Offset the Effects of Gout with Cherries An HSI member named Joan - who's also an M.D. - writes with this question: "Please discuss a cutting-edge treatment plan for gout. Also are you aware of anything that will shrink tophi associated with chronic gout? I hope for Joan's sake that she's inquiring on behalf of a patient and not for herself, because the development of tophi makes an already painful condition considerably worse. In gout patients, excess uric acid leads to a buildup of sharp uric acid crystals in joints and the tissue surrounding joints. The result: pain, inflammation and swelling. When chronic overproduction of uric acid is not adequately addressed, crystal clusters called tophi may develop over a period of years. Tophi can erode bone and cartilage. In some patients, strict control of uric acid may reduce tophi formations. As for a cutting-edge treatment plan for gout, I have one word: cherries. At the first signs of a gout attack, eating cherries and drinking cherry juice will usually offset the effects of excess uric acid. For information about other non-drug gout treatments, see the e-Alert "Vice Squad" (1/31/06), which you can find at this link:
http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200601/ea20060131.html | 
