- obesity
- blood sugar issues
- diabetes
- fatty liver disease
- hypertension
- cardiovascular disease
- stroke
- neurological disorders
- and premature death!
And several of these commonly cause FATIGUE!!
So what is it?
URIC ACID.
Historically known as a marker for gout – I remember this as the rich man’s disease – known to be caused by eating a king’s diet. Growing up there was a place called Dundurn Castle in my city. It was home to the first prime minister of Canada. And in the smoking room, there was a gout stool. For some reason this stool always stuck out in my mind. As I got older and learned that it wasn’t only kings and presidents who got gout. But anytime the word is mentioned, an image of that gout stool still pops into my head.
And now to know that the cause of gout, elevated uric acid, can also be implicated in the conditions that I think and talk about every day – well that damned gout stool will never leave my head! And hopefully now – uric acid will never leave yours!!
Why is this so important? Uric acid, can be a silent contributor in all of the above conditions. The only way to know it is not optimal, is to have it tested. Regularly. Your doctor can order this, but you can also buy a home monitor to check it 2-4 x month.
Optimal levels are below 5.5. Normal blood levels are below seven. But normal, as you may know, does not necessarily mean healthy. Lab normals are determined by what 95% of he population values fall within – and we know from the state of health in this country that we are far from having a population that is 95% healthy. In fact, I recently read that we rank last in the world for health outcomes among the top 11 high income countries.
Luckily, there are doctor’s who know how to elevate health by using an optimal lab range for many markers.
This is how we can FIX many “unsolvable health issues“.
And most times solved with just the use of diet, supplements and lifestyle changes. In fact, just the basics are what can help us the most. And this is true for keeping uric acid in the optimal range. A few things to lower your uric acid if it’s higher than it should be:
- hydration – dehydration alone can lead to higher uric acid levels
- eating at regular intervals
- avoid high fructose corn syrup and eating too much fructose (fruit sugar) in general
- lower protein and alcohol intake (red wine seems to be less problematic)
If your numbers are out of the optimal range and you’re having trouble fixing it, the best thing is to have a personalized plan put together addressing your habits. But first – get your uric acid tested. It could change the trajectory of your life.