Frontispice of "Two Treatises, The one, Medical, Of the Gout, And its Nature more narrowly search’d into than hitherto, together with a new way or discharging the same. " This book was written by the Dutch clergyman Hermann Buschoff (ca. 1622-1674) who lived in Batavia. It introduced the new remedy Moxa to Europe. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Gout: Nothing to even smile about here let alone plain old LOL.
The sufferers of gout seldom have sympathy coming their way.I reckon the main reason being ignorance. Most people do not have a clue about the real causes of gout ,and just as you will get no sympathy when you have a hangover,most people equate gout to a drinking spree .
I found this very informative article from a guy who has suffered for more than 12 years because of his gout.
"Gout's no laughing matter. So why don't GPs take it seriously?
By
Jo Waters PUBLISHED:
00:30 GMT, 5 February 2013
|
UPDATED:
00:30 GMT, 5 February 2013
The one thing that really makes postman Neil Pert’s blood boil are the sniggers and jokes his gout provokes. Neil
has suffered from gout for 12 years, and last year had to transfer to a
desk job because he can’t stand on his feet for longer than an hour
without pain. ‘I’m crippled by it, and had to have three months off work because the pain was so excruciating.
My ankles and feet are particularly
badly affected, and when I’m having an attack I can’t bear any weight on
them,’ says 44-year-old Neil, who lives in Clydebank, Glasgow, with his
wife Jennifer, 46, an assistant shop manager, and their daughter
Hannah, 11.‘Yet I’m frequently teased about my gout. 'My
GP’s attitude seems to be that it’s all self-inflicted, even though I
haven’t had alcohol or eaten rich foods for years, while colleagues
think I use it to get out of work.’ A
spotlight was thrown on severe gout recently following the story that
Mark Cahill, a former publican from Yorkshire, underwent a hand
transplant after his hand was paralysed following a gout attack that had
led to an infection. Although
such cases are thankfully rare, doctors say they are seeing increasing
numbers of patients with extreme gout and joint damage. Hospital admissions have doubled in a decade to 4,400 cases per year, according to a recent study of GP practice records.
But experts say much of the misery of gout is entirely avoidable — with the right treatment.
Gout is a form of arthritis that causes sudden and very severe attacks of pain and swelling in the joints. It’s
caused by excessive amounts of uric acid in the blood, which forms
needle-like crystals in and around the joints, most commonly in the foot
(particularly the big toe), but also the knees, fingers, forearms and
elbows. The crystals form in the extremities, as the body temperature there is slightly cooler (crystals grow at lower temperatures). Uric acid also accumulates in the kidneys, forming kidney stones. Uric acid is a chemical produced when the body breaks down purines (compounds found in certain foods including red meat). It’s normally excreted by the kidneys, but some people don’t clear it as well. High
levels of purines are also linked to a rich diet, or as a side-effect
of medicines such as diuretics prescribed for high blood pressure.
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