Yep, I confess: I have the gout.
What is gout, you might ask? It is a creepy, very inconvenient and painful disease or condition, caused by the build-up of Purines, or Uric Acid, in the body. It is in the arthritis family, and these purines choose where they want to go, always picking on some joint. In most people, myself included, they build up in lower extremities. In my case, they gravitate usually to the left foot, often in the big toe joint; this time, however, it is in the bridge of the right foot, and so painful I cannot put weight on the foot, and have to hobble around on crutches. I cannot drive anywhere because I cannot stand the pressure of putting my foot on the gas or on the brake pedal. The foot is so swollen that I look like I have elephantiasis.
What causes gout? Usually, it is diet related. People who have a tendency toward gout must be aware of certain eating restrictions. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is the first thing that has to go. Nothing can bring it on faster than your glass of wine. Too much protein is usually my own problem. This Thanksgiving I had both ham and turkey. I could feel the gout coming on Thursday night, and by Friday I was in a world of hurt. Lentils should also be consumed very sparingly. Pea soup, which I love, must be eaten in very small doses. Peanuts and peanut butter, which I dearly love, will send me immediately into gout. Peanuts are really a lentil, not a nut, because they grow in the ground, and they are also full of protein, so they are doubly dangerous for me. I have to avoid them altogether.
My solution is to become more and more a vegetarian, eating meat only in small doses, and not every day. Some protein may be derived from tofu and tree nuts, but be careful not to overdo. If you are into body building, but also have a tendency to gout, you'd better give up those protein drinks and hopes of bulking up a big muscular body. Settle instead for that lean, mean, fighting machine. The price of pain is too great for the indulgence of too much protein that your body can't handle.
What medicines can you take to get rid of it? Your medical doctor will have to help you with that. Colchicine is something I have taken in the past, but it is getting increasingly more difficult to find and more expensive. Decadron is a steroid that is highly effective in knocking out a case of the gout, and there are many other medications. I would recommend keeping pure black cherry juice on hand, which is helpful, but you can find it only in health food stores. Regular grocery stores only carry mixtures of cherry juice with other things, and these are not very helpful. When whole black cherries are in season, buy some and eat them as a part of your regular diet, to help cleanse out the uric acids. Drink plenty of water to keep fluids coursing through your body, and avoid too many sodas, even diet sodas, which for some reason can contribute to the problem.
Now, let me turn to some theological insight. Getting the gout is from self-indulgence. If I know in advance that certain foods should be avoided, but I eat them anyway, am I not asking for trouble? Of course I am. I am telling my body that I intend to eat something that it is warning me not to eat, but my will overrides my knowledge of what is good for me. I eat it anyway, and pay the price of pain and inconvenience.
Isn't sin like that? We know in advance what we should do and what we should not do, but if we choose to ignore our conscience and do what is wrong in God's sight, and choose to be disobedient to what He has told us, then we are heading away from God and into some kind of disaster. Fortunately, we don't have to pay the price for sin; Jesus already paid the price on the cross. What we have to do is see the error of our ways, come back to God, and ask for forgiveness. Jesus readily takes us back. The great thing about sin is the more you avoid it, the easier it gets to lead a life acceptable to God, and the closer we come toward perfection. The bad thing about sin is how easily we can slip back into it.
Gout and sin are object lessons in life. Learn how to avoid them. Keep from doing wrong, learn to do right. Do not give in to self-indulgence, but instead lean upon God's grace. He will see you through, for Jesus already paid the price, for everyone, once and for all time.
Blessings, Terry
What is gout, you might ask? It is a creepy, very inconvenient and painful disease or condition, caused by the build-up of Purines, or Uric Acid, in the body. It is in the arthritis family, and these purines choose where they want to go, always picking on some joint. In most people, myself included, they build up in lower extremities. In my case, they gravitate usually to the left foot, often in the big toe joint; this time, however, it is in the bridge of the right foot, and so painful I cannot put weight on the foot, and have to hobble around on crutches. I cannot drive anywhere because I cannot stand the pressure of putting my foot on the gas or on the brake pedal. The foot is so swollen that I look like I have elephantiasis.
What causes gout? Usually, it is diet related. People who have a tendency toward gout must be aware of certain eating restrictions. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is the first thing that has to go. Nothing can bring it on faster than your glass of wine. Too much protein is usually my own problem. This Thanksgiving I had both ham and turkey. I could feel the gout coming on Thursday night, and by Friday I was in a world of hurt. Lentils should also be consumed very sparingly. Pea soup, which I love, must be eaten in very small doses. Peanuts and peanut butter, which I dearly love, will send me immediately into gout. Peanuts are really a lentil, not a nut, because they grow in the ground, and they are also full of protein, so they are doubly dangerous for me. I have to avoid them altogether.
My solution is to become more and more a vegetarian, eating meat only in small doses, and not every day. Some protein may be derived from tofu and tree nuts, but be careful not to overdo. If you are into body building, but also have a tendency to gout, you'd better give up those protein drinks and hopes of bulking up a big muscular body. Settle instead for that lean, mean, fighting machine. The price of pain is too great for the indulgence of too much protein that your body can't handle.
What medicines can you take to get rid of it? Your medical doctor will have to help you with that. Colchicine is something I have taken in the past, but it is getting increasingly more difficult to find and more expensive. Decadron is a steroid that is highly effective in knocking out a case of the gout, and there are many other medications. I would recommend keeping pure black cherry juice on hand, which is helpful, but you can find it only in health food stores. Regular grocery stores only carry mixtures of cherry juice with other things, and these are not very helpful. When whole black cherries are in season, buy some and eat them as a part of your regular diet, to help cleanse out the uric acids. Drink plenty of water to keep fluids coursing through your body, and avoid too many sodas, even diet sodas, which for some reason can contribute to the problem.
Now, let me turn to some theological insight. Getting the gout is from self-indulgence. If I know in advance that certain foods should be avoided, but I eat them anyway, am I not asking for trouble? Of course I am. I am telling my body that I intend to eat something that it is warning me not to eat, but my will overrides my knowledge of what is good for me. I eat it anyway, and pay the price of pain and inconvenience.
Isn't sin like that? We know in advance what we should do and what we should not do, but if we choose to ignore our conscience and do what is wrong in God's sight, and choose to be disobedient to what He has told us, then we are heading away from God and into some kind of disaster. Fortunately, we don't have to pay the price for sin; Jesus already paid the price on the cross. What we have to do is see the error of our ways, come back to God, and ask for forgiveness. Jesus readily takes us back. The great thing about sin is the more you avoid it, the easier it gets to lead a life acceptable to God, and the closer we come toward perfection. The bad thing about sin is how easily we can slip back into it.
Gout and sin are object lessons in life. Learn how to avoid them. Keep from doing wrong, learn to do right. Do not give in to self-indulgence, but instead lean upon God's grace. He will see you through, for Jesus already paid the price, for everyone, once and for all time.
Blessings, Terry
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