[Keith Taylor]

Yes please, Brad!

I’m always interested in medical references. Especially when they help explain little known aspects of gout.

But I ask that you check first to see if I’ve already mentioned them. So please search for the study title in the gout search box near the top of every page.

Also, when you post the references, I’d love to know what you find interesting about them.

Thanks for helping fellow gout sufferers.

[Keith Taylor]

That’s really interesting Jean. The “thickening” was almost certainly uric acid crystal deposits.

In future, I guess we will have routine body scans for suspected gout sufferers. Then that will show where uric acid deposits are situated around the body. It’s exciting DECT technology. But, it’s mostly limited to research facilities or expensive clinics at the moment.

So, we’re going to have to wait for easy access to DECT technology. But when it comes, it will be easy to differentiate between tendinitis mimicking gout. Or tendinitis caused by gout.

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Toni,

I hope you can tell me more about your parathyroid tumor. Because I’m a gout sufferer with no medical training. So I want to make sure I’m researching the right disease interactions for you.

I have limited information about thyroid problems linked to gout. Now I’m guessing that I need to expand that to cover your thyroid disease. So, if you tell me about your parathyroid disease I can focus my research on the right area.

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Caterina,

I hope the reply from nobody has helped you. If not, I’m sure there’s more we can offer.

What does your mom think about Uloric as an alternative to allopurinol? Because I agree that it seems the best next option. But there are other options.

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Simon,

I’m sad your doctor hasn’t prepared you for gout flares during the first few months of uric acid control. Because it is a common occurrence that most doctors provide help for. In the form of preventative or as required pain relief.

There are no fixed rules for how long this will take. The only relevant fact is that gout recovery takes less time if you get uric acid lower. But other members have said that a cautious approach suits them better.

I know you didn’t mention diet, Simon. So I won’t respond to the comments about food in this topic. Unless you ask me to.

[Keith Taylor]

Hi Ken,

That’s not much information to go on. But I’ll have a stab at answering “could this be tendinitis or gout?”

So, I’ll guess 20% chance of tendinitis and 80% chance of gout. But, if you leave it long enough without controlling your uric acid, gout will cause tendinitis. Then, you’ll have both.

[Keith Taylor]

Personally, I remain unconvinced by that report. Because it ignores the most important aspect of buying any uric acid test kit. That is, you must establish a relationship with the supplier. Because you will need aftercare.

Also, that report doesn’t explain the specific problem with the UASure model. So I’m baffled. Because it’s easy to use, has proven accuracy, and if you can’t use it you should leave testing to the professionals. As such, I think very few gout sufferers will get much benefit from a home uric acid test.

[Keith Taylor]

Firstly, Eric, I’m sorry you are having problems posting. There is no limit on the length of posts or number of posts. So, I must assume there is a problem with the computer you are using. I’m not trying to pass the buck, and I’ll try to help if I can. Maybe you could start a new topic in General Discussion about this? Then you can describe what is happening. Also, you could send me a screenshot so I can see what is happening.

Gout & Cracking Joints

Your theory about cracking your toes is interesting. So let’s look at what really happens during joint cracking

It doesn’t support your idea about synovial fluid. Because no fluid leaves the joints when gas bubbles form and burst. But, it does show that extraordinary events happen when joints crack. So that might have an impact on the very complicated gout pain process. Unfortunately, that research also leaves questions unanswered. Specifically, we need research on gout sufferers.

I like your idea of trying it during an ultrasound scan. Because ultrasound can be a helpful gout resource. So combining those findings with any changes from cracking the joint would be very interesting.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from anyone else who gets gout pain relief by cracking the affected joint.

[Keith Taylor]

Finally, for today Eric, I’m very concerned that you are taking allopurinol without safe supervision from your doctor. Presumably, your doctor gives you a prescription for your allopurinol.

How can a doctor legally prescribe allopurinol without using blood test results to set the correct dose?

I realize we are in different countries. But if a UK doctor tried to prescribe allopurinol to me without a blood test, I would report him immediately. Then I’d be contacting my lawyer for a negligence claim. (Just saying – not advising)

[Keith Taylor]

Quick update on arranging your own lab test. I searched for blood test without doctor referral America and found:

Order blood tests online with or without insurance or doctor visit. Walk-In Lab offers direct access to cheap blood work and lab testing with secure results.

But, I notice on the Uric Acid Test Lab Locator page, that some states don’t allow this. So, are you in one of the forbidden states, Eric?

[Keith Taylor]

There’s no posting limit Eric. But I don’t have any info to help me suggest what went wrong. So, I’ll go to the uric acid test question.

I’m UK based, but I try to make my information as American-centered as I can. Because most readers and most forum contributors are in the USA. Most of the time, I focus on providing information that will help you work with your doctor to control your gout. Because I believe that is the fastest, safest way to gout recovery.

But if you don’t want to work with your doctor, I can help you work through other options that might help you. For example, there are uric acid test meters you can use at home. Also, I thought Americans could get blood tests from walk-in labs without a doctor referral. But, you’ll have to tell me if I’m wrong about that.

Anyway, the more you tell me about your situation, Eric, the easier it is for me to make sure my information is relevant to you. So maybe you could start by teaching me why you can’t get a blood test from your doctor.

[Keith Taylor]

I used my search box above to find relevant gout facts and discussions. So, I just searched your topic title: Beer or wine?

Fortunately, my first result was what I’d hoped for: What Is The Best Alcoholic Beverage To Drink With Gout? Also, there are some links to other discussions. But, the main conclusion comes from that article:

The only way to determine if one drink is better than another is to test your uric acid. Stick to one drink for at least two weeks, test your uric acid, then switch to a different drink. Retest after at least 2 weeks, then repeat as often as it takes to get reliable results. If you do this, please share your results in the gout forum, where you can also get advice on establishing test procedures that will produce the best results.

That was also reinforced by a comment in a discussion here: Did you drink wine or beer with your meal?

However, Eric, you are taking allopurinol. In which case it doesn’t matter which one you choose.

---

Is wine better than beer for gout sufferers?

[Keith Taylor]

I’m a little confused what you are asking about, urankjj. Because I assume you are agreeing with nobody’s sentence:

“The bottom line is: eating meat, fish or seafood is associated with having higher uric acid. Eating vegetables isn’t.”

Now, that is a completely true statement of fact. But, I can’t see the link to your question about mystery and conundrum. So I wonder what you mean by that question. If it references something else (i.e. ‘gout in some humans and some not’), perhaps we should start a new topic. Because I can’t see what it has to do with purines from plant sources.

[Keith Taylor]

Whenever gout is linked to food, it’s all about what you ate last year. Not last week. (For the experts I know that’s a simplification. But I’m starting with the obvious until we have more relevant information. )

So the most likely explanation is your parent’s combined genes make you susceptible to gout. Then bodybuilding amplifies the problem. Think of it like driving very fast cars when your parents gave you short sight. Because you could stop driving. But you would still risk other hazards. So the sensible option is specs. Or other eye correction.

The sensible option with gout is allopurinol. Or other uric acid control.

---

Windocin (!) for Gout?

[Keith Taylor]

Sorry, Sk Ling, I was interrupted during my post and I didn’t finish my hint.

So, my point is that any discussion of managing purine intake is rather pointless unless you also discuss what changes you are trying to make to blood uric acid levels. Because, as mentioned, our bodies metabolize different types purines in different ways. In turn, that means different rates of uric acid production.

But, we must also consider other properties of many vegetables:
1. Protein intake encourages uric acid excretion (uricosuric effect). So high-protein vegetables will tend to encourage lower uric acid levels. But, this will differ between people, due to changes in the way kidneys function.

2. A diet rich in plants tends to be alkalizing, which also has a uricosuric effect.

3. Some beans will naturally inhibit uric acid production.

[Keith Taylor]

“Keith might disagree with the following”

No, I think it’s a very well-written explanation.

However, any gout sufferer who becomes obsessed with purine intake is missing the point. Rather like a car enthusiast who is only concerned with 0-60 times. I.e. the number has some meaning. But it is far from the whole story.

Hint, Sk Ling: Gout happens because uric acid in your blood is too high.

[Keith Taylor]

Thanks, Romijn.

The results from that abstract state:

Qualitatively, EasyTouch® GU and UASure were least user-friendly, requiring repeated attempts for accurate use. HumaSens and BeneCheck provided good usability and assay precision. Cross-validation of meter precision with laboratory-based uricase assay gave good correlations between both methods (R2 = 0.8061 and 0.7605, respectively).

However, I believe the most important factor is the level of technical support available after you buy a meter. Therefore, it’s good to try and build rapport with the supplier prior to purchasing any uric acid test meter.

For those who want to read the full report, I’m adding Uric Acid Meter Comparison to the gout PDF library in a moment. Also, this is figure 1 from the report (Paraskos, Jonathan, Zsofia Berke, Jason Cook, Jeffrey N. Miner, Martin Braddock, Adam Platt, and Glen Hughes. “An analytical comparison between point-of-care uric acid testing meters.” Expert review of molecular diagnostics 16, no. 3 (2016): 373-382.):

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