Gout Health Dictionary

Etiology. May be hereditary. Excess alcohol, meat or starchy foods without adequate fresh vegetables and fruit. Alcohol increases synthesis of urates and inhibits secretion. High beer intake. There is a link between gout and the good life.

Symptoms. Joints hot, painful, inflamed, shiny and swollen. Temperature rises in acute cases. Urine strong-smelling, but little passed. Urate deposits (tophi) present a ready diagnostic sign on elbows or lobes of ears. Swollen big toe common. Joints normal between attacks.

Autumn Crocus (Colchicum) is the oldest and still one of the most effective plant medicines for relief and appears to act by inhibiting prostaglandin activity.

The symptoms of pseudo-gout are similar, focus of pain mostly in the knee. Instead of uric acid, pyrophosphoric acid crystals are laid down and calcium salts deposited in cartilages. For this, Colchicum is of little value, though reportedly good results follow use of White Willow.

Influenza vaccination injections may trigger acute gout in some patients.

Alternatives. Autumn Crocus (Colchicum), Black Cohosh, Boldo, Burdock root, Celery seeds, Gravel root, Guaiacum, Meadowsweet, Sarsaparilla, Valerian, White Willow, Wild Lettuce, Yarrow, Devil’s Claw.

Alternatives for acute conditions:– Tea. Equal parts: Boldo, Celery seeds, Meadowsweet. Mix. 1-2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes. 1 cup every 2 hours.

Decoction. Black Cohosh 1; Gravel root 1; White Willow 2. Mix. 1-2 teaspoons in 2 cupfuls water gently simmered 20 minutes. Half a cup every 2 hours.

Tablets/capsules. Boldo, Black Cohosh, Celery, Garlic, White Willow, Devil’s Claw, Prickly Ash. Colchicine USP, one 0.5mg tablet every 2 hours.

Powders. Formula. Black Cohosh 1; White Willow 3. Guaiacum quarter. Dose: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one-third teaspoon) every 2 hours.

Tinctures. Formula. White Willow 2; Celery 1; Black Cohosh quarter; Guaiacum quarter; Liquorice quarter. Dose: 1-2 teaspoons every 2 hours in water.

Cider vinegar. Traditional. (Vermont, USA)

Colchicum. Extract Colchici Liquid, dose: 2-5 drops. Tincture Colchici; 5-15 drops. In water as prescribed by a practitioner.

Topical. Cider vinegar as a lotion. Warm potato poultice for pain. Lotion: 1 part Oil of Sassafras to 20 parts Safflower seed oil. Slippery Elm poultice: mix well 2-3 teaspoons powdered Slippery Elm into 1 pint (500ml) equal parts Cider vinegar and water. Epsom salts bath. Comfrey ointment. Chamomile soaks. Aromatherapy. Wipe affected parts with any one diluted oil: Sage, Burdock, Bryony, Rosemary, St John’s Wort.

Diet. Low protein, fat, salt. Nettle tea. Plenty of water. No tea, coffee or alcohol. Reject: purine foods – organ meats, kidney, liver, brain, sweet-bread, red meat, meat extracts. Accept: bananas for potassium – 3 daily, and oily fish. For gout, a vegetarian diet has much to commend it.

Supplements. Daily. Bromelain 200mg. Folic acid 30mg. Vitamin C 3g. Vitamin E 200iu. Iron – Floradix. Magnesium.

General. Reduce acidity. Gout is a rewarding condition for the phytotherapist. Rest affected parts. Good responses with Guaiacum. For kidney involvement add Wild Carrot. For prevention, an older generation of physicians advised quarter to half a teaspoon Glauber Salts in breakfast tea, or cup of Nettle tea. Cradle affected joint against pressure from shoes or bedclothes. 

days and often recur. They are sometimes accompanied by fever. Gout may be associated with kidney stones (see calculus, urinary tract), and affects 10 times more men than women. In men, it occurs any time after puberty; in women it usually occurs after the menopause. The condition tends to run in families.

The diagnosis is confirmed by tests on blood or fluid from the affected joint to measure uric acid levels. Pain and inflammation can usually be controlled by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or colchicine. If these are ineffective, a corticosteroid may be injected into the joint. Long-term treatment with drugs such as allopurinol or probenecid can stop or reduce the frequency of attacks.

Causes The cardinal feature of gout is the presence of an excessive amount of uric acid in PLASMA and various body tissues, and its deposition in the joints in the form of sodium monourate. The cause of this excess is not known, but there is an hereditary element and there is a family history of the disease in 50–80 per cent of cases. Inadequate exercise, habitual over-indulgence in animal food and rich dishes, and excess of alcohol have been indicated as precipitating factors, but the disease can occur in vegetarians and teetotallers.

Gout is infrequent before the age of 40, but it may occasionally affect very young people in whom there is a strong family history. About 95 per cent of patients are males. In women it most often appears during the menopause.

Symptoms An attack of gout may appear without warning, or there may be premonitory symptoms. The affected joint is swollen and the symptoms come and go, usually being worse at night. Tophi (see TOPHUS) may develop around an affected joint. Urinary CALCULI (uratebased) often occur in patients with gout.

Treatment and prevention NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDS) such as NAPROXEN should be started as soon as possible for an acute attack. After the attack subsides, a lower dose should be continued for at least a week. Salicylates (such as aspirin) and diuretics should be avoided.

In patients prone to recurrent or particularly severe attacks, long-term prophylaxis with ALLOPURINOL is indicated, especially when associated with kidney disease. This drug, which has few side-effects, lowers the serum urate concentration by preventing the formation of uric acid. A sensible weight-reducing diet is usually helpful.