, try tart cherries. Not only do they help your body get rid of excess UA, they promote greater joint comfort.5
High blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity have also been linked to increased UA levels.6 So taking care of these problems can also help.
Uric acid build-up is fairly common. But it’s very often overlooked.
Your doctor can tell if you have a problem with a simple blood test, but don’t rely on him to do the test on his own, ask for it. If your uric acid is high, a combination of these safe, natural steps could bring you quick relief.
References:
1 Choi HK, et al. Intake of purine-rich foods, protein, and dairy products and relationship to serum levels of uric acid: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Jan;52(1):283-9.
2 Choi HK and Curhan G. Beer, liquor, and wine consumption and serum uric acid level: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Dec 15;51(6):1023-9.
3 Choi JW, et al. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks, diet soft drinks, and serum uric acid level: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Jan 15;59(1):109-16.
4 Lyu LC, et al. A case-control study of the association of diet and obesity with gout in Taiwan. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Oct;78(4):690-701.
5 Jacob RA, et al. Consumption of Cherries Lowers Plasma Urate in Healthy Women. J. Nutr. June 1, 2003 vol. 133 no. 6 1826-1829.
6 Singh JA, et al. Risk factors for gout and prevention: a systematic review of the literature. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2011 Mar;23(2):192-202.
Dr. Woliner is a board certified medical physician and modern day pioneer in the world of alternative men’s health and nutritional science. Using a unique combination of modern “Western” medicine and traditional holistic healing practices, Dr.Woliner has revolutionized men’s health care treatments for many of today’s most common male health concerns – specializing in alternative treatments for Prostate enlargement (BPH) and a myriad of erectile concerns and men’s sexual health issues.
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Can you get gout in your hands?
I don’t know if you can get gout in your hands but wherever you might get it, Red Tart Cherries and I think, to a lesser extent, raisins can help a lot. I gave this advice to someone suffering from gout and he said it helped a lot. He did drink a lot of beer which was probably causal…. M.