#LETSTALKGOUT! 12/18/14
“Toxic Chemicals and My Gout Story”
(click the image to play the audio)
I had to do this gout conference call because most people are so concerned about what to eat for gout, they don’t really take into consideration that it’s actually how well our body is working that determines why you get gout or don’t get gout. “Food” obviously has a big influence on how well your body is functioning, but there are SO many other contributing factors.
We have a countless, unrecognized number toxic substances in our modern environment that influence how well our bodies are functioning. That is why my personal story is a great example of what can add up to a life of gout.
Toxic Chemicals Come From Many Different Directions
Just to make it brief, (because I really want you to listen to the recording of the call) I worked in the construction industry in my formative years, all the way into my 30s. My very first job (at age 14) was working with a framing crew, building house after house, for years. I would use that money to buy skis and season passes, and I got addicted to skiing right off the bat. Later, I started working in restaurants at night so I could ski all day, every day. That…in and of itself, was yet another part of what lead to my glamorous life of gout!
But I was 38 when I first started getting gout. Interestingly enough, all though my middle 30s, I was building lots of decks, patios, portals, and various outdoor structures. This required setting green-treated lumber, or “wolmanized” pressure-treated wood into the ground. This process keeps the wood from decaying; i.e. being broken down by insects, fungus, bacteria, etc. The interesting thing is, among all kinds of weird toxic chemicals, part of that treating includes arsenic – which is a heavy metal and a poison. So day after day of handling that stuff bare-handed (like they said not to), sawing it up, breathing the dust and having all over my sweaty skin, it wasn’t long after that, that I got gout. What a coincidence!
The next piece of that story is that my roommate at the time, had a great big, beautiful dog named Sake’ – Sake’ was a 120lb Akita…used to hunt bears in Japan. I thought we were friends but evidently he didn’t – one day tried to bite off my left hand. The bite mangled my middle finger badly, it became infected, and I ended up in the hospital for a week on IV antibiotics.
Needless to say, antibiotics kill all the bacterial infections going on in the body (which was a good thing at that time!) but they also kill off all the good bacteria too. And, if you’ve been following along with all my stuff, you know that keeping those healthy bacterial communities going in your gut, has EVERYTHING to do with staying healthy, and keeping gout at bay. Antibiotics kill bacteria – emphasis on KILL …as in, it’s poison. So just remember that – antibiotics are toxic crap and it could very well be part of why you are getting gout if you’ve had lots of rounds of antibiotics over your lifetime.
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Darn..Wish I knew all of this info many years ago…everything makes so much sense. *Dork* I have been for sure. LOL! I cleaned homes for about 40 years using the chemicals they wanted me to use to keep their homes clean. I wore my body out and have suffered the consequences of the chosen profession. I have had buttloads of stress all my life, ate crappy foods. Never paid much attention to what organic foods offered…just thought they were over priced, so continued to eat garbage. I know now to skimp on other things and to go organic in everything. I love our little natural foods store here in Montrose, and when I lived in Colorado Springs, I shopped at Wild Oats and Whole Foods. I chuckle right along with you in the sessions and you have a way of using cuss words that tickle my funny bone. The pics are priceless and last but not least my African grey laughs when you scream because I’m laughing! Laughter is good medicine! Thank you,Thank You for all the info and I will go over and over the sessions from time to time to laugh and refresh my memory. Remember, I’m 71 next month and short term memory is not my best thing. No, I don’t do Wacky Tobacky! hehe! (Grins) Till next time Bert…Doris
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Please do listen to the audio. Rick, another fellow gout killer, got on the call and related his similar story (construction, dog bites, etc) and adds a lot to the conversation and the understanding that toxic environmental chemicals play a big role in bringing gout.
I did this call and keep talking about all this because between my life of weird toxic exposure, and having only one kidney (I was abducted by aliens – haha! – or I was just born with only one!), there is so much more to what adds up to getting gout than just the foods we eat. And just to reiterate: Foods do play a big role, BUT, there are several other different directions we need to be aware of, when it comes to successfully dealing with gout.
This is also part of the conference call topics: Surgeries. Surgeries involve all sorts of toxic chemicals to keep the process from spinning out of control in infectious ways – antibiotics are all part of that. Surgeries are well-known to be followed by bouts of gout, so make sure to prepare thoroughly if you are inline for a surgery.
Is It Gout?
Lastly, the conversation did spin around to different kinds of arthritis that either seem like gout, or they sort of start out like some sort of sore joint and then end up as gout. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced something like that, but I have, and I’ve heard countless similar stories over the years from others. There are hundreds or thousands of other forms of arthritis, it only stands to reason that those of us with gout, also have other arthritic conditions running in the background. So don’t discount that your other arthritic tendencies might evolve into a gout attack from time to time. Weakened joints are somewhat of a target for gout attacks.
In general, kidney function and how it’s been compromised over your lifetime, can play big role in gout and arthritis in general. While kidney testing is always a great idea, some of the standard kidney tests don’t really take into account how well your kidneys might be monitoring and regulating the levels of uric acid in your blood. Drinking lots of good water and eating foods known to promote good kidney function, as well as the use of medicinal herbs for kidney health, are always a good idea.
☆ Remember: Foods can be the reason for the toxicity that has compromised your inner environment and brought on your gout…but there is a lot more out there in this toxic, modern world that is also doing it.
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“I know your pain. Let me help you kill your gout for good! And teach you to advocate for yourself and take ownership of your gout recovery, by showing you how to live the gout-free lifestyle.” Two decades ago, Bert Middleton found himself diagnosed with gout. Like 8.3 million other people in the United States (approximately 4% of the population), he struggled helplessly with the physical, emotional, social, and financial impact that gout left unchecked can have on your life. Prescription drugs were of limited help… And the terrible pain of regular gout attacks left him unable to enjoy even the simplest daily pleasures. His marriage was suffering. His finances were spiraling due to the impact gout had on his ability to work. And maintaining a social life was often nearly impossible. Tophi surgeries left him in terrible pain. And he found himself depressed … and angry … that gout was stealing years of his life.
Until one day, after hundreds of hours of research and self-experimentation, Bert finally had a breakthrough and created a blueprint for a way of living that would prove to be “the answer” to living gout-free for nearly a decade now. Today, Bert and his “Gout Wife” Sharon devote their evenings and weekends to educating other gout sufferers on how to live the gout-free lifestyle. Showing others his 911 Emergency Response Gout Recovery Plan for getting PAINFUL gout attacks under control in as little as 4 hours. And then, how to make daily choices that keep gout under control for GOOD! So you can finally start LIVING again!
