Gout

[AkCoyote]

I don't know if there is a relationship or not but has anyone else developed gout since they began home brewing? There is a definite link between alcohol and gout but I was wondering if homebrew could be worse. Thanks!

[Tater Patch Kid]

I have 2 friends that developed gout in the past, way before i started stillin. I looked it up then and had dicovered the link was ureaic acid buildup in the blood.
Diet and drinking related. One friend was overwieght, about 32 at the time, the other was about 70. The way i remembered as to cause was red meat and beer or alcholl. I would hope my product is cleaner then store bought but what i make seems a lot richer so maybe a corralation there.
Get to the doctor and get a script to take care of the problem, You don't want to live with that pain. I don't know about gout pain but it sounds as bad as kidney stones wich i have had in the past. Have'nt had them in about 6 years now, hopefully i'm done with that. Slow down on the drinking and red meat.

[rad14701]

I know more people with gout who don't drink or only drink a little than those who do...

[bgrizzle]

I would hope my product is cleaner then store bought.

Right on... I agree with that. The original question was about home brewing, not home distilling. There has been a lot of talk about lab testing that never goes anywhere. LOOK, I know my stuff is amazing because it is as tasteless as anything I have ever had! I could (but dont) drink until I'm cross-eyed, and I have never had a hangover!

I dont know anything about gout, and I dont homebrew, but maybe making beer at home could create a less "clean" beer than a store bought. I would imagine that a pro home brewer would disagree, but I wonder if a novice home brewer could have more impurities than a store bought... When we distill we take out the fores, heads, and tails... when you homebrew all the impurities are left in the beer, correct?!

[axle1960]

I dont know anything about gout, and I dont homebrew, but maybe making beer at home could create a less "clean" beer than a store bought. I would imagine that a pro home brewer would disagree, but I wonder if a novice home brewer could have more impurities than a store bought... When we distill we take out the fores, heads, and tails... when you homebrew all the impurities are left in the beer, correct?!

I have had gout twice (twice too often). I read up on it and from what I found out it is a buildup of uric acid in the blood, this is aggravated by too much red meat and "cheap" beer. The uric acid forms crystals in your blood that settle to your lower extremities. Hurts like hell (I know). Both times I had it was after trying a new "inexpensive" beer, what a thing to wake up to. Cranberry juice is supposed to improve kidney function and this in turn helps remove the uric acid from your blood, doesn't happen quick though.

Axle

[AkCoyote]

I've had gout for about 8 years now and take medication to 'control' the uric acid but I still get flare ups every couple of months. And when I was referring to 'home brew' I was actually referring to any type of home made alcohol ie beer, wine or spirits. I've done some research and there isn't any documented connection between home made alcohol and gout so I figured I would ask the 'professionals' and take an unscientific survey. Unfortunately, between the gout and Hemochromatosis, I've had to cut out 50% of my diet. Guess that means I need to (or get to) drink more

[exon]

Aw crud... Admissions & Confessions...
...get u in trouble every time...

Have some real serious feet problems... diabetes related... less now, but still constantly very painful, but at least less.

Beer is the worst of the bunch, IME.
Gave it up.

Excessive red meat, liver. sugar in processed food, etc., are also contributors.

Alcohol, in a small/moderate amount, actually LOWERS BS when I test the next morning.
It's my thought a home-produced neutral should be superior to commercial offerings.

I ain't gonna QUIT drinking
I simply can NOT trust people who do NOT drink.
...IMO, They must have NO CLUE on what is REALLY going on around them.
I do NOT wish to be counted among their numbers.

Try reading a diet book called "The Zone". It's intended for athletes, yet the information relates directly to diabetics or anyone interested in the balance of things. ...The library should have it...
exon

[Tater Patch Kid]

What about your water for cooking and drinking??? When my kidney stones started up i worked in an area that had bad water. It got to the point where i brought my own water for coffee. I think i got kidney stones anyway. Man that water was bad.

[WalkingWolf]

I've had bouts of gout in the past -- for me it was at a time when my kidneys had gone south and couldn't handle normal loads. I did learn a lot about how to lessen the attacks. Here is a bit of information for the "average" individual.

What are the symptoms of gout?
Signs and symptoms of gout are generally acute - they come on suddenly without warning. A significant proportion of patients experience them at night.
Severe pain in the joints - The patient may experience pain in his ankles, hands, wrists, knees or feet. More commonly the big toe is affected (podagra). Many patients describe the affected areas as warm/hot. The fluid sacs that cushion tissue (bursae) may become inflamed (bursitis) - when this happens in the elbow it is called olcranon bursitis, while in the knee prepatellar bursitis.

Gradually goes away - A bout can last for over a week if left untreated - and then gradually goes away during the following week or two.

Itchy and peeling skin later - As the gout subsides the skin around the affected area may be itchy and peel. By the end of it the patient feels fine.

Redness and inflammation - The sufferer will most likely have tender, red and swollen joint(s) in the areas that experienced the most pain.

Red/purplish skin - The affected area may become red or purplish, making the patient think he has an infection.

Fever - Some patients have an elevated temperature.

Less flexibility - The affected joint may be harder to use, the patient has limited movement.

No symptoms - Some patients experience no symptoms. In these cases it may develop into chronic gout.

Nodules - The gout may first appear as tophi (nodules) in the elbows, hands, or ears.

What causes gout?
The levels of uric acid in your blood rise until the level becomes excessive (hyperuricemia), causing urate crystals to build up around the joints. This causes inflammation and severe pain when a gout attack happens.

When the human body breaks down chemicals called purines it produces uric acid. Purines can be found naturally in your body, as well as in food, such as organ meats, anchovies, asparagus, mushrooms and herring.

Most of the time uric acid dissolves and goes into the urine via the kidneys. However, if the body is producing too much uric acid, or if the kidneys are not excreting enough uric acid, it builds up. The accumulation results in sharp urate crystals which look like needles. They accumulate in the joints or surrounding tissue and cause pain, inflammation and swelling.

The following have been known to bring about a gout attack and may be contributory causes of gout:
obesity
heavy alcohol consumption, especially beer
a diet high in purine foods, such as seafood and meat, and meat organs
extremely low calorie diets
regular aspirin use
regular niacin use
regular use of diuretic medicines
medicines taken by transplant patients, such as cyclosporine
fast weight loss
chronic kidney disease
hypertension (high blood pressure)
psoriasis
tumors
myeloma
hemolytic anemia
lead poisoning
hypothyroidism

What are the complications of gout?
Gout does not commonly cause any further problems. However, some are possible:
Recurrent gout - while some people just get one attack, and never experience another one again, others may have recurrent attacks. There are drugs which help reduce the number of recurrent attacks, or even eliminate them.
Advanced gout - If the gout is not treated urate crystals may form under the skin in nodules, they are known as tophi. They may become swollen and tender whenever the patient has a gout attack, but are not painful otherwise.
Kidney stones - Urate crystals can accumulate in the urinary tract of a patient who suffers from gout. This causes kidneys stones. There are drugs which can lower the chances of developing kidney stones.
Damage to joints - if the tophi (nodules) become inflamed the joints could become damaged.
Gout might spread - The gout could spread to other joints.
Treatment for Gout
1) Medication

Gout is usually treated with medications, these include:
NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - these help combat inflammation and pain. Ibuprofen and naproxen are NSAIDs. There is an increased risk of stomach pain, ulcers and bleeding for some patients who take this drug - the higher the dosage, the higher the risk.
Colchicine - an effective drug for gout. However, a number of patients might experience diarrhea, vomiting and/or nausea. Colchicine is often given to patients who are unable to take NSAIDs.
Steroids - these may help combat inflammation and relieve pain. The patient may receive the medication orally or it could be injected right into the joint. Some patients who take steroids may experience a thinning of bones, poor wound healing, while others find that their immune systems become weaker and it is harder to fight off infections. Steroids are usually given to patients who are unable to take either colchicines or NSAIDs.
2) Self Help

These measures may help ease the pain and swelling:
Raise and rest your limb.
Some people use a splint to immobilize the joint.
Do not do vigorous exercise.
Keep the joint cool, apply an ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel. Do not apply directly to your skin without a towel as this could damage your skin. Allow the temperature of the affected area to return to normal before repeating this.
Do not cover the joint.
How to prevent gout
1) Medications

There are some medicines which can reduce your risk of future gout attacks. These are usually taken after an attack is over:
Reducing the production of uric acid - Allupurinol reduces the amount of uric acid your body produces, which in turn lowers your chances of having an attack recurrence. Some patients who take this medication may have a rash, and/or a low blood count.
Removing uric acid more effectively - Probenecid helps your kidneys eliminate uric acid more effectively, thus lowering your blood uric acid levels, which in turn reduces your chances of recurrence of an attack. Some patients may develop a rash when taking this medication, while others may have stomach pains, and a very small number may develop kidney stones.
2) Nutrition

Although diets have not been proven to reduce a person's risk of gout, this is due to a lack of studies, rather than the existence of studies that prove diet is ineffective. It would make sense not to consume too many foods that are high in purines, such as red meat, meat organs, and seafood. Reducing your consumption of alcoholic drinks may also be beneficial. Some say you should consume more low-fat dairy products, while others mention a good intake of whole-grain breads. If you drink plenty of water you might dilute the amount of uric acid in your blood, some say.

[axle1960]

WalkingWolf,

That's great info, very informative. Thanks for posting that.

Axle

[exon]

Yup.

Prurines... gotta limit them on the intake...

hard to do when u like liver & onions, mushrooms, and of course, pickled herring !
exon

[Cascade]

I have been dealing with gout for almost 20 years. Dad has it, I have it, brothers have it. It is one of those things that we do not want to inherit from our parents but unfortunately do. There are two types of gout sufferers. Those that produce excessive amounts of uric acid and those that underexcrete the uric acid (a kidney function). All of my family are underexreters. This is determined by by collecting blood and urine and comparing uric acid levels in both.

Most of the literature relates diet to flares of gout. As far as I have found this is mostly anecdotal. I recently read a medical journal that stated that there was no clinical evidence of diet influencing gout flare ups. Over the years I have identified a few things that I know are risky for me. One of them is real German hefeweizzen beer. I suspect the yeast in this style. The biggest thing that I find in my case that can trigger a flare is not drinking enough water. I tend to forget to drink water during the day and get dehydrated and this has triggered some serious gout attacks. For my little brother, he flares whenever he is psychologically or emotionally stressed out.

I think that it is different for everybody. Welcome to the journey of learning how to deal with it!

[AkCoyote]

Excellent info everyone, thank you! For those of you who have never suffered a gout attack, you can thank your lucky stars as they are too painful to describe. I didn't think that there would be a corrolation with home made alcohol but it never hurts to ask. Thanks again:)

[exon]

Good points, Cascade...
Some folks ARE pre-disposed to one thing or another.

Stress oughta be a 4 letter word. Seems we hear it more and more, these days.
IME, vodka eases stress.
exon

[Sawchain]

Buddy of mine suffered a long time with bouts of gout.
Someone mentioned that Eating Cherries would help .
Since then any time he has the beginning symptoms He eats a Half a can of cherry pie filling.
He swears it works for him .
Might be worth a try

[The Flask]

Before I started stilling I used to make apple wine from apple cider and one time I bought a bunch of cider from an old farmer and this guy told me that he had gout really bad to the point he was considering selling his farm and was taking massive drugs which had little affect but he swore that once he started drinking hard apple cider it completely cured his gout. He says he just let the cider sit and didn’t add any yeast or sugar, just let the natural yeast from the apples ferment the sugar in the apples and drank that and it cured him completely. Maybe he was just a crazy old sociopath but I believed him and if I had the problem would give it a try. He says his doctor was in disbelief because he didn’t need any medication after that.

[exon]

Cherries, huh?

...Can't hurt!
I never heard a bad thing abt cherries!

I'll give it a shot!
exon

[gholl3214]

You can get Black Cherry extract a some of the grocery stores that have a health food section. Couple of capsules a day sure helps with the pain. You usually find it near the joint supplements. Has really helped with the hip pains as well.

G

[blind drunk]

Some say apple cider vinegar is good for that and also for whatever else ails you. My friend's mother is closing in on 100 years old and she used to make a barrel of apple cider vinegar a year and take some everyday, religiously. I tried taking it, but like with vitamins, I always lose interest before the container is empty My current craze is yogurt.

[blanikdog]

I know that feeling BD. I've had more crazes than Sunday dinners.