I am always taken aback at the number and persistence of gout myths. Just read a few Internet web pages on gout and gout treatments and it won’t take you long to find contradicting information — even from supposedly reputable sites.
These myths are one of the key reasons why the quality of gout care for gout has fallen so much over the past few decades. Bad information keeps getting passed on — over and over. This article will help you understand some of these myths and learn the truth.
Myth #1:
Gout medications will make your attacks stop right away. Actually, uric acid-lowering medications can increase gout attacks in the short run but eventually, over the course of 6–12 months, they will usually stop them completely.
Most people experience more attacks when they first start taking these medications, then stop taking them, figuring that they are not working. This is because we know that sudden changes in uric acid levels, even drops in uric acid levels, can trigger attacks.
Most doctors do not prescribe uric acid-lowering medications at the right doses and do not also prescribe prophylaxis medications to prevent these attacks.
If you are starting to take uric acid-lowering medications, make sure you are starting at a very low dose and increasing slowly over a period of several weeks to full strength — never start or stop them suddenly.
Also, make sure your doctor has given you medications to prevent attacks during the first 6–12 months of treatment.
Myth #2:
If you stay away from seafood and beer your gout will go away. Of all the gout myths, myths about diet are the most persistent. But like all good myths, there is some truth to it.
Seafood and beer have both been shown to be powerful foods to cause a sudden increase in uric acid, which can trigger an attack but in most cases staying away from these foods or eating a strict “low purine diet” will only reduce the number of attacks you have, not eliminate them completely. 90% of gout cases are genetic and diet cannot overpower genetics.
Myth #3:
If you have gout, you should stay away from all alcohol. Again, like with all good myths, there is some truth here. Beer has been shown to be very bad for gout. People with gout should not drink beer at all — this advice doesn’t make me very popular, but it is true.
Spirits such as vodka and whiskey also raise the risk of gout but only about half as much as beer. Red wine, on the other hand, can slightly decrease your risk of gout if you drink no more than one glass per day.
With two glasses, the risk is about the same as for those that do not drink at all. So the key here is if you want a drink, stick to red wine and limit yourself to, at most, two glasses.
Myth #4:
Other than the pain of gout attacks, gout really doesn’t cause any other problems. This one is dead wrong, and I mean dead. Improperly treated gout can be a crippling disease. Regular gout attacks can damage and even destroy joints, and tophus can disfigure hands, feet, and form in other parts of the body, including the heart.
Also, the underlying cause of gout, hyperuricemia, has been shown to be strongly associated with heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity. All of which are very deadly. Gout can and does kill!
Myth #5:
I am overweight but that doesn’t have anything to do with my gout. Absolutely wrong! Excess body weight is strongly connected with hyperuricemia and gout. Probably the best thing you can do for your gout, as well as your health, is to lose weight and keep it off!
Of course, no one wants to hear that, but if you have gout and are significantly overweight, you are all but guaranteed to get one of the deadly diseases I mentioned in the previous myth. Losing weight and exercising regularly are the best ways to avoid these diseases.
Myth#6:
Once an attack starts, there is nothing you can do by waiting it out. Actually, if you act quickly, you can stop an attack for an hour or so. How? Take some of the powerful non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs your doctor has given you at the very first sign of symptoms (see gout basics).
If you have medical reasons why you can’t take NSAIDs, don’t worry, there are many other options including corticosteroids, ACTH, and others. However, you should avoid colchicine in your can.
Myth #7:
Food high in proteins is bad for gout. Food high in proteins actually lowers uric acid levels and is good for gout. What matters is where the proteins come from.
Meat proteins have been shown to raise uric acid levels while vegetable proteins have been shown to lower uric acid levels — even those that are high in purines.
CAUTION: Now I need you to pay very close attention to this
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- Eat less meat?
- Drink less alcohol?
- Drink more water?
Follow the usual advice?
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The pain remained as bad as ever?
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