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Much has been made lately of the nature/nurture argument; that idea that we are either born with predetermined traits – eye color, skin color, personality, addictions, diseases, etc. – or its counterpart, the idea that while we are born with certain traits, their development, or lack of it, depends solely on the environment we surround ourselves with. The nature side argues that the genes are right there, in full detail, showing the observer what the person’s possibilities are, what his potential is; while the nurture side argues that genes may predispose someone to be a certain way, but they in no means guarantee it.
So who is right?
Both are, to some extent. Researchers are increasingly discovering that nature and nurture interact constantly. Nature influences nurture and nurture influences nature – a constant ebb and flow, a give and take of opposite extremes, working together to shape reality.
Sounds poetic, but how does that affect the average person suffering from gout?
In a few different ways. First, genetics does play a role in determining who gets gout and who doesn’t, so if you have a family history of gout, it’s important to understand that you are at a higher risk of developing gout. You need to be on the lookout for gout symptoms and avoid some of the more common gout related triggers, like excessive alcohol intake, obesity, high purine foods (meat, seafood, yeast, and sweetbreads for example), high blood pressure, and kidney problems. Adding any of these to your genetic predisposition will result in an abnormally high chance for developing gout.
Secondly, while genetics does determine a predisposition to gout, it does not predestine you to a life of gout attacks. As we discussed above, nurture can influence nature, delaying or retarding the development of genetic predispositions. Meaning – your genetic hard-wiring for gout doesn’t ever have to see the light of day.
How is this possible? As mentioned earlier, there are common triggers associated with gout. Improper diets, excessive alcohol, kidney problems – all of these activities increase the possibility of gout and eliminating them can vastly lower your chances of ever having a gout attack. As long as you know the right foods to eat, the right supplements to take, and how to deal with gout pain quickly and effectively should it ever occur, your life can go on freely, without the fear of a gout attack weighing on your mind.
What are the right foods to eat and the right supplements to take? Well we discussed some of the foods to avoid earlier – avoid eating a lot of meat and seafood; I’m not saying cut it out entirely (unless you’re having a gout attack, in which case, yes – cut it out entirely), but try to eat more vegetables than meat. In other words, a healthier lifestyle. Also pay attention to the amount of alcohol and sweetened drinks you consume – try to add more water into your diet instead of juices and beer.
As mentioned above, drinking, gout, and high blood pressure do not mix…let’s follow up with a little more discussion on why:
High blood pressure is something that affects millions of men and women around the world and alcohol will have a negative effect on this problem. Numerous studies have been done that show that men and women who do not drink alcohol have lower blood pressure levels as opposed to those who do. Needless to say if you have high blood pressure to begin with the regular usage of alcohol can make this even worse.
Ladies cannot consume more than one alcoholic beverage per day mainly simply because their tolerance is not that of what men have. When the consumption of alcohol is increased above this level by both males and females, there’s an affect on the flexibility of the blood vessels and this can easily boost their blood pressure measurements towards hazardous levels.
For individuals who exceed the safe levels of alcohol consumption, medical professionals very commonly have to monitor those people’s blood pressure regularly. People who are overweight additionally have issues with high blood pressure and the extra calories from the alcohol can add to this issue. If the blood pressure is elevated mainly because of excessive weight, then further medication may need to be prescribed to control the high blood pressure. This can be hard to provide because of the alcohol inside the person’s body can have a dangerous impact from the medication being given to them.
In relation to the strong relationship between alcohol and high blood pressure, it is obvious that drinking less alcohol is a must. Obviously for those folks who have an alcohol issue and cannot just quit, even lowering their consumption will help. As we talked about earlier high blood pressure prescription medication can be adversely affected with consumption of alcohol. The alcohol itself can end up causing the medicine to be more potent, and because of this you will probably find other medical issues arising.
Someone who has an alcohol problem and high blood pressure should be well advised and given support to lessen their drinking as much as possible. Restrictions and guidelines should be administered for drinking by the medical doctor and these need to be stuck to as much as possible by the affected person. Your high blood pressure along with other medical issues will end up getting worse if you do not adhere to what the doctor tells you concerning your alcohol consumption while on medication. Inevitably, if you are a drinker who additionally has high blood pressure, you need to quit drinking, of course, if you need assistance you need to realize that there is help available, you just have to request it.
