Tag: inflammation

A Bit about Gout

Todays post is about Gout.

Scott and I were recently discussing this condition that affects many people. There are many theories around what it is and how it is contracted.

So, here are some facts.

Gout was historically known as “the disease of kings” or “rich man’s disease”. It has been recognised at least since the time of the ancient Egyptians.

Gout affects about 1 to 2% of the Western population at some point in their lives. It has become more common in recent decades. This is believed to be due to increasing risk factors in the population, such as metabolic syndrome, longer life expectancy, and changes in diet

What is Gout?

Gout is actually a form of inflammatory arthritis caused by crystals that form in and around the joints. The crystals result from high levels of urate in the body. It is a condition caused by a build-up of uric acid and the body does not flush out the crystals fast enough. This build-up usually affects your feet. If you have gout, you’ll probably feel swelling and pain in the joints of your foot, particularly your big toe. Sudden and intense pain, or gout attacks, can make it feel like your foot is on fire.

What is Urate?

Urate is found in all people, in small amounts in our blood. Our bodies make it every day by breaking down natural substances called purines. Purines are found in our bodies’ cells, as well as some of the foods we eat. Our kidneys usually remove any excess urate from our blood into our urine. However, people with gout have higher-than-normal amounts of urate in their bodies. This can be a result of:

  • our bodies producing too much urate and/or
  • the kidneys being unable to get rid of it quickly enough (this is the main reason for high urate levels in more than nine out of ten people with gout).

If urate levels remain high, it starts to form small crystals in and around the joints. These crystals form slowly, over months or even years, usually without any symptoms. A gout flare up occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the crystals. The crystals still remain in the joint(s) even after the pain settles.

You’re more likely to get gout if you:

*are a middle-aged man or postmenopausal woman

*have parents, siblings, or other family members with gout

*drink alcohol

*take medications such as diuretics and cyclosporine

*if you have a kidney or thyroid problem, or an inherited disorder, can make it harder for your body to remove excess uric acid.

In some people with gout, diet is the cause.

How can diet contribute?

Certain foods are naturally high in purines, which your body breaks down into uric acid. Most people don’t have a problem with high-purine foods. But if your body has trouble releasing excess uric acid, you may want to avoid certain foods and drinks, such as some red and organ meats, certain seafood and alcohol.

Some sugar-sweetened beverages and foods containing fructose can also be problematic, even though they don’t contain purines.

There is however, evidence from studies suggesting that certain foods help can reduce uric acid levels in the body. They are – tart cherries, magnesium, ginger, apple cider vinegar, celery, nettle tea, dandelion and milk thistle seeds.

But simply eating these foods may not be enough to control gout

If left untreated, gout can eventually lead to arthritis. Hard lumps called tophi can eventually develop in your joints and the skin and soft tissue surrounding them. These deposits can permanently damage your joints.

If you think your may be suffering with gout, it is important to seek advise from your chosen health professional.

Moving forward

The only way to diagnose gout with certainty is by your doctor finding urate crystals in fluid taken from your joint. Uric acid levels can also be measured by blood tests, however these are not always accurate. However, blood tests are useful in ruling out other causes for your symptoms, such as joint infections or other forms of arthritis.

The treatment plan recommended will depend on the stage and severity of your gout.

I hope you found this information helpful.

Till the next post,

 

Live clean n Prosper

Sources – Healthline, Arthritis Australia, Wikipedia

A bit about Histamines

Todays post is about histamine or histamines.

You’ve most likely heard of antihistamines. They’re medicines that tame the symptoms of an allergic reaction. But what are histamines?

Histamine is a biologically active substance found in a variety of living organisms. It is found throughout the animal kingdom and is present in many plants, bacteria and in insect venom.

Histamines are actually chemicals made by the body’s immune system. They serve as neurotransmitters, carrying chemical messages between nerve cells. Therefore they are also part of the body’s defence system. They assist the body to eliminate something that’s irritating it, such as an allergy trigger, or “allergen.”

Histamines start the process that hustles those allergens out of your body or off your skin. Once your immune system identifies the allergens as a threat, it responds. Such as sending histamines which cause you to sneeze, tear up, or itch.

How does this happen?

First, it sends a chemical signal to “mast cells” located in the skin, lungs, nose, mouth, gut, and blood. The message is, “Release histamines,” which are stored in the mast cells.

Once they leave the mast cells, histamines boost blood flow in the area of the body affected by the allergen. This causes inflammation, which allows white blood cells and blood plasma proteins, to leak from the bloodstream to the site of injury or infection. Once there they begin to fight the infection.

In an allergic reaction, the immune system gets caught in a viscous cycle. Immune system proteins called antibodies, which are bound to mast cells, bind to the antigens to remove them. In the process, the mast cells are stimulated to release more histamine. The result is histamine in excessive amounts creating the visible symptoms of a localised allergic reaction. These include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, watery or itchy eyes and hives.

Contact reactions

Allergic contact dermatitis, or hives, is a common skin condition that causes an itchy and weeping rash. The rash is usually localised to the area in contact with the allergen. It lasts as long as contact continues and typically one to two weeks afterwards. Even if the contact was very short, a rash can actually develop two or more days after contact.

Nickel metal is the most common cause of allergic contact dermatitis. Other causes include plants, chemicals, creams and ointments.

Foods and Histamines

If you have a food allergy, histamines are in on that response process, too. When you accidentally eat or drink something you shouldn’t, they’ll work in your gut to trigger your allergic reaction.

The most common foods known to cause a reaction are – nuts, shellfish, food additives, eggs, strawberries, and wheat products

Some foods are also naturally high in histamines. These include aged and fermented foods and alcohol (especially red wine). 

(Sources –https://www.webmd.com,https://www.allergy.org.au,  https://www.britannica.com)

On a personal note

I recently suffered from a contact allergic reaction on my arm. I am still not exactly sure of the cause, though possibly plant or insect. The result was an incredibly itchy patch of hives, which persisted for 10 days. Alternating between liberal applications of Rosemary oil and Calamine lotion helped immensely.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosperAs a 

All about Boswellia

Today’s post is about a herbal supplement called Boswellia.

Scott and I have been talking to several people recently about this product. So I thought it would be a good idea to share what we know about it.

So what is Boswellia?

The Boswellia are a species of trees located in India, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Arabian Peninsula. They produce a gum resin called Olibanum, also known as Frankincense.

Historically, Boswellia use was divided into three categories: religious, cosmetic and medicinal. The Egyptians used the gum, or frankincense, to embalm their dearly departed. The Egyptian women also made heavy kohl eyeliner by grinding it into a fine powder.

Roman and Greek Catholics also used frankincense as incense in rituals.

However, boswellia was most prominently utilised for its medicinal properties. The Chinese used boswellia as a stimulant, a topical ointment for injuries, mouthwash for mouth and throat problems, and pain reliever for menstrual discomfort.

In India, the Ayurvedic practice relied on boswellia to help treat: arthritis, bursitis, diarrhoea, urinary disorders, asthma, coughs and many other ailments.

 In todays medicine?

Over 200 different compounds have been identified in the resin of different Boswellia species that have been studied. The most active component of the resin was identified to be Boswellic acids. These acids have shown to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, and analgesic properties.

The boswellic acid in the herb assists with preventing leukotriene formation in the body. Leukotrienes have been identified as a cause of inflammation and possibly a trigger for asthma symptoms.

Common side affects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin and ibuprofen) is damage to joint cartilage in arthritic conditions. Studies have found that the boswellic acids significantly reduce damage to the cartilage caused by inflammation.

A clinical trial conducted in India has shown that the extract can reduce pain and considerably improve knee-joint functions. in some cases providing relief even within seven days. Clinical trials of the gum resin alone have shown to improve symptoms in patients with osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

(Sources –www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, www.mercola.com, ww.sciencedirect.com)

What conditions can it assist with?

Boswellia serrata can assist in reducing body inflammation.It can be used to treat conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. It’s also a painkiller, and can help inhibit cartilage loss.

It can be used to alleviate asthma and may have protective effects against diseases like leukaemia and breast cancer.

Boswellia is typically given as an extract standardised to contain 37-65% BAs (yielding 150–200 mg per capsule). It has been well tolerated in most studies with few side effects. Although a few rare symptoms have been reported including, stomach discomfort, nausea, acid reflux, or diarrhoea.

Today, you can purchase boswellia either as a resin, pill, liquid, cream or powder.

Our personal experience with boswellia has been very positive. Scott’s mother suffers from osteoarthritis and has found a significant reduction in pain and inflammation since taking it.

I hope this information helps you or a family member who may have joint pain or inflammation.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper