Avoid the Painful Consequences of High Uric Acid

What works… what doesn’t… and what makes it worse

When your uric acid levels are high, you may not realize it… but that doesn’t mean it isn’t causing problems. And when you can feel it, it will really hurt.

Your big toe might throb with unbearable pain, so bad you can barely stand. Your joints may be red, stiff, swollen, and feel like they’re on fire.

And when uric acid reaches even higher levels, it can take a toll on your kidneys, even leading to excruciating kidney stones or chronic kidney problems.

A whopping 21% of people have high uric acid without feeling any symptoms. But even if you’re feeling no pain, those high uric acid levels can still have a significant negative impact on your body.

You can see why it’s so important to keep uric acid levels under control. Luckily, there’s a simple and effective way to do that and support your kidneys at the same time.

What Is Uric Acid?

Your body naturally creates uric acid as a by-product when it breaks down “cellular debris” (a normal part of your body’s internal life cycle), and certain compounds in your food called purines. It does that with an enzyme called xanthine oxidase that converts purines into uric acid. Many common favorites – like burgers, beers, and candy – contain lots of purines. And the more your body works to digest the foods, the more uric acid it produces.

If your body makes too much of it or your kidneys can’t clear it out fast enough, uric acid can build up. When that happens, the excess uric acid can accumulate and form shockingly painful crystals that can settle in your joints – a condition called gout – or build up in your kidneys.

The Uric Acid – Kidney Connection

Your kidneys work hard to keep your blood stabilized, processing up to 150 quarts of blood daily to create about two quarts of urine. One big part of their job is preventing waste build up, and that waste includes uric acid.

Along with that, these two bean shaped organs are tasked with:

• Maintaining healthy fluid levels
• Regulating blood pressure
• Managing red blood cell production
• Balancing electrolyte levels
• Regulating pH levels

With so much to do, your kidneys can get overworked and overwhelmed when uric levels get too high. That can slow down kidney function.

That’s why it’s so important to both protectively nourish your kidneys and make sure to keep uric acid at easily manageable levels.

What Increases Uric Acid

While healthy kidneys can easily handle a normal influx of uric acid, too much of it will start to slow things down. So you’ll want to make sure that you don’t overload your body with things that cause excess uric acid creation.

That means avoiding things that can send uric acid levels soaring such as:

• High fructose corn syrup
• Red meat
• Organ meats
• Alcohol
• Beer, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic
• Seafood

Another thing to avoid as much as possible is stimulant diuretics, also called water pills. Even herbal-based stimulant diuretics, like celery seed, can be too harsh on the kidneys. Stimulant diuretics make you pee more often, which lowers the overall fluid levels in your body. That effectively super-concentrates the uric acid in circulation – exactly what you don’t want to happen.

What Doesn’t Help But Might Not Hurt

Some things seem like they would help, but they don’t. They may not make the situation worse, but they also won’t do anything to reduce uric acid or support healthy kidney function.

Most people realize they have a uric acid issue because they feel pain – usually gout. So they try to do things to relieve the symptom, which may or may not work, but don’t address the underlying issue at all.

First on this list is pain medications. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen may offer some level of pain relief but they can also cause kidney damage leading to chronic kidney disease. Some (including aspirin) may even increase uric acid levels.

Next up: Avoiding exercise and movement. Gout can be very painful, leading sufferers to avoid moving around or putting weight on their aching joints. But research shows that low or moderate-intensity physical activity can help minimize the pain and inflammation associated with gout. Plus, staying sedentary can lead to increased uric acid levels… while getting active can lower them.

Now that you know what won’t work and what will make things worse, it’s time to take a look at what you can do to minimize uric acid levels and keep your kidneys healthy and happy.

7 Ways to Keep Uric Acid Levels Low

Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to keep uric acid levels minimal and keep your kidneys at full healthy function. It starts with avoiding uric acid promoters – at least cutting back if you can’t cut them out entirely. And you can also take proactive steps to both maintain low levels and give your kidneys plenty of love and support.

1. Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated can stop uric acid from getting too concentrated. It’s especially good to drink water at night, because that’s prime time for uric acid crystal formation.
2. Avoid things – like diuretics and high fructose corn syrup – that can send uric acid levels sky high.
3. Stay as active as you can. Any movement is better than no movement, so it’s ok to start out slow. The more you move, the better you’ll feel.
4. Eat tart cherries will help limit uric acid, but you can’t possibly eat enough of them every day for this to work. After all, you'd have to eat between 60-90 cherries a day for an effective daily dose, and that will also add a lot of sugar into your system. These bright red fruits contain special compounds that limit xanthine oxidase, the enzyme that creates uric acid. Research, including clinical trials, shows that regular consumption of tart cherries reduces uric acid levels.
5. Get plenty of quercetin. This natural plant compound that can be found in most fruits and vegetables. It's a powerful antioxidant and kidney protector. Plus, it also limits xanthine oxidase, helping minimize uric acid production, working especially well in combination with tart cherries.
6. Give your kidneys plenty of care. These organs work 24/7, and excess uric acid can make their job that much harder. Gentle herbal support helps them bear that burden and function with top efficiency.
• Boerhaavia diffusa, a traditional Ayurvedic herb, acts as a tonic to restore and renew tired organs. Studies show that it delivers strong antioxidant activity and other kidney-protecting powers.
• Couch grass has been used since ancient times to deal with kidney stones. It’s known to help get rid of excess uric acid due to its nourishing diuretic properties.
7. Add ginger to your diet. Ginger root is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties. This powerful spice can help deal with the consequences of excess uric acid. It also promotes healthy circulation to help deliver healing compounds to your joints and organs – including your kidneys.

Adding all seven steps into your daily routine gives you the best chance of success when it comes to lowering uric acid levels. And you want to keep uric acid low before it starts causing problems.

Fight High Uric Acid Naturally with Gouch!™

Want to avoid high uric acid? You can take decisive action with Gouch!™, a natural supplement formulated to fight the agony of excess uric acid and prevent future build up.

Gouch!™ approaches uric acid from all sides:

• Tart cherries and quercetin to inhibit uric acid production
• Boerhaavia root and couch grass to support kidney function
• Ginger to boost circulation and deliver anti-inflammatory support

Stay comfortable and healthy every day with Gouch!™

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