Gout (foot pain) - how I managed to prevent it

This is not a miracle cure. It's just what worked for me. By carefully managing my diet and alcohol intake I have completely prevented the painful attacks that used to last up to 7 days at a time, preventing me from being able to walk. I've had painful feet for years and only recently discovered the problem was caused by gout, and the gout attacks probably brought on by excessive alcohol consumption, especially beer.

Other triggers for me are wearing tight shoes, I have very wide feet and anything that constrict them for a period of many hours seem to trigger an 'event'.



Keep a diary, you'll soon find what causes your gout
Eventually I kept a daily diary on an Excel spreadsheet noting the following:
 * Date
 * Gout problem details
 * Alcohol consumption
 * Beer intake
 * Wine intake
 * Spirit intake
 * Food consumption
 * Breakfast
 * Daytime
 * Evening meal
 * Any other possible factors

Very soon it became evident that if I exceeded 2 litres of lager for a few days running, the gout attack would start, and usually last for up to a week, often leaving me unable to walk without assistance.

Understanding this, I could easily relate historic attacks to visits to friends where excess beer had been a factor.

It was not related to alcohol intake, but to beer intake. This is probably because yeast is the real trigger, not alcohol, and beers contain plenty of yeast.

By keeping my beer intake low I have been able to prevent any further gout attacks!

Causes of Gout

 * Alcohol
 * with respect to risks related to alcohol, beer and spirits appear to have a greater risk than wine
 * Fructose-sweetened drinks
 * Meat
 * Seafood
 * Physical trauma and surgery

Factors that help to relieve my gout attacks

 * Avoid restrictive footwear
 * Limit alcohol
 * Take Ibuprofen following onset of attack
 * Keep problem foot raised above heart level
 * Use ice-packs

Summary
There are many other possible of causes of gout, but the mantra that anything in excess is probably not good for you, and I'll be willing to guess that it's more likely to be excessive beer consumption, that too many prawns or too much liver!