Gout And Alcohol Debate

Arguments about gout and alcohol continue, and I have summarized my thoughts on the main gout information site. I am sure I need to add more detail in some areas when I have a clearer idea about the real issues that affect gout sufferers. I have recently introduced a debate about uric acid lowering treatment and alcohol, and this debate runs alongside it, as I do not want to dilute the treatment debate with remarks about alcohol consumption and gout in general. There is never a single simple answer to stopping gout. Every gout sufferer needs to understand their own personal circumstances with respect to gout, and develop their own personal plan to deal with it. At GoutPal, we use the forums to start a plan. Then we can discuss the things that really matter with our doctors, and get the right treatment. Alcohol And The Treated Gout Patient The first consideration is if you are taking uric acid lowering medicine or not....
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Gout Diet Forum Introduction

The revised Gout Diet Forum is now active. I will soon transfer some old gout diet discussions into this forum. Gout diet is the last thing you should worry about on your journey to gout freedom. That's right! Every gout sufferer starts by worrying about food and drink, but you should not. In fact, you should not even think about diet until you have a gout treatment plan. Start with proper diagnosis of your symptoms so you can be certain that you do actually have gout. Get a treatment plan that ensures you set safe limits for uric acid. Eat a healthy diet, but only worry about changing it if you are failing to reach your treatment plan targets. Continue to see how you can analyze, discuss, and improve your gout diet...
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Flaxseed Oil and Gout

My only events with gout came from starting fish oil. My doctor gave me a prescription for a high quality fish oil. I immediately came down with severe gout.First time ever. I stopped taking the fish oil and received treatment. The doctor thought it was coincidence and had me restart the fish oil. We did this for a total of three times with the same results. I finally convinced him it was not a coincident. I switched to Flax seed oil and no more problems. Gout free. ...
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Potential Renal Acid Load

Yesterday, I was asked for information about Potential Renal Acid Load. This is usually abbreviated to PRAL. Though PRAL is a precise calculation based on certain nutrient values in foods, it is not an exact measure. It is a shortcut measure to assess the affect of foods on the pH of the body. Experiments have shown that it is a reliable approximation of the acidifying or alkalizing effect of foods. PRAL=0.49 Protein + 0.037 Phosphorous - 0.021 Potassium - 0.026 Magnesium - 0.013 Calcium. This gives a positive value for acid forming foods and a negative value for alkaline forming foods. To ensure adequate nutrition it is important to chose a combination of foods with positive and negative PRAL values. Many nutritionists and health-workers believe that a diet that has an overall negative PRAL total is healthiest. For gout, an alkalizing diet reduces the chances of kidney stones forming, and helps to dissolve them if they form. It is important to also drink...
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Do You Know Any Gout Foods?

Gout foods might be important, but never in isolation. In my explanation of the right approach to gout foods, I try to explain that there are no good gout foods, and no bad gout foods. There is only the right approach to all gout foods. This is very hard for people to accept. Gout sufferers are inundated with lists of foods to avoid, and occasional lists of foods that might be good for gout. I say these are dangerously misleading. read the best way to approach Gout Foods...
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