Got Gout...

...drink cherry juice. While that suggestion is merely my opinion based on my own personal experience, I think it has done wonders for me. A few months ago, despite having taken Allopurinol for years now, I started to have recurrences of gout attacks. They were some of the most painful I have ever had but not quite the worst. and they were hitting more joints than ever before. They were coming on every week or two, whereas before the attacks were usually several weeks to months apart. I literally could not go two weeks without having a least one attack and as I said sometimes they came on weekly. Nothing had changed in my diet or my alcohol consumption except that I had imbibed a few beers during hunting season, I had been avoiding beers for quite awhile before that.

So, I cut back on alcohol, cut back on red meats, cut back on certain seafood and hoped that would help. It did not. I saw my doctor who prescribed a larger than usual dose of Prednisone for me and that helped but also probably caused a thrush attack in my throat. I also had to resort to the use of opioids for the pain and got a few days prescription (only 3 or 4 days) of which I still have two pills left - and that was months ago - I took it very sparingly. While the pain from the continuing attacks wound up becoming less severe, I was worried the next one, at any given time, would be worse than the others. My doctor told me that if my situation did not improve  or if it worsened, she would switch my gout medication to Uloric. That did not happen!

I have not switched medications. I am back to eating pretty much what I ate before this most recent spate of attacks. I am drinking (even had a few beers while visiting my son in AR - and beer is the worst type of alcoholic drink for the gout sufferers as I understand it); yet, the gout has not returned in over a month now. Maybe this is temporary and maybe not. I think that it is due to one thing I have added to my diet - cherry juice (that is my opinion and not medical advice nor medical information).

I had read on several websites, including respected medical sites, that cherry juice may have (not definitely has but may have) anti-uric acid qualities. The buildup of uric acid crystals in your joints is what causes gout attacks. I had also heard from several folks that cherry juice seemed to perform miracles in helping rid them, or people they know, of the gout or at least of its painful symptoms. So I tried it. I have been drinking it now since at least early March if not late February. Chuck (I hope I have the name right, I am terrible with names) the owner (or son of the owner) of the Hotel Exchange bar (excellent bar) in Geneva, NY told me about the effects of Cheribundi on one of his relatives. He said it worked like a miracle to stave off the gout. He also said it was made right there in Geneva. I checked around some when I got home and found it was available at my local Costco - how could I not try it.

Thus, I started off with Cheribundi which is a mix of tart cherry juice (not from concentrate) and apple juice. When down in AR, visiting Brendan and doing some grocery shopping, I came across Old Orchard 100% Tart Cherry Juice (from concentrate, no other fruit juices are mixed in). I like them both but I like the Old Orchard better due to personal preference of the taste of it compared to the other - and mind you they both taste very good. While I give the edge to Old Orchard because of taste - it also get sthe edge because they make it from 100% cherry juice (even if from concentrate).

Right now, I have a few bottles of Cheribundi on hand because they sell it at Costco and because I have not been able to find the Old Orchard locally. I did find it available, by the case, on the Old Orchard website. So, I just ordered a case. and will be switching back o that soon. With my kind of luck though, I will get the case and almost immediately start having gout attacks again. Of course, sometimes I do have good luck and maybe it really is what has prevented further attacks so far and will keep doing so; I am hopeful.

At the very least, I am drinking something that tastes great even if tart and that goes well with Kirchwasser, vodka and I am guessing will go well with gin and possibly Tequila as well. If I am going to drink while having the gout, I figure that I may as well drink several ounces of the hoped for cure along with my booze. Besides that, I am getting a decent dose of antioxidants and I suppose a few servings of fruit at the same time.

All the best,Glenn B

Scientist Thinks Brits Overreact To Poisoning Case - I Think Not

Reading the title above, you may think I am asking about the recent case of the Russian spy and his daughter who were poisoned with a potentially deadly nerve agent but that is not it at all. It was reported, yesterday by Fox News here, that a Brit named Chris Matthews (no alleged relationship to the jerkoff at MSNBC) called police about a possible poisoning case involving himself and his family and Brit authorities responded in force. He and his family's reported symptoms were difficulty maintaining body temperatures, eye problems, nausea, difficulty breathing, grogginess. He thought they all had come down with the flu. Then his dogs also came down with symptoms and that is when he realized something was wrong. He called the police to report that he and his family possibly had been poisoned. The authorities responded in force:

"Dozens of emergency officers, a hazardous area response team and ambulances surrounded the home, the BBC reports."

A scientist visiting his mother, who lived in the same neighborhood, was caught up in the police cordon and had this to say (same source as linked to above):

"Went for a cuppa with Mum. When I left confronted by this. Trapped within police cordon," he tweeted, along with a photo of police cruisers. "Palytoxin incident due to a neighbor cleaning his coral tank. Second deadliest naturally occurring toxin in the world (allegedly) but rarely kills, & only if eaten! Over-reaction?"

Get that, the guy and his family were stricken because of him doing something as seemingly innocuous as cleaning his fish tank. That released a natural toxin, produced by coral, into the air or onto his skin and he and his family were affected by the toxin - PALYTOXIN - A TOXIN THAT IS ALLEGEDLY THE SECOND DEADLIEST NATURALLY OCCURING TOXIN IN THE WORLD!

Now the scientist may think the Brits overreacted but I think not, at least as much in that I think maybe they put precaution first. Sometimes you really have to look at the big picture in LE responses to such situations and understand that they are being precautious for what probably is a fair to good reason. As much as I do not like overreaction by the government to anything, I think that the so called scientist may have forgotten the recent poisoning of the Russian spy and his daughter but the police had not. I think he may also have not thought that the police are concerned with terrorism as well and that England is a known spot of terrorist activity in the world. I also think that the police must have found it odd that someone called them saying he and his family possibly had been poisoned by a toxin due to him cleaning his fish tank. In light of recent events, my guess is that they - believing there was a possibility of a nexus to terrorism, or with spy killers, or maybe just that some whacko had been diddling with nerve agents or other toxins in his home - responded appropriately just in case. Of course, maybe it was just a boring day for the authorities involved and they all wanted to enjoy some excitement.

Anyway, you can bet I am not about to ever touch a live coral, maybe not even a recently dead coral since I do not know if the toxin can last on it. I do have one piece of coral in my home that I clean off now and again but have no worries with it as I found it on a mountainside in CA many years ago. It is fossilized. The moral of this story is, when your son or daughter say: "Daddy, that is so beautiful, can I touch it" just say no and move along, at least if it's coral. Then again, if you keep coral in your home (that is not fossilized), take appropriate precautions to avoid something like that from happening to you and your family.

All the best,
Glenn B