- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- Climate Change Could Sting Allergy, Asthma Sufferers
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture May Help Restore Lost Sense of Smell
- Birds Don't Miss a Beat
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- BONES & JOINTS
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- Using a Balloon to Repair a Broken Back
- Fractures in Older Adults Up Death Risk
- CANCER
- Vitamin D May Improve Melanoma Survival
- Breast Self-Exam Rates Go Up With Counseling
- Vitamin D Good for Breast Cancer Patients
- CAREGIVING
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Timing May Matter in Organ Donation Decisions
- Moms Who Breast-Feed Less Likely to Neglect Child
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Smog Tougher on the Obese
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- COSMETIC
- Wrinkle Fillers Need Better Label Warnings: FDA Panel
- Contact Lenses Boost Kids' Self-Image
- Get Sugared!.... Its a sweet choice for hair removal
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- Gum Care Helps Control Type 2 Diabetes and Its Complications
- Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
- DIABETES
- Diabetes Linked to Cognitive Problems
- Study Shows Turmeric May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
- Boosting Vitamin D Can Do a Heart Good
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Eat Light - Live Longer
- Caffeine May Offer Some Skin Cancer Protection
- 6 Million U.S. Kids Lack Enough Vitamin D
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- What's Cookin'? It Could Be Air Pollution
- City Kids Find the Breathin' Is Easier Elsewhere
- Freckles, Moles May Indicate Risk for Eye Cancer
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Poor Night Vision May Predict Age-Related Eye Disease
- Nutrient-Rich Diet Lowers Risk of Age-Related Eye Disease
- When Gauging Age, the Eyes Have It
- FITNESS
- Moderate Aerobic Exercise Lowers Diabetics' Liver Fat
- Daily Exercise at School Yields Rewards
- Research Confirms How Valuable A Healthy Lifestyle Can Be
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- Soothing Imagery May Help Rid Some Kids of Stomach Pain
- Bowel Prep Harder on Women Than Men
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Can a Bad Boss Make You Sick?
- Adults Need To Get Thier Food Facts Straight
- Pay Attention to Signs That Say You're Too Fatigued to Drive
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Airport Full Body Scanners Pose No Health Threat: Experts
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Most Fast-Food French Fries Cooked in Unhealthiest Oil
- More Steps a Day Lead to Better Health
- Omega-3, Some Omega-6 Fatty Acids Boost Cardiovascular Health
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Dry Weather Boosts Odds of Flu Outbreaks
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- Swine Flu Loves a Crowd
- KID'S HEALTH
- Too Many Infants Short on Vitamin D
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old
- When It Comes to Toys, Shop Smart, Shop Safe
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Low Iron Levels Cut Cancer Risk in Men With PAD
- Lots of Sex May Prevent Erectile Dysfunction
- The Dark Side of Vegetarianism
- MENTAL HEALTH
- A Simple 'Thank You' Brings Rewards to All
- How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- PREGNANCY
- Breast-Feeding Benefits Moms and Babies
- Expectant Mom's Exercise Keeps Newborn's Birth Weight Down
- Mom's Extra Pregnancy Pounds May Raise Child's Heart Risks
- SENIORS
- Friends, Not Grandkids, Key to Happy Retirement
- 15-Point Test Gauges Alzheimer's Risk
- Seniors Who Volunteer May Live Longer
Basketball Star Details His Struggle With Gout
By eHolistic.com Published: 05/23/2009
By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- He's a 15-year veteran of the National Basketball Association, a four-time NBA All-Star, and head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. He's basketball great Maurice Cheeks.
And he's got gout.
"I had no idea what gout was," Cheeks said, describing his first encounter -- at the age of 46 -- with the often-debilitating arthritic condition. "Never heard of it. Never talked to anyone about it, and then I started to find out that there were many other people with this condition."
Cheeks made his remarks at a press conference Thursday in New York City to mark the second annual National Gout Awareness Day, sponsored by the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES). The goal is to draw attention to the risks, symptoms, and treatments associated with a condition that strikes between three million and five million adult Americans, and to debunk stereotypes about the so-called "disease of kings."
According to GUAES, gouty arthritis results from a condition known as hyperuricemia -- the build-up of abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood. A normal waste product that forms from the breakdown of purines found in cells and a wide range of foods, uric acid is usually dissolved in the blood, passed through the kidney, and excreted through urine.
But in excess amounts, sodium urate can crystallize. In some cases, the resulting needle-like formations lodge and jab into joints, bringing about sudden and painful bouts of tenderness, redness, stiffness, and swelling in the big toe, instep, ankle, heel, knee, wrist, finger, or elbow.
People typically describe the pain as akin to the trauma of childbirth or breaking a bone.
"I don't think I can adequately express the pain," Cheeks said.
"I once had a severe ankle sprain, and in order for me to play, they had to wrap it and wrap it and wrap it, because any time I put my foot down, I was not able to play," he added. "But the game was so important. So I played, even though that was probably my worst pain ever. And that pain doesn't even compare to gout."
In February, Cheeks' fourth acute attack of gout triggered inflammation so severe he had to coach several 76ers games with one shoe on and one shoe off. For many people, an attack can turn the mere act of standing and walking into an unmanageable ordeal.
Today, gout is the most common form of arthritis among men over 40. Women also suffer from the condition, but typically after menopause, according to GUAES.
Obesity and the excessive consumption of purine-rich foods -- such as meats, shellfish, and hard liquor and beer -- have long been associated with a risk for gout. And portly figures of history, such as Henry VIII, Benjamin Franklin and Isaac Newton -- all suffered from gout, popularizing the view that it's an illness of the privileged and out-of-shape.
"But [Maurice Cheeks] defies the stereotypes," said Dr. N. Lawrence Edwards, chairman of GUAES, and vice chair of the department of medicine at the University of Florida, who spoke at the press conference.
While diet does play some role in who get gout, genetics is a major factor, with one in four people having a family history of gout, Edwards said.
"There is an assumption that this is a self-inflicted disease," noted Edwards. "That's the stereotype out there. But clearly Coach Cheeks represents none of this. It's an equal opportunity employer. It affects all strata of society."
Edwards agreed that lifestyle changes, such as keeping in shape and watching one's diet, could help somewhat reduce -- though probably not eliminate -- the risk for acute attacks among people with high levels of uric acid.
He stressed the importance of seeing a doctor and getting a uric acid reading for those who've experienced an attack -- with the aim of getting the serum acid level below the danger point of 6.8 mg/dL. And for many patients hovering above the cut-off, chronic daily medications may be the most effective way to fight back, he said.
"If any of you ever had [gout], you would know you would try to do everything possible to try and prevent it," Cheeks said with a wry smile. "Because once it's full-blown, there's not a whole lot you can do."
More information
To learn more, visit the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society.
SOURCES: Maurice Cheeks, head coach, Philadelphia 76ers; N. Lawrence Edwards, M.D., chairman, Gout & Uric Acid Education Society, and vice chair, department of medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville
Last Updated: May 23, 2008
Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
More articles at www.eholistic.com
