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Gout cure - alternative medication?

ottle

Muse
ottle
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
517
Hi

A good friend of mine suffers from terrible bouts of gout. He's considering getting on this herbal remedy - http://www.goutcure.com/. All the reviews I have found on Google etc seem fairly positive. Any doctors or medical folks on the board have any thoughts on this one? Mostly, I want to make sure there's no harm in taking this stuff.

Thanks
Ottle

P.S. he is doing this in conjunction with general life changes, better diet, less alcohol etc - this isn't the only thing he's doing.
 
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I recommend he do it without giving any money to the hucksters. Maybe no harm, except to the wallet.

Have him stick with the life changes - they work.
 
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In a brief search I can't find any research corroborating a single one of the ingredients in Gout Cure which are listed as:
yucca stalk
aged garlic
artichoke powder
milk thistle
turmeric powder

It's likely no research on a single one of the ingredients has been done on gout cases. But you can try Pub Med or Google Scholar (not too familiar with that one but I've seen other people here use it) and see if there is any research that has actually been done. Like I said, I doubt you will find any. People just make these claims up and pass them from person to person as if that were a legit endorsement.

Your friend should stick with what has actually been researched and if it isn't working, go back to an evidence based medical practitioner for additional help.

About.com and Medline have decent summaries of what is typically used. But gout treatment also depends on kidney function so all patients are not treated equally.

Meds for gout are pretty cheap. They have been used forever and are all off patent protections. Why does he not use those?
 
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I realize these things seem sorta benign - at worst you're out a bit of money. Aside from the possibility of adulterated/contaminated products, it looks like the most harm would come from substituting ineffective substances when effective drugs are available (and cheap, by the way).

Linda
 
If indomethecin doesn't work, try higher than standard doses of ibuprofen, but check with the doctor first! The best thing is to avoid the triggering foods/drinks.
 
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ottle said:
His standard meds are not working well. He's looking for alternatives.
Click to expand...

Ah, then he's at the point of maximal harm - abandoning an effective approach for one that is ineffective. Gout tends to wax and wane. If he tries alternatives when his symptoms have waxed (as so many do), then it is more likely that his trial will be followed by a period of waning of his symptoms. In all likelihood, he will attribute his improvement to the taking of the alternative (who doesn't?). This reinforces the idea that there is benefit to trying an approach that more objective evaluations show to be ineffective/unreliable (http://www.amazon.com/Snake-Oil-Science-Complementary-Alternative/dp/0195313682). As time goes on, he will discover that this alternative treatment loses 'effectiveness', only providing relief some of the time (as he uses it more frequently, the association with periods of improvement starts to weaken). But by then his behaviour will have been established through the use of intermittent reinforcement - the most difficult behaviour to extinguish - and he will move on the next alternative treatment that catches his eye where the cycle continues (highly 'effective' followed by gradual loss of 'effectiveness').

Linda
 
ottle said:
His standard meds are not working well. He's looking for alternatives.
Click to expand...
He needs to go back to the prescriber. Has he done that? We do work on the principle of unless there is a reason to do otherwise, least expensive least invasive first.
 
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Thanks a lot, all.

It's an interesting situation. My friend just had a fairly serious attack. He's better now but realized that he was having to take really high dosages of Naproxen to help the pain. I think this latest bout (har har bout of gout... sorry) gave him enough of a scare that he wants to try modifying his diet and he wants to see what options he has for preventative medication, which is where this stuff comes in.

I definitely dont think he is turning away or stopping his regular medication - I think he's just trying to prevent, rather than cure an attack as it's happening. I'm not sure what, if any, traditional meds he is on for prevention.

M
 
Is he taking nothing to lower his uric acid levels? One starts by


The answer is to search through the research rather than the supplement ads.

[url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8552148?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA]The management of gout.
Emmerson BT., 1996
University of Queensland, Department of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Australia.

We now have sufficient knowledge to be able to identify the factors contributing to hyperuricemia in most patients with gout. Some of these factors, such as obesity, a high-purine diet, regular alcohol consumption, and diuretic therapy, may be correctable. In patients with persistent hyperuricemia, regular medication should lower the serum urate concentration to an optimal level. The continuing challenge is to educate patients about correctable factors and the importance of regular medication and ensure their compliance so that attacks of gout do not recur.
Click to expand...

Gout: can management be improved?

Here's a new study that might be of interest, Sugary Soft Drinks Boost Gout Risk in Men - Just 2 or more beverages a day increased chances by 85%, study finds

There are some clinical trials treating gout here. What I find is this is a good place to pick potential new treatments. Do further search of the research for related completed studies.
 
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Thanks a lot for all the resources -I've passed them on to my friend. Hopefully he'll use something 'real' vs. GOUT ON - APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE TOE :)
 
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Hi all, try getting rid of the acid by taking bi carb soda. mix with honey and water. Next step on with gout is kidney stones. Drop the acid food and sadly booze has to go.
 
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