my knowledge of biochemistry is quite limited. to me, any build up is lack of circulation. a kidney cleanse, perhaps?

Hi Miss Helfinger

I will try to share what I have learned over the last year about it. I am someone who suffers from gout. But now it is more in control. See my posts
http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1209266#i

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1320397#i


Here is a few pieces of the puzzle:
-Uric Acid accumulation is a matter of pluses and minuses, intakes and eliminations.

-Uric Acid is a compound (C5H4N4O3 ) made with Nitrogen. So, where does nitrogen in food come from? Protein. So a good thing would may be to reduce protein intake. Also food with NPN (Non-protein Nitrogen) may increase production of Uric Acid.

-Also, alcohol may contribute directly or indirectly to Uric Acid accumulation. Directly I read somewhere some kind of transformation from alcohol to uric acid (sorry I don't have a link for such).
Indirectly by affecting the liver and the kidneys.

-I also read that about 80% of the Uric Acid is eliminated with the urine.

-Uric Acid, being an acid, is 1,000 more soluble in a solution of pH 7 than in a solution of pH 5. For this reason if the urine is acidic, than less of the Uric Acid will be eliminated.

-From the point above we can now understand why many times taking baking soda will help for gout. Sodium from the Baking soda affect the urine pH. Potassium affects more the saliva pH.

Conclusion

A better diet that reduces protein intake and increase mineral intake so that pH balance of the system is less on the acidic side will greatly help. This is why I think by following some alkalizing protocols (see my posts above) has greatly helped and that is why, for instance, I stopped drinking coffee as it is acidifying.

I know, it seems simplistic. I thing that is all a can say in a short post. All the above came from a lot of reading on this topic.

Hope it helps.

WIEL

A common error of thinking about gout is the "acidic" connection.

But, if you look at the latest info......

http://www.lef.org/newsletter/2009/0313_Vitamin-C-Supplements-Lower-Gout-Risk...


Over the follow-up period, gout developed in 1,317 men. Men whose total vitamin C intake was 1500 milligrams per day or more experienced a 45 percent lower risk of gout compared with those whose intake was below 250 milligrams. The risk of gout was found to decrease by 17 percent for each 500 milligram increase in vitamin C consumption. A separate analysis of vitamin C from supplements found a 45 percent reduction in gout risk when those who consumed over 1500 milligrams per day were compared with those who did not report using supplements.

My "gold standard" became "acidic" after several months of high vitamin c intake for a Lipo(a) protocol.

She however, was taking ~ 6 to 8 grams a day.

The body can be so damned counter intuitive at times!



To Your Great Health,

Gracefully Savage

Most likely a compound issue, too much ammonia (critters) broken down into urea, add some toxin load (Lead) and allow a starving cycle to change your PH and bingo.

Interesting thread: http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1347656


BTW: The Lead thing also matches with this earlier reponse: http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1381014#i

Like all things...reducing this to acid/alkaline is much too
simple. It does play a part, but is not the total answer.
IMHO...this is not a kidney failure...Kidney problems are a RESULT of the issue...not the cause.
Look into the notion that the body may be creating uric acid as an antioxidant....and then ask yourself why VIT C reduces the risk of uric problems...think about body wisdom.

Poor digestion may be part of the issue...I think the problem is not deserving of a one answer solution. One needs a full body analysis to understand gout. A liver panel showing how its detox capabilities are working is a start as would a stomach acid test.Breaking down and utilizing protein
is part of the solution, but there seems to be a range of
ways this problem can occur.One size does not fit all...

I did have the start of gout and did have kidney stones...I cured them with magnesium, potassium citrate and gallons of water...extreme pain is a great motivator.

>> "What are the chain events one could look to repairing if their body were in a habit of accumulating uric acid?" <<

In no way could I ever get all the details of a question like that... I doubt that an "expert" would know the whole story. That is likely why you have received several different responses that clearly address the issue.

I believe that getting enough, and the right ratios of alkaline minerals here is essential. That said, I noticed the vitamin C post as well and would like to state that acids work with, and are required for, bases to create energy, enzymes, and building materials...

One could be deficient in a needed acid to react with a specific mineral and bingo... someone focusing solely on alkaline minerals will miss the boat. Good thing most alkaline diet focused folks eat a lot of citrus and the like.

As a caution, it is important to note that increased vitamin C has been shown to cause uric acid build up in some people; so to blanket state that vitamin c is an answer could harm some folks. I would suspect that people with this problem have little to no alkaline mineral reserves to react against the vitamin c and end up exacerbating their problems.

Uric acid accumulation (acid accumulation) is a result of a diet of poor foods and fluids (could have environmental influences as well) leading up to a disrupted/dysfunctional protein metabolism (NPNs and such). Things like Gout. Fat distribution can play a part in this condition and so can carbohydrate metabolism.

You would need a class or three to cover it all...

I am with trapper... keep the kidneys functioning as best one can and be sure to get into a very high quality diet (the more attention to diet here, the better the results will be), avoiding the obvious like vitamin and mineral depleting foods and fluids... which is nearly everything (70 - 80% of most commercially available foods) these days.

I also find myself agreeing with other posters as well, however it is important to recognize singular approaches to these problems can create others as nothing works alone.

High mineral intake through high quality foods, clean water, highly nutritive teas, etc. can lead to restoring the metabolic functions over time... in some cases it can take a long time.

BTW - things like candida (yeasts) can contribute to the accumulation of acids, including uric acids, in the body.

grz-

Hi all

Acid Uric accumulation is a very complex topic and its comprehension must involve the understanding of nutrition and the understanding of the digestive and elimination processes. I can say that to get very good and encompassing all info on gout is very hard. I have seen many conflicting info. Milk products are bad, then they are good. Alcohol may have an impact, but not always, and not all kind. I have seen a study where they measured several variables, an increase in one variable seemed to increase uric acid, but the same variable had an opposite effect if some other variable increased.

I don't deny that vit c may help. So is the enzyme bromelain. But a good diet high in vegetables, will have necessarily a lot of bio-available vit c plus a lot of alkalizing minerals and good carbs, enzymes ...

I am sorry if I have given the impression that Acidity was the main factor. It is just one variable, a correlated variable. Acidity is not a cause but a symptom. Its control will help it, but I do not say that it will cure it. Because, if acidity was the cause, everybody with acidosis would all have gout.

Personally, I think Excess acid uric is part of an overly acidic person, because each time I had a gout bout, my urine had a very low pH. By taking appropriate alkalizing measures to increase my pH level, I could obtain a great improvement after 10 hours. Drinking a lot of water is also necessary. But ultimately, these measures are just quick fixes. A change in diet is vital: increase in fresh raw vegetables, more physical exercises ... These will help and the pH level will also show to be better. But things do not change over night.

Connection with lead.

This post from grzbear
http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1336106#i

suggests that with proper intake of Mg, Ca, K and Na (Magnesium, Calcium,Potassium,Sodium), and other minerals, the heavy metals like Pb and Hg (lead and mercury) can be eliminated with time. The idea behind is to ask why does lead become a problem. A possible answer would be that an acidic body will use anything to decrease the acid levels so that it will use lead to counteract those acids. But, if the body was alkaline by being fed the proper minerals in their proper proportions, the body would not have used the lead, there would not have been any need for. Things are all connected. That's my understanding anyway.

I hope these clarifications may help understand what I was trying to share, based on my own experience.

WIEL