Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Dear Terry, ”Thank you for the opportunity to ask you questions. There are not many people who would make themselves available to answer questions regarding vitamins and nutrition. Personally, I think this is great and I also appreciate your Friday email newsletter. I do have a question, not for myself, but for my father, who is constantly plagued with gout. Can you offer any suggestions as to how we can eliminate the drugs he has to use and how he can keep his gout under control?” Eunice S., Owensboro, KY

A. Dear Eunice, Thank you for the kind words. I enjoy helping people improve their health through natural diet and supplement use. While drugs are always important in certain cases, in my opinion, we are overly medicated in this country. Selecting a natural supplement, in many cases, can be more effective than drugs and medication—and safer, too. Now, about your father’s gout. Gout was always considered to be the “rich man’s disease” – too many good foods and too much alcohol. So, reduce red meats, dairy products and any organ meats (such as liver), and reduce any form of alcohol at least until the gout is alleviated. There are a number of natural solutions that may be very useful for your father, including celery seed extract. It has been clinically studied and is highly recommended by James Duke, one of the premier plant experts in the world. Another very useful natural medicine is freeze dried cherry extract, which is effective for reducing uric acid levels, which in turn reduces gout symptoms and flare-ups. I recommend 750 mg capsules, 3-6 capsules daily. I would always consider a high potency curcumin and boswellia combination to reduce the inflammation surrounding the painful area. Recently, a study showed that drinking 8 eight ounce glasses of water a day can cut down gout attacks by almost half. The authors speculate that staying well-hydrated dilutes the circulating uric acid in the blood stream which is what triggers gout in the first place. [Neogi T, et al "Drinking water can reduce the risk of recurrent gout attacks: Abstract 2038" Arthritis Rheum. 2009; 60: S762-63.] So making some changes to daily food choices, adding clinically-studied dietary supplements, and drinking 8 glasses of water a day can dramatically reduce gout symptoms. However, please encourage your father to talk with his doctor about using this protocol for his condition.