High Uric Acid in Blood Test - Testing For Gout
A test for high uric acid in blood may be called for when your doctor suspects that you may be suffering from gout.
Recurring gout attacks can lead to permanently damaged joints and damaged kidneys, so it's important always to get diagnosed by your doctor.
Here, you'll discover what causes high uric acid, what blood and urine tests can reveal, and, a summary of both drug-based and natural treatments for gout.
A blood test on its own will indicate measured levels of uric acid in your blood.
This will tell the doctor whether you have higher-than-normal uric acid levels, and thus gout.
But a combined test which measures the levels of uric acid in both your blood and your urine can give an indication whether it's your kidneys that aren't working efficiently enough, or, that there is too much "purines" being produced in your body in the first place.
So what are these purines? They are chemical compounds that we find in our bodies and foods.
They are used by our bodies in the processes that provide our bodies with protein and energy.
But during those processes, the purines breakdown and uric acid is produced.
Your kidneys first process, then expel, excess uric acid from your body, leaving enough to act as beneficial antioxidants.
But, in conditions where either, your kidneys aren't able to process the acid efficiently enough, or, there is too much being produced by the breakdown of purines, then the excess acid is retained.
In other words there is too much uric acid being circulated in your blood.
This then causes your gout, with all its symptoms like redness, inflammation, swelling and agonizing pain.
The combined test will thus establish, first, if you have higher than normal acid levels in your system, and secondly, whether this is caused by too much acid being produced, or, because you kidneys aren't working efficiently.
If the levels in both your blood and your urine are the same, it indicates that your kidneys are o.
k.
and that too much is being produced.
On the other hand, if the levels in your urine are less than in your blood, this indicates that it is your kidneys that aren't processing the acid efficiently enough.
Either way there is too much in your body and, all too often, the result is painful gout.
Most gout sufferers are prescribed drugs to deal with the symptoms of a gout attack which can last for a week, even longer.
These are typically colchicines, corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs).
You may also be described things like allopurinol to help reduce the high uric acid levels in your blood.
These drugs have proven to be very effective.
But, they can only address the symptoms and not the underlying causes of high uric acid levels.
Even the drugs to reduce the acid levels don't do this.
They can reduce the levels but not do anything about these underlying issues.
So that, if you were to come off them, your levels are likely to rise again.
This is why gout sufferers more or less take these everyday for the rest of their lives.
And let's not forget their nasty side effects like headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, bleeding and stomach ulcers.
You can see then why so many people nowadays are turning to safer, more longer lasting natural remedies to treat their condition.
There is just too much to go into detail here, but typical remedies are:- (1) Drinking 2 to 3 liters of water every day to help flush uric acid out of your system.
(2) Eating cherries each day for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
(3) Using alternating hot and cold compresses to help circulation and reduce inflammation.
(4) Drinking raw apple cider on a daily basis to help alter blood pH and neutralize uric acid.
(5) Changing to a low-purine diet to reduce the amount of uric acid being produced in your system.
Totally natural remedies can both eliminate the symptoms of gout in the same way as drugs (but without their side effects), plus, help you manage your condition in a way that prevents further gout attacks.
And preventing frequent attacks is very important because they can lead to painful kidney stones, other kidney problems, and, permanent joint damage.
In addition, once having suffered a gout attack you are extremely likely to suffer even more.
Recurring gout attacks can lead to permanently damaged joints and damaged kidneys, so it's important always to get diagnosed by your doctor.
Here, you'll discover what causes high uric acid, what blood and urine tests can reveal, and, a summary of both drug-based and natural treatments for gout.
A blood test on its own will indicate measured levels of uric acid in your blood.
This will tell the doctor whether you have higher-than-normal uric acid levels, and thus gout.
But a combined test which measures the levels of uric acid in both your blood and your urine can give an indication whether it's your kidneys that aren't working efficiently enough, or, that there is too much "purines" being produced in your body in the first place.
So what are these purines? They are chemical compounds that we find in our bodies and foods.
They are used by our bodies in the processes that provide our bodies with protein and energy.
But during those processes, the purines breakdown and uric acid is produced.
Your kidneys first process, then expel, excess uric acid from your body, leaving enough to act as beneficial antioxidants.
But, in conditions where either, your kidneys aren't able to process the acid efficiently enough, or, there is too much being produced by the breakdown of purines, then the excess acid is retained.
In other words there is too much uric acid being circulated in your blood.
This then causes your gout, with all its symptoms like redness, inflammation, swelling and agonizing pain.
The combined test will thus establish, first, if you have higher than normal acid levels in your system, and secondly, whether this is caused by too much acid being produced, or, because you kidneys aren't working efficiently.
If the levels in both your blood and your urine are the same, it indicates that your kidneys are o.
k.
and that too much is being produced.
On the other hand, if the levels in your urine are less than in your blood, this indicates that it is your kidneys that aren't processing the acid efficiently enough.
Either way there is too much in your body and, all too often, the result is painful gout.
Most gout sufferers are prescribed drugs to deal with the symptoms of a gout attack which can last for a week, even longer.
These are typically colchicines, corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs).
You may also be described things like allopurinol to help reduce the high uric acid levels in your blood.
These drugs have proven to be very effective.
But, they can only address the symptoms and not the underlying causes of high uric acid levels.
Even the drugs to reduce the acid levels don't do this.
They can reduce the levels but not do anything about these underlying issues.
So that, if you were to come off them, your levels are likely to rise again.
This is why gout sufferers more or less take these everyday for the rest of their lives.
And let's not forget their nasty side effects like headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, bleeding and stomach ulcers.
You can see then why so many people nowadays are turning to safer, more longer lasting natural remedies to treat their condition.
There is just too much to go into detail here, but typical remedies are:- (1) Drinking 2 to 3 liters of water every day to help flush uric acid out of your system.
(2) Eating cherries each day for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
(3) Using alternating hot and cold compresses to help circulation and reduce inflammation.
(4) Drinking raw apple cider on a daily basis to help alter blood pH and neutralize uric acid.
(5) Changing to a low-purine diet to reduce the amount of uric acid being produced in your system.
Totally natural remedies can both eliminate the symptoms of gout in the same way as drugs (but without their side effects), plus, help you manage your condition in a way that prevents further gout attacks.
And preventing frequent attacks is very important because they can lead to painful kidney stones, other kidney problems, and, permanent joint damage.
In addition, once having suffered a gout attack you are extremely likely to suffer even more.
Source...