Gout runs in my family on my father's side. My dad used to use dmso on it and swore it helped the best, but since that is a byproduct of the timber industry and is usually only available through animal hospitals and not for human use, I will not consider it.

I was first diagnosed this feb 05, days after being told by my employer that the company was closing down. I am a stress-eater, so I imagine I was a gout attack just waiting to happen. I did not visit this web site until my second attack, just 3 weeks after recovering from the first attack (the first being in my left big toe, the second in my right mid-foot and ankle). My Dr. Put me on allopurinol after the 1st attack, so I stayed on it during the second. I am also taking naproxin for inflammation and pain.

I have hypertension (high blood pressure) so was a little cautious regarding the baking soda, but decided to try it anyway. The redness went away in 24 hrs, and the intense pain started diminishing almost as fast. I was left with a lingering soreness which was not a problem at all. My blood pressure remained normal. I took 1/2 teaspoon in am and 1/2 teaspoon in pm - about 12 hrs apart.

Foolish, because I was feeling so good, I quit the soda (can not stand the taste!) and went to do water aerobics. Boom! After the second aerobic session in two days the pain was back in booth feet! Well, I am back on my soda, resting and elevating, and the pain is subsiding.

It seems each of us must find our own way with this problem, but I do thank you for sharing about the soda because it has been helpful for me finding my way in dealing with gout.

Ps-i posted the question regarding gout and gastric bypass. I have not had the surgery but was considering it.

Kingsmonarch

I went to my doctor friday for routine blood test because of the allopurinol medicine. I told him about the baking soda that you say cured you of gout. He said no way could it do that. He said first the baking soda would go to the stomach and neutralize the acid there, then it would go thru the intestines and be eliminated, he said it would never even get into the blood stream. I said the person said it cured his gout, he said no, he cured his gout by changing his diet and not drinking alcohol. I guess doctors only believe what they learn in med school.

Hi, kingsmonark, I am very glad baking soda in water helped you resolve the gout attack. I am wondering how much more effective was your treatment of the second attack (with baking soda in water) as compared with the treatment of the first attack (without bs). You may like to take low dose colchicine or nsaid with allopurinol for a few months to prevent possible attacks. More info on how to take allopurinol can be found in paragraph 4.8 of http://www.Icuredmygout.Org . I will respond to your gastric bypass post in the separate thread. Thank you for your info and take care.

Hi, jhm, thank you for sharing the info with us. I think it was in our junior high chemistry class we were taught that our stomach split salt (nacl, sodium chloride) in water into stomach juice (hcl, hydrochloric acid) and lye (naoh, sodium hydroxide); lye is then combined with co2 to form baking soda (nahco3, sodium bicarbonate) -- i.E., nacl h2o ---> hcl naoh, naoh co2 ---> nahco3. It is correct baking soda gets neutralized by stomach juice. But in order to compensate for the "lost" stomach juice that is used to neutralize baking soda, the stomach produces extra stomach juice, as well as extra nahco3 -- which is discharged into the blood stream and raise the the blood ph. Eventually nahco3 in the blood is filtered through the kidneys and raises the urine ph. Doctors do prescribe sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to raise the urine ph to prevent uric acid stones. If baking soda "would never even get into the blood stream", how could it get to the kidneys and alkalize the urine? I would replace your statement "i guess doctors only believe what they learn in med school" with " ...Doctors sometimes forget what they were taught in med school".

As to "he cured his gout by changing his diet and not drinking alcohol", my responses are: 1) the amount of alcohol I drank is about the same before and after I cured my gout. 2) I think by "changing his diet" he meant I switched to low purine diet -- which is far from the truth. I do reduce the intake of acidic foods and drinks, but I have been on high purine diet before and after I cured my gout. It is a myth to me that low purine diet prevent recurrent gout attacks. I have not seen any data that support the myth. In my opinion, the myths such as low purine diet prevent recurrent gout attacks, distract gout patients and cause them the unnecessary suffering. To date, among the 152 users who responded to my survey said it is "extremely useful" (56%), "very useful" (15%), or "useful" (15%) to treat and prevent gout with baking soda in water.

Hi jyy2,
I agree with you about the purines in the diet. I have checked many reccommended low purine diets, and with the exception of organ meats, I find all kinds of discrepancies. Do not drink milk, drink milk, eat white flour products, do not eat white flour products........My blood ph was 4.6 from the test friday. If someone is on allopurinol, would the baking soda lower the ph too much? Thanks!

Normal range for the blood ph is 7.35~7.45, for the blood uric acid level is 3.5~7 mg/dl. By "my blood ph was 4.6" I think you meant "my blood uric acid level is 4.6" which is what docs like to see in gout patients. Taking 10 grams (2 tsp.) a day of baking soda can lower the blood uric acid level by about 1 mg/dl in a healthy person. I don't know what it can do to you. You may be able to figure it out from your records.

Yes, you are right. I meant uric acid level.

Thanks jyy2:

yes, my dr gave me an rx for colchicine since I had three attacks in three months. I am not to take it until the next acute attack. I am to continue on the allopurinol and naproxin for now.

It took 2-1/2 weeks for the first attack (without baking soda) to let up (taking naproxin and lots of water per Dr.) it has been one week since the onset of the last attack (took baking soda) and I am pain-free today. This is a clear improvement. :p I did a little "water walking" in the pool yesterday, so am slowly building up my exercise level as well.

hi, I had read you webpage. And really great to hear there is actually a cure for gout. Just a question, do you need to take soda daily just like those pill.

And in my country, there is those can drink like coke or pesi but is soda, do you know if we can take that instead of mixing ourself ?

Thankyou.

Baking soda in water is not a treatment for gout in mainstream medicine. I just accidentally found it to be extremely useful for my gout. I have not read about how much or how long can a person take it to treat gout. First time I used it I took it for 2 weeks. Then I stopped it for weeks or months. Now I take it on and off when I feel like it. I have no problem with it in past 3 years.

Although soft drinks like coke, pepsi, 7-up,.., are often called soda pops, they do not contain baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Carbon dioxide is pumped into the drink to make bubbles, which turns into carbonic acid. These drinks have a ph of 2~3 and are very bad for gout.

thanks for the reply.

I mean those can drink that we mix with brandy. And it contain purely sodium bicarbonate and carbonated water only.

Thanks again.

I don't know what exactly is in the drink you have mentioned. To be sure, mix your own baking soda in water.

thanks

Hi jyy2,

i'm in my early 40s and had my first attack of gout a few months back. It started in one big toe then a few days later I got it in the the other foot aswell. To make things worse I injured my ankles whilst trying to walk and ended up on crutches for a couple of weeks! I still have residiual soreness and stiffness in both big toe joints. I discovered your website and have started on the baking soda to try and eliminate the stiffness completely. It seems to be having some effect. I've also given up coffee because I noticed the soreness reduced when I stopped drinking it for a few days and returned once back on it.

I have question regarding the action of baking soda: if the uric acid crystals are usually coated in a protein, doesn't this act as a buffer,preventing them from dissolving in the blood even if the ph is increased by bs?

Thanks again for all the info you've provided on this subject - it's been a great help.

Regards
wilhm

My dad and my grandpa both have really bad outbursts of gout. My grandpas gone to the doctor a million times but is always on alot of different medications, so everything seems to counteract. My dad has never gone to the doctor for it, but randomly (not sure how this happened really) he discovered that taking midol helps. My dad thinks it might be because it's a mild dieretic (sp?) but who knows... He's been using it for years though and swears by it. Thought it might be worth something to somebody

erin

The baking soda treatment is working for me. I have had 4 attacks of gout in the last 2 years. The last attack hit my left knee... I was sick of the meds the doctor gave me, and started looking for alternative treatments. I found this article by a doctor, and gave the baking soda a try.


curezone.Com/clark/ph.Asp

after three days the pain, and most of the swelling was gone. I'm going to take 1/2 tsp of baking soda every night, I believe it's the reason the gout left so quick.

Hi all,

i got a gout attack about 13 days ago and is my first one. This weekend I try to read as much as I could about gout and I was getting crazy: don't eat this!! Eat that!!! Etc, etc, the only thing that made sense was what I read on jyy's page about baking soda. Yesterday the pain on my right toe was as bad as at the beginning of the attack. The doctor prescribed me colchicine and the only thing I got from it was big side effects and even I lost 5 kilos in one night because of the diarrhoea (what a way to loose weight!!!). I decided to give a try to the baking soda last night and this morning the pain almost disappeared. I haven't changed my diet much, the only thing that I stopped and that maybe triggered my gout was alcohol, it's been almost one month since I decided no to drink alcohol any more.

I feel lucky that I came across with jyy's page and good to know that baking soda is helping a lot of people with the agonizing pain produced by gout.

Thanks jyy.

I am very glad your gout attack has subsided overnight. May I ask, when did you start taking colchicine and at what dosage? And, when did you stop drinking alcohol -- a month ago or the day you took baking soda? I am trying to understand more about gout and baking soda. Thanks.

I stopped drinking alcohol exactly one month ago and the gout attack started 2 weeks after that. I went to the doctor 4 days after the attack and she prescribed colchicine, two tablets the first time and one tablet every 2 hours, I checked on the internet about the drug and was recommended no to swallow more than 16 tablets. I started having bad side effects after the 13th tablet so I stopped anyway.

Colchicine didn't do much for me really, only bad side effects, even the doctor was surprised the drug didn't work. That weekend was long weekend here in australia so I could stay at home without having to walk too much. I decided to try baking soda and I bought ibuprofen and the pain was almost gone on the next day.

I went back to see my doctor for my blood test and she prescribed something stronger instead of ibuprofen, i'm now swallowing voltaren 50:
(diclofenac sodium 50 mg), I take 100mg per day. Unfortunately I have to walk a lot at work and my big toe still a little bit swollen but without much pain. I'm still drinking baking soda and using voltaren. This is my third week since the attack.

It seems to be that many factors triggered my gout attack, all at the same time : we are in spring in australia now; drastic changes in my life (stopped drinking alcohol); started drinking vegi juices in the mornings which are 80% tomato juice; I have always had high levels of uric acid and no looking after the food I eat.

Seems to be that bs is doing well and i'll try to look after my diet ,i've been reading a lot about alkaline diets, eat more vegetables I think.

See you later
cheers dfranco

Hi folks,
oh, the dreaded gout! I've been suffering with this off and on since I was 25 years old (now 40). At first, colchicine and indocin was prescribed. Colchicine is absolutely worthless.. I remember one episode in my early 30s at a superbowl party, not drinking, but visiting the toilet every 10 minutes and feeling like I was going to die... Luckily, it was a bad game (think denver won). Gout got worse over the period. What a bad deal.

Then came allopurinol, which I have had major success on now since 1997. I have had only a half dozen mild attacks since then, and most of these were due to excessive beer binges.

I have now since given up the alcohol altogether.. Funny thing about gout is that you think it's punishment for gluttonous sins, then you realize, it gets you when you are as clean as a monk on organic veges. It definitely is an equal opportunity attacker.. 8 weeks off the beer, working out like schwarzennegger, my wife digging my toned biceps and abs.. And I get my first bad attack in 8 years! So, it must have to do with "body state" or "equilibrium".. Any changes to the uric acid levels, up or down, or ph.. Up or down siqnificantly will trigger an attack.

As I write this, i'm slurping down my first baking soda water drink. I will have another just before bed too.. Currently on ibuprofen all day.. Will take 400 mg tonight before bed.

Thanks for your help! This therapy makes sense.. Doctors don't know much about nutrition.. I think they skip that one at school.. Too busy looking at test tubes.

I'll post my results.

Thanks again. Good post!

Jonbo