High uric acid causes gout and, potentially, kidney stones.
Discover, here, what causes high uric acid, why your diet is very important, and, how you can treat high acid levels totally naturally, without costly drugs and their nasty side effects.
HIGH URIC ACID CAUSES Uric acid is produced quite naturally in your body as the result of the breakdown of chemical compounds called "purines" which are essential in providing you with your protein and energy.
And, one of your kidney's jobs is to process this uric acid and expel it out of your system, mainly via the urine, but also, a very small amount through your stools.
Now, if you kidneys are healthy and working to maximum efficiency, and, the process described above isn't producing too much uric acid for your kidneys to handle, then the low levels of acid in your blood generally don't cause you any problems.
But, should there be way to much acid produced, or, your kidneys aren't working at 100%, then excess uric acid is retained and circulated around your body.
Eventually this excess acid gathers in clusters around your joints and surrounding tissue in the form of uric acid crystals.
These crystals are microscopic "needles" which then cause the swelling, redness, inflammation and agonies of gout.
Gout is extremely debilitating, but even worse is that, once having had a gout attack, you're almost certain to have more.
And frequent gout attacks can lead to permanently damaged joints and damaged kidneys, including painful kidney stones.
That's why your treatment choices are very important, and, a key part of any treatment for gout has to be your diet...
DIET FOR HIGH URIC ACID As well as being in your body, purines are in your food.
Some foods are very high in purines, others are high, some are moderate and some have little purine content.
And remember above, even with your kidneys working efficiently, if there is just too much uric acid being produced such that they can't cope, then excess uric acid will be circulated causing gout attacks.
Therefore, anyone who suffers from gout needs to carefully consider their diet and adjust it accordingly.
Certain foods need to be avoided, as these are either high, or, very high in purines.
These are typically; red meat, meat extracts, gravy, broth, kidneys, liver, brains, heart, sweetbreads, roe, sardines, mackerel, herring, shellfish, partridge, turkey, goose, turkey, yeast, yeast extracts and alcohol, especially beer.
There are other foods which could be said to have moderately high levels of purines, such as; dried peas, spinach, lentils, dried legumes, soy, oatmeal, mushrooms, cauliflower and asparagus.
These need to be reduced, but some people, for some unknown reason, still find that asparagus and mushrooms, for instance, can trigger a gout attack! Relatively low purine foods which can be safely consumed are; low fat dairy products, foods high in vitamin C, complex carbs (e.
g.
rice, pasta, cereals, etc.
), and, essential fatty acids (e.
g.
tuna, salmon, nuts, etc.
).
HOME REMEDIES FOR URIC ACID Because of the nasty side effects that many of the drug-based medications for gout have, plus, their cost, more and more gout sufferers are turning to natural home remedies for their gout.
Herbs, selected vegetables, fruits, natural supplements, natural kidney cleanses, natural detoxing, and many other natural resources are used to help lower uric acid, reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
Typical are the use of cherries, apple cider vinegar (consumed and applied), garlic, hot and cold compresses, folic acid, parsley, etc.
There are lots out there, you just need to figure out what works and what doesn't work for you, as everyone reacts differently.