10 things about gout - my health concern these days

all i got was a reminder from the doctor that my uric acid level is beyond normal...and that i have to be careful/choosy with what i eat. i never thought id have something like that coz i am not a meat-eater, sadly, i wasnt spared. surfing the net, keywords i used (high level of uric acid) always lead me to articles about gout (scared me more). here's the latest i got- from http://arthritis.about.com/od/gout/a/10_gout_facts.htm ...the article says that gout is considered one of the most painful types of arthritis. along with pain, gout can cause swelling, redness, heat and stiffness in joints. there are other types of arthritis which can mimic gout symptoms, making it very important to get an accurate diagnosis so that proper treatment can begin.


HERE ARE 10 THINGS ONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GOUT
1 - Gout is accurately diagnosed through the identification of characteristic crystals. (that's how i got my diagnosis - gave me the other side of the word 'crystal') 
2 - Blood uric acid levels can be misleading. (i hope teeheehee)
3 - Though the big toe is the most common joint affected by gout, ankles, heels, insteps, wrists, and knees can also be affected. (i can feel it often in my hands, between my palm and fingers and i know its not just my mind playing tricks on me)
4 - Uric acid results from the breakdown of purines. Purines are part of all human tissue and found in many foods. (thats what i learned lately, hence, i should moderate intake of purine-rich foods such as seafoods and animal internal organs- goodbye sisig!)
5 - There are certain triggers which can cause a gout attack. (alcohol is named one! chocolates, coffee and tea are still a-okay)


6 - For gout to be treated successfully, there are four goals of treatment.
•acute attacks must be stopped
•pain and inflammation must be relieved quickly
•future attacks must be prevented
•tophi, kidney stones, and renal disease must be prevented
7 - Treating an acute gout attack can involve resting the affected joint and taking prescribed medications. (that would be sad if attacks are on your hands and youre an online data-miner- oh so me)
8 - To prevent future attacks, diet and lifestyle changes, along with urate-lowering medications, can be helpful. (i have to loose some weight, obesity or weighing more than the ideal as in my case- leads to high uric acid levels)
9 - Prevalence statistics from the Arthritis Foundation indicate that 2.1 million Americans are affected by gout. (i wonder what are the stats for ph)
10 - Unless gout is properly managed it can affect the patient's life and work productivity. (waaah!)


im still learning and trying to know more about this. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

The Scroll Marked VII

I will laugh at the world. No living creature can laugh except humans.  Trees may bleed when they are wounded, and beasts in the field will cry in pain and hunger, yet only I have the gift of laughter and it is mine to use whenever I choose.  Henceforth I will cultivate the habit of laughter.


I will smile and my digestion will improve; 
I will chuckle and my burdens will be lightened; 
I will laugh and my life will be lengthened 
for this is the great secret of long life 
and now it is mine.


I will laugh at the world. And most of all, I will laugh at myself for humans are most comical when we take ourselves too seriously.  Never will I fall into this trap of the mind.  For though I be nature's greatest miracle am I not still a mere grain tossed about by the winds of time?  Do I truly know whence I came or whither I am bound?  Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence?  Why should I permit the petty happenings of today to disturb me?  What can take place before this sun sets which will not seem insignificant in the river of centuries?


I will laugh at the world. And how can I laugh when confronted with person or deed which offends me so as to bring forth my tears or my curses?  Four words I will train myself to say until they become a habit so strong that immediately they will appear in my mind whenever good humor threatens to depart from me.  These words, passed down from the ancients, will carry me through every adversity and maintain my life in balance.  These four words are:  This too shall pass.


I will laugh at the world. For all worldly things shall indeed pass. When I am heavy with heartache I shall console myself that this too shall pass; when I am puffed with success I shall warn myself that this too shall pass.  When I am strangled in poverty I shall tell myself that this too shall pass; when I am burdened with wealth I shall tell myself that this too shall pass.  Yea, verily, where is he who built the pyramid?  Is he not buried within its stone?  And will the pyramid, one day, not also be buried under sand?  If all things shall pass why should I be of concern for today?

I will laugh at the world.
                                               I will paint this day with laughter; 

I will frame this night in song.  

Never will I labor to be happy; 

rather I will remain too busy to be sad.  

I will enjoy today's happiness today.  

It is not grain to be stored in a box.  

It is not wine to be saved in a jar.  

It cannot be saved for the morrow.  

It must be sown and reaped on the same day 

and this will I do, henceforth.

I will laugh at the world. And with my laughter all things will be reduced to their proper size.  I will laugh at my failures and they will vanish in clouds of new dreams.  I will laugh at my successes and they will shrink to their true value.  I will laugh at evil and it will die untasted; I will laugh at goodness and it will thrive and abound.  Each day will be triumphant only when my smiles bring forth smiles from others and this I do in selfishness, for those on whom I frown are those who purchase not my goods.
I will laugh at the world.

Henceforth will I shed only tears of sweat, for those of sadness or remorse or frustration are of no value in the marketplace whilst each smile can be exchanged for gold and each kind word, spoken from my heart, can build a castle.


Never will I allow myself to become so important, 
so wise, so dignified, so powerful, 
that I forget how to laugh at myself and my world.  
In this matter I will always remain as a child, 
for only as a child am I given the ability 
to look up to others; and so long as I look up to another 
I will never grow too long for my cot.


I will laugh at the world. And so long as I can laugh never will I be poor.  This then, is one of nature's greatest gifts, and I will waste it no more.  Only with laughter and happiness can I truly become a success.  Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy the fruits of my labor.  Were it not so, far better would it be to fail, for happiness is the wine that sharpens the taste of the meal.  To enjoy success I must have happiness, and laughter will be the maiden who serves me.


I will be happy.
I will be successful.
I will be the greatest salesman the world has ever known.

from The Greatest Salesman in the World

by Og Mandino

flashback: something to hold on to