A Follow up to 'The Gout Attack'

I received a good question from a reader and when I began writing a lengthy reply, I realized this would be  good for others well. Thanks Elizabeth! ( The Gout Attack )

Hey Lily! Love your site. I just found this morning looking for a remedy to clean my husband's swimming goggles. I'm wondering what you found out and ultimately did about the gout and restrictive diet? I'm a registered dietitian and HATE having to put people on the diet. I am a runner too and seem to have gout in my big toe (other family members have gout, too).

Thanks!

Elizabeth, RD, LDN Jax Beach, FL

Hi Elizabeth!

Thanks for reading my little blog. I'm really glad it helped.

I actually haven't had a 'gout' attack since writing this post and forgot I even had a 'gout' issue.

I did a restrictive diet for the duration of about 2-3 months, I took cherry supplements, drank 3-4 Liters of water and everything the books told me to do. However, I really didn't find relief or a difference in pain on my wrist or toe.

I had a blood test analysis done at my yearly physical by my physician and what I found out was I actually didn't have gout, even though I experienced ‘gout-like’ symptoms. So all this time I thought I had gout, but it wasn't. It was actually a funny conversation.

me: "Dr. Lee, I wanted to ask you what I can do about my gout"
Dr. Lee: "Gout??!? what are you talking about!! you don't have gout! I would've told you if you had gout"
I naturally have a slightly higher uric acid level, but for my body it operates at that level, which the orthopedic surgeon misread and automatically assumed it was gout (if the uric acid range was 4-8, I'm at 8.5), but gout itself wasn't my culprit which is why I didn't find any relief from the restrictive diet.

With that, I began to use other remedies to treat inflammation and not gout

My 'go-to' remedy to relieve inflammation is Ginger! I used to hate ginger, but now I LOVE it. I take ginger capsules and drink ginger tea  (julienne ginger root and add hot water) after any 'questionable' meal (a 48oz Rib eye steak, or an all you can eat seafood buffet - yes I consume those things haha) and I haven't had any pain or flare ups since. 

As for running and having big toe pain, the anatomy of the foot or the shape of shoe may be the cause of the inflammation. I started using custom orthotics made from the podiatrist and along with the ginger I haven’t had any issues with the toe. (FYI- check your insurance carrier it might cover orthotics, which my insurance thankfully covered my $250 custom orthotics)

I hope this helps and that maybe you’re like me, we have gout-like symptoms but not gout itself, and managing inflammation may by the remedy for you and for some of your patients as well.

Happy eating! J

Lily

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Shin Splints

You finally get the motivation to start running. 3 runs in, you get the dreaded "SHIN SPLINTS" and then you're out and pretty much never look back.

As with most injuries Shin Splints are easily preventable, and treatable!!

Why do we get Shin Splints? 

There is a combination of factors that lead to Shin Splints but the main reason are weak muscles in the front of your leg which function to bend the foot upwards at the ankle.

Most Common Culprits- 

1: Weak Leg Muscles

2: Shoes

3: Form

Lets start from the feet up- 

Shoes - improper, ill-fitting, unbroken in shoes means your feet are not properly supported. Your feet have to work harder at an bad angle, causing your leg to compensate = inflammation = Shin Splints. 

Go to RoadRunner sports, or a local running store and ask them to fit you. I like Road Runner because you can run in the shoes and return them within 60 days if you don't like them. It takes a few runs to see if a shoe is right for you. Not all shoes or brands are created equal. 

Once a person becomes a stronger runner, their legs are naturally stronger and shin splints rarely ever happen at that point. 

But before you can get there, here is a GREAT exercise to prevent shin splints. Essentially Stronger legs = No Shin Splints. 

Shin Splint Prevention! 

Do this Before and After each workout. 

Step 1: Standing tall walk on your heels (without bending your knees). Aim to reach 100 steps. If you're first starting out the front part of your leg (shin) should burn after about 20 steps. 

Try to force another 10 steps after the initial burning sensation. Slowly increase your steps each time.You will see it doesn't take long to increase your steps = stronger legs

Step 2: Run backwards on your Toes, (the same length you just walked). Try to bounce as high as you can on your toes while you run backwards. This helps release and relax the muscle you just worked out. 

After doing this consistently for a few weeks, feel it out and see if your shins still hurt. You can slowly ween off doing this exercise as you body gets stronger. You can still do this exercise from time to time. It is really great. 

If shin splints still prevail after all this the problem lies in your Shoes or your Form. 

Form is a whole other monster that I will need to go in depth in with another post.

Here is a great video that shows the Heel-Toe walk. This video only walks backwards, but I prefer the run/bounce - but the visual is the same.