Winter 2014 True Natural Health Magazine – Your Questions Answered
By Roger French
QUESTION: Why are those bitter cherries so good for gout, especially the extract? I was recommended bitter cherries for my gout and experienced a big improvement in a few days.
ANSWER:
There is a remarkable story here. It is thoroughly elaborated by Mike Adams, ‘the Health Ranger’ in his enewsletter, NaturalNews.com, dated 21st April 2009 under the heading, ‘Miracle Cure for Gout and Arthritis Pain – Cherries’
I bet the big drug companies wish they had invented cherries,” writes Mike Adams. “They’ve proven to be the most powerful medicine in the world for eliminating gout and reducing the pain and inflammation of arthritis.
If the public finds out the truth about cherries, they won’t need arthritis drugs anymore (and Big Pharma will lose billions in profits). As you’ll see in the collection of quotes about cherries for gout and arthritis (below), cherries are extremely safe, effective and fast-acting for eliminating swelling and pain. Eating just a few cherries a day keeps uric acid levels in check, preventing any recurrence of gout.
“Try cherries or cherry concentrate products, for at least 30 days. And when your pain vanishes, you can thank Mother Nature for providing this natural medicine”
The quotes below are reproduced or abstracted with the permission of Mike Adams. All are available on Amazon.com
Gout is a type of arthritis associated with an abnormally high concentration of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is produced in the liver and enters the bloodstream. Under certain circumstances, the body produces too much uric acid or excretes too little. As uric acid concentrations increase, needle-like crystals of sodium urate form. In time, these crystals accumulate in the joints, causing the inflammation and pain typical of gout. The pain of an acute attack can be excruciating. (The Encyclopaedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, and Joseph Pizzorno)
Gout patients should eliminate alcohol, which both increases uric acid production and reduces uric acid excretion in the kidneys. (Alternative Medicine the Definitive Guide, Second Edition, by Larry Trivieri, Jr.)
Individuals with gout should not consume nutritional yeast or brewer’s yeast, as they can raise uric acid levels. (The Natural Pharmacy by Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr)
A Michigan State University study found that 20 tart cherries were at least as effective as other painkilling remedies, including aspirin, ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). (Unleash the Inner Healing Power of Foods by The Editors of FC&A)
How many cherries should you eat? Anywhere from half cup to one quarter kilogram a day for gout, says a South Dakota naturopath.
When fresh cherries are out of season, use cherry extracts or concentrates in tablet or tincture form. You can even find dried cherries, which are similar to raisins.
It doesn’t matter much if the cherries are fresh, canned or frozen. (The Practical Encyclopaedia of Natural Healing by Mark Bricklin)
Organic cherries give the best results.
One doctor stated, after following his gout patient’s progress over two months, “I can only say the results have been nothing less than spectacular. The patient has ceased taking the prescribed medication for his gout and has an unlimited diet.” (Rapid Healing Foods by Ben Davis)
A man described how he had cured his crippling gout, which had confined him to a wheelchair, by eating six to eight cherries every day. Continuing to eat cherries, he claimed, kept painful gout away. (Miracle Cures by Jean Carper)
Another man began eating a small dish of them at lunch and dinner. The swelling in his knee went down and the stiffness was gone in three days. He continued eating cherries daily and had no further attacks of gout in over a year. (Miracle Medicine Herbs by Richard Melvin Lucas)
In a 1950 study, 12 patients with gout ingested one-quarter kilogram of cherries per day (or an equivalent amount of cherry juice), with no other dietary restrictions. In all 12 cases, serum uric-acid levels fell to normal and the patients had no further attacks of gout. Cherry juice appeared to be as effective as whole cherries. While most of the results were obtained with black cherries, sweet yellow and red sour cherries were also effective. (Natural Medicine, Optimal Wellness: The Patient’s Guide to Health and Healing by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. and Alan R. Gaby, MD)
Sweet cherries work too. Nothing works better for gout than either raw sweet cherries (15 per day) or cherry juice concentrate (1 tbsp). (Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs by John Heinerman)
Cherries, hawthorn berries, blueberries and other dark red or blue berries are rich sources of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins that favorably affect collagen metabolism and reduce inflammation of joints. Darker cherries are richer in minerals.
Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins give the fruits their deep red-blue colours, and are remarkable in their ability to prevent collagen destruction. Flavonoid-rich grape seed and hawthorn extracts are the best herbal recommendations for gout. (The Healing Power of Herbs by Michael T. Murray, ND)
Celery is also very effective in lowering uric acid levels. It contains compounds that inhibit xanthine oxidase. (The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, ND and Joseph Pizzorno, ND)
Besides being a remedy for gout, arthritis, and rheumatism, cherries also help overcome numbness in the limbs and paralysis as a result of rheumatism. Part of their action in rheumatic disorders is to eliminate excess body acids. Richly supplied in iron, cherries are often used to improve the blood and treat anemia. (Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitchford)
With gout, go easy on vitamin C and niacin. Large doses of these can raise uric acid levels. (The Green Pharmacy Anti-Aging Prescriptions by James A. Duke, PhD)
If you take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement daily, check the label to be sure it contains no more than 5,000 international units of vitamin A and that the form of vitamin B3 it contains is niacinamide rather than niacin. In greater amounts, vitamin A can worsen gout. Drink at least eight glasses of pure water daily to help flush toxins from your body. (Smart Medicine for Healthier Living by Janet Zand, Allan N. Spreed and James B. LaValle)
A low-purine diet has long been the mainstay of dietary therapy for gout. Foods with high purine levels should be omitted entirely. These include organ meats, yeast (brewer’s and baker’s), herring, sardines, mackerel and anchovies. Dried legumes, having moderate levels of protein, should be eaten sparingly. (The Encyclopaedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno)
Folic acid, part of the B-complex family, inhibits the production of uric acid, and vitamin C is valuable because it expedites excretion of uric acid. Other forms of prevention include eating a low-fat, high-fibre diet and watching one’s weight, because obesity aggravates gout symptoms. (The complete Book of Water Healing by Dian Dincin Buchman)
