A few years back, totally out of the blue, I had a gout attack in my right foot. It swelled up so badly I couldn't wear a shoe. I couldn't sleep because even just the tiniest weight of a blanket caused immense pain. It lasted for about 6 weeks, it was absolutely horrific! I swear, childbirth was nothing compared to the pain I was going through with my gouty foot!
So far, I have fought back pretty successfully against a recurrance. My main secret weapon is cherry juice. My local grocery store carries quart bottles of cherry concentrate, made from tart Montgomery cherries. You mix about 2 tablespoons in water and drink that every day. I've been drinking the stuff every day since that gout attack and I've never had another episode like that. A few times I've gotten a bit of gouty swelling in one of my big toes, but it's gone away in a day or two, and has happened very rarely - and not all for many months now.
My other weapon is the herb Gravel Root, I buy 4 ounce bottles of liquid extract online and do about 4 droppers-full every day. It's very good for the kidneys, and it acts to prevent the formation of the uric acid crystals that lead to a gout attack.
Other than that, I eat red meat sparingly, and especially avoid cured meats (although I allow myself a little bacon about once a month). Turkey is a trigger, too, so I cut way back on that, but I still eat some once in a while. Shellfish are also problematic, but I love shrimp too much to give it up completely. I stopped doing fish oil for an Omega3 supplement, because it turned out to be a trigger, and switched to Flaxseed Oil instead.
I have not given up alcohol, however. Because if I can't have a nip now and then, I'll go crazy, dammit! Anyway, so far so good.
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