Archive for January, 2010

You are watching your favorite game show on television when the big bonus question comes up. It is, drum roll please, a little quirky music, and finally the question is “What is uric acid?”. Silence falls over the audience as the contestant struggles to find the answer and just before time runs out he blurts “an ingredient used in perfume”. The host tries to keep a straight face as he delivers the bad news that uric acid is not used in perfume and they quickly say goodbye and go to commercial.

I guess it wasn’t a bad guess, after all a big bottle of uric acid perfume might just be a big hit for anyone looking to trigger a case of gout or painful gouty arthritis. What fun, talk about adding a little spice to the big date.

But for those who have high uric acid levels and the subsequent painful recurring gout attack that go along with elevated uric acid this is a serious matter, and nothing to laugh about. So we can avoid any confusion let’s look at how the American Medical Association defines uric acid.

Uric acid is a component of blood and urine that is the end product of nucleic acid metabolism. It is organic and contains the element nitrogen. It is insoluble in water, and this property is primarily responsible for the formation of solid crystals in the joints, causing a painful condition called gout. Uric acid crystals can also form in the kidneys and cause kidney stones.

Uric acid is also found in certain foods, most notably red meats, organ meats such as liver and kidney, anchovies, and some shellfish. Men older than 30, people who are overweight, people who drink alcohol frequently, and people who use diuretics to lower blood pressure are in the high risk category for developing gout. That is about all the AMA has to say about it.

But in asking what is uric acid as it applies to gouty arthritis there are a few other things you might be interested to know. One of these is that while gout is typically seen in the joint of the big toe is often occurs in areas of the body where the temperature is lower than the average body temperature. An example of this would be the ear or Achilles tendon. Also, in men whose serum uric acid readings are 9.0/100 ml or above their chances of having a gout attack are 90 percent. So if you fall into this category you can start making plans to postpone the annual flag football party indefinitely.

What Next? Attacks of the gout caused by elevated uric acid levels are a serious matter and should not be ignored. Believing that somehow the initial attack was just a fluke is a mistake. Statistics show that after the initial attack secondary attacks are likely but predicting when they will occur and their severity has yet to be perfected.

We have pretty much answered the question as to what is uric acid, but chances are if you are reading this gout has become a painful reality. So if you are interested in getting the gout out of town there are four steps that can be implemented at home to reduce your chances of having a gout attack. First, reduce the intake of purine laden foods such as shellfish and organ meats; second, drink plenty of fresh water (6 eight ounce glasses a day); third avoid that  alcoholic beverage while watching the game; and last but not least implement an alternative gout remedy containing the natural ingredients turmeric and milk thistle. By implementing these four steps you will have made great strides on the path to reducing elevated uric acid levels and avoiding future attacks.

Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years
experience in the field.
Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at
Purchase Remedies.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/what-is-uric-acid-these-answers-might-surprise-you-1781931.html

Entertain away from home

There are several occasions where you may find yourself in a position where you are required to entertain away from home. This could be either for personal use or business use but either way it can be a little daunting.

Imagine for instance that you are hosting a birthday party or a hen party for either yourself or a friend. More often than not, people choose a different city to hold such an event because it is a change of scenery and can often be a central place for people to meet if they are travelling from other parts of the country.

From a business point of view, the choice of location is usually decided for you. Perhaps there is an event or conference being held in Birmingham for example, and you are required to go there the night before and entertain clients or customers.

If you did need to entertain in Birmingham and you are not familiar with the city then looking for hotels in Birmingham which are suitable can be tricky. Many hotels in Birmingham may not be able to meet all our needs or be available for the required number of people.

At Serviced City Pads we offer serviced apartments in Birmingham which can be a great alternative to hotels in Birmingham. A serviced apartment enables you to accommodate a larger group of people and is ideal if people are arriving at different times of the day as there is an entire apartment to relax in and do any work or preparations which may be needed.

When choosing where to go out later, try to stick to one or two bars or a restaurant with a nice bar so that you do not have to trail around a city you are not familiar with and everybody is kept together.

The Article is written by servicedcitypads.com providing hotels in birmingham and apartments in birmingham Services. Visit http://www.servicedcitypads.com for more information on servicedcitypads.com Products & Services___________________________Copyright information
This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included. Visit servicedcitypads.com for more services!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/entertain-away-from-home-1782217.html

Health, safety and comfort from a home care bed

Giving out advice to a person who lives on their own can be a problematic task. However, nursing staff who call on their patients are able to inform patients and family members of the risks involved with home care.

A list of health and safety in a home is essential for a patient’s continuous home care.

Bed-ridden patients in particular need everything to be on hand for any unexpected occurrence.

Pin a set of important information on the side of a bedside cabinet with relevant and important information such as:

• A list of emergency telephones numbers for gas, electric and water suppliers

• Telephone numbers of your nearby neighbour who drops in to check on you once a day

Ask you family about a community emergency alarm. A patient who has an alarm will be able to send for help and it will give peace of mind to families that do not live nearby.

At Sidhil, we have stormed ahead with the use of the latest technology at our fingertips to design new and elegant home care beds with hospital equipment that can be used in home care.

Our beds are made to a standard which is beyond the expectations the nursing and medical staff usually possess to allow home care to many patients who would be permanently in a hospital.

Beds and hospital equipment we make can help to avoid accidents in the home. If a patient has to rely on their own devices while their relatives are at work our home care beds are designed to tilt forward to allow easy access to the kitchen or bathroom.

To stop the worry that there may be an accident with  the bed moving while a person attempts to get out of their bed, our home care beds are fitted with wheels that can be locked to stop movement.

The Article is written by sidhil.com providing Care Beds and Care Home Beds Products. Visit http://www.sidhil.com for more information on sidhil.com Products & Services___________________________Copyright information This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included. Visit sidhil.com for more services!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/health-safety-and-comfort-from-a-home-care-bed-1782329.html

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