For whatever reason, the question about what is Gout has come up on my MELT Forum with the instructors recently. So I thought I would do a little shout out about Gout!

Gout is caused by too much uric acid developing in the blood. It causes symptoms like burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints – most specifically the big toe. Over time if it’s not managed can cause permanent damage of a joint or many joints similar to arthritis and can also cause renal damage (kidney failure). Here in the image is what gout looks like in the hand. It's the crystals you can see in an xray.

When uric acid stays high, little tiny crystals form in the blood made of monosodium urate monohydrate (MSU). There is also something called pseudogout which is caused by calcium pyrophosphate crystals and is considered an actual disease instead of a disorder.

Sadly, the only medical treatment is getting a shot of a corticosteroid or a large daily dose of multiple meds. It tends to happen to men more than women, and symptoms are usually worse at night. Although you can also take things like ibuprofen don’t take aspirin because it can make the symptoms worse and elevate uric acid further.

I’ve seen many cases of Gout both acute and repeated/chronic. There are so easy tips I can give you and some MELT techniques that you should learn by seeking out one of our MELT instructors to teach you how to use the map below.

1. Don’t drink alcohol. If you are drinking alcohol and suffer from gout, stop it. The liver is the primary suffering organ along with your kidneys when you have gout.
2. Decrease the quantity of saturated fat in your diet. I would even suggest a 2-4 week cleanse and eat a LOT of water filled foods like fruits and vegetables.
3. Drink water more frequently. This is a really big key to eliminating gout symptoms.

MELT Map for Gout:

Soft Ball Foot Treatment Only 3-5 weeks, once a day

Rebalance Sequence

Lower Body Compression Sequence

Upper Body Compression Sequence

Upper Body Length Sequence

These sequences can be flipped around and used 2-3 times a week for 4-6 weeks. Track progress and progress to intermediate and advanced sequences as needed.

Gout can be treated with, without, during, or after medical treatments. Don’t let this disorder progress as it is shown here in this image. Ouch! It’s not a pretty sight and the calcifications can cause permanent damage if no self-care is taken!

Find a MELT instructor to teach you the sequences listed here. The podcasts are coming this fall as well!