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

Morning vrs Evening?

Hi Li Ly youre also a runner arent you? You seem to know more about running than I do. Please help me out, Ive only been running for about 4 or 5 months but one thing I havent figured out yet is: is it better to run in the morning or in the evening? Obviously in the evening it is warmer which means you lose alot more bodily fluids and burn alot more calories. But in the morning I feel like its not making any impact. What should I do?
Thanks from Steve

Hi Steve,
oh I'm glad I can help, thanks for reaching out to me :) I love talking about running.
There are both pros and cons for running in the morning vrs evening. For me its whenever I can squeeze in a workout, but i really need to be more consistent.

Morning Runs
Pros: gets you and your body more prepped for races, which usually tend to be in the mornings. Its definitely a benefit to have that under your belt when racing. Because its colder and people are usually more stiff in the morning, when they wake up to race at 7am for the first time, they're more easily prone to injury and cramps and they most likely don't have their morning routine and breakfast all worked out = upset tummy's at mile 10, or searching for port-a-pottys at mile 2 (it will be trial and error to see what foods and liquids and at what time intervals you should eat/ drink to give you the best workout)

Since its colder in the morning your body temp stays lower for a longer period of time which is a good thing = you can run longer & harder. If you feel that its not making an impact try to increase the mileages or intensity of the run (throw in some hills or sprint intervals). Also see if you can complete the same amount of distance you would in the evening by cutting your time down.

Some of the top runners actually wear a chilled vest before they run so it'll keep their body temp lower for the first few miles.

Cons:
Waking up early sucks.. Jk. Some people argue that because its so early and your body/immune system is a bit weaker in the morning, you might be more prone to catching a cold. But with the right clothes and after getting used to the mornings, that's easy to overcome. Just remember to stretch and get a really good warm up. you might need to warm up a bit more, like 10 mins more than what you usually would do in the evenings.

Evening Runs:
Pros & Cons: For me it fits into my schedule better. Usually after a full day of eating breakfast and lunch, you have more food energy to do an intensive workout, but after a long day of work or school your body & mind are more easily exhaustible. Also if you eat that slice of pizza for lunch, you'll really feel it during the workout, so it kinda sucks having to always remember what foods will affect your run later. Most of the top runners usually train in the morning and evening to get the benefits of both.

You can try to mix it up where you do longer distances in the morning some days, and shorter high intensity workouts in the evenings on other days or vice versa. :)

Hope this helps.
feel free to ask me any other questions you may have with running, I'm glad to help.
Lily

Dead Legs?

Hi everybody. I just started a beginner running schedule that should make me able to run 5k in about nine weeks. It very good for me, I guess, because I always had litle endurance.


I just noticed that while running, I feel like my whole weight is in my legs, which is very uncomfortable, and my legs are stirring on the sides. Is that normal? Does it just mean that I am supposed to lose weight (1m70/ 65kg) or is there another reason?

-Carmen

I think heavy legs are largely a factor of not enough circulation to you legs, making them weak & thus feeling heavy.

Try longer warm ups and stretches, (give it about 15 mins) before and after each run to help strengthen your legs (especially since you're just starting out), drink lots of water (during the day, 30-40 mins before you run and after) & potassium helps circulation as well.

Let me know if you want any suggestions on some good stretches. When you warm up, stretch and hold the position for say 10 counts & don't bounce. When you hold the stretch, it allows the body to have time to release lactic acid and etc.

I think I've been through ever leg pain possible, knees, shins, quads, & feet. lol

Also how are your shoes? Improper & heavy shoes will definitely feel like weights on your legs.

Try a cool down after your runs, and a really good 10-15 min session of stretching/yoga or even a steam room+stretching and see if that helps your legs from feeling like lead the next day.

Its just feeling like that due to the lactic build-up which is why your legs feel better after you start running again, because it gets the blood circulating and moving the lactic acid out, which is what a warm up and stretching will help do as well

Hope this helps :)

Happy running.

Li

Falling Down While Running

Just wondering if other runners experience this alot...i run outdoors 5 1/2 miles a day and i run on the sidewalk usually...every couple years i fall.....i dont even know how...i have good shoes i dont slip or trip..but just fall like my whole body slides..but i get back up and finish running all bloody and banged up...so today i had another fall but thank god i had a jacket and capri workout pants on so the damage wasnt as bad as in the summer when i wear tank tops and shorts..anyhow after i got home i didnt even remember how it happened...but i had the injuries..i just thank god that everytime i fall i dont break anything..just bruises and scrapes...does anyone else experience this alot

Irene


When does it happen in the middle, beginning or near the end or your run?

Do you only run 5 miles or do you vary with more and less mileage?

If its during the beginning, it might be due to your legs needing a warmup and a good stretch to get the muscles relaxed and flexed.

If its in the middle or near the end of your run, it may be due to your legs are tired and not strong enough, which could be due to nutrition, not enough protein, or hydration so your muscles aren't flexing and contracting at their optimal level. One little twitch and you're on the ground.

Strengthen your legs with exercies, like lunges and vary the mileage so you go like 6-8 miles so your legs get stronger and used to running longer distances, so when you hit 5 miles you legs will think it'll only be the "middle" of the run.

When our legs get tired near the end of our run, you dont realized but you dont lift your leg up as high off the ground as when you start, so your foot is more prone to tripping over objects, or just buckling over.

Hope this helps :)

Li