Gout?

Gout is a systemic disease caused by the buildup of uric acid in the joints. An elevated blood level of uric acid occurs when the liver produces more uric acid than the body can excrete in the urine, or when a diet high in rich foods (e.g., red meat, cream sauces, red wine, turkey, organ meats, rich deserts, etc) produces more uric acid than the kidneys can filter from the blood. Over time, the uric acid crystallizes and settles in the joint spaces, most commonly in the joint of the big toe or in the ankle joints, causing swelling, inflammation, and pain.

This week was gout week in the store! First of all, I had a return from a person who said that the shoes caused his gout, which flared up a couple of days after Thanksgiving day. I also had three other cases of people who had gout flare-ups during the course of the week who came in to purchase shoes to help with their condition. As far as the shoes causing gout, I checked with some of my medical friends, and this is extremely unlikely, since gout is really a dietary condition. In reality, all of the people who had the flare-ups had a huge Thanksgiving dinner, complete with most of the foods listed above!

Can Z-CoiL's cure gout? Not at all since gout is related to your diet. Can Z-CoiL's help with gout? Yes! It won't help the gout go away, but it can help lessen the pain associated with it until you get your diet back in balance and the swelling subsides. Since we have a wide, deep toe box and because we are able to stretch the side of the shoe in the area where you might have discomfort, we can take pressure off of the painful area. Also, with the additional cushioning that we have in the forefront of the shoe, it helps to reduce the impact that your swollen joint has to endure, relieving the pressure and the pain. We have had several cases where our customers have had pain relief when they have had gout.

The best bet is to eat well if your are prone to gout, but if it does occur, look us up, and we can hopefully help reduce the tenderness and pain associated with the condition.

Till later,
Caesar...