The following tips will help you manage gout more effectively:

The following tips will help you manage gout more effectively:
http://www.recoverymedicine.com/gout_wellness_tips.htm

Avoid purine-rich foods. Purines are found in many animal products with the exception of eggs. Organ meats (liver, heart, kidneys, sweetbreads), herring, mackerel, anchovies and trout are particularly rich sources. Broths and gravies are also to be avoided. (Beans and peas contain a moderate amount of purine and should be limited to 1-2 servings per day).

*Although a peanut is technically considered a legume, its purine content is low (less than 50 mg per 100 grams) compared to other more common legumes such as lentils, peas & beans which has 50 - 150 mg purine per 100 grams

Control your weight but avoid crash diets and rapid weight loss which can give rise to acute flare-ups.

Increase your fluid intake. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to dilute uric acid in the urine. This helps prevent the formation of kidney stones made from uric acid. Drink 2 to 3 litres (8 to 12 cups) of fluid each day. Water, herbal teas, vegetable juice, milk, unsweetened fruit juices and soup all contribute to your daily fluid intake.

Limit alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol contains purines and also interferes with the body's excretion of uric acid. Beer is particularly bad as it is rich in purines. Heavy drinking also increases body weight and blood triglycerides, two factors also implicated in the development of gout. Speak to your doctor about the use of alcohol. Moderate, drinking (one drink a day) is unlikely to increase your risk of a gout attack.

Consider vitamin B12. If you take the medication colchicine for gout, consider taking a vitamin B12 supplement, since this drug impairs the body's ability to absorb B12. Vitamin B12 is found exclusively in animal foods such as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. With the exception of eggs and dairy produce, these foods should be limited due to their purine content. Fortified soy and rice beverages also contain B12.

Consume black cherries. Recent studies have suggested that intake of black cherries may benefit people suffering from gout (the gout preventative qualities of cherries seem to be the result of plant compounds found in cherries called anthocyanins).

Add hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds to your diet; these foods contain health promoting omega 3 fatty acids, to reduce joint inflammation. Increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables; cut down on foods rich in hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and animal fats (arachidonic acid), particularly fatty meats (beef, pork) and high-fat dairy products.

Celery seeds are a traditional food-based remedy that has been observed to help halt gout flare-ups

Consult your doctor / healthcare professional about new food-based non-drug supplements formulated to help improve quality of life* such as Recovery with Nutricol®. Recovery® has been developed to improve circulation to tissues, speed repair and slow or halt tissue damage.

Veggies may halve cancer risk

http://www.health24.com/news/Prostate/1-941,41878.asp
Men may be able to halve their risk of aggressive prostate cancer by adding large amounts of broccoli and cauliflower to their menu. However, the overall risk of prostate cancer was not changed.

In a study of nearly 30 000 men, Dr Richard B. Hayes of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland and colleagues found that men who ate more than a serving of either vegetable each week had roughly half the risk of developing advanced-stage prostate cancer - that had spread beyond the prostate gland - compared with their peers who ate these vegetables less than once a month.

A number of studies have linked high fruit and vegetable diets with lower prostate cancer risk, but these results have been mixed.

Few investigators have looked at advanced disease, Hayes and his team note in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Men who ate veggies had lower risk

Hayes and his colleagues looked at 29 361 men who were being followed as part of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

During more than four years of follow-up, 1 338 of the men developed prostate cancer.

While there was no overall link between fruit and vegetable intake and prostate cancer risk, men who ate the most veggies had a 49 percent lower risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer that had advanced to stage III or IV (on a scale of I to IV), the researchers found.

Most of the effect appeared to be due to cruciferous vegetables, which include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower; larger amounts of any vegetables in this family cut risk by 40 percent.

Broccoli and cauliflower appeared to have the biggest impact. Men who ate broccoli more than once a week had a 45 percent lower risk of advanced prostate cancer than those who ate the vegetable less than once a month, while eating cauliflower this often cut risk by 52 percent.

Veggies reduced risk of aggressive disease

There was also a tendency toward reduced risk of aggressive disease among men who ate raw or cooked spinach at least twice weekly, compared to those who ate the vegetable less than once a month.

Cruciferous vegetables are rich in glucosinolates, note Hayes and his team, which can produce other chemicals with anti-carcinogenic effects. The vegetables also are powerful antioxidants.

If it is ultimately found that these vegetables directly lower the risk of aggressive prostate cancer, "a possible means to reduce the burden of this disease may be primary prevention through increased consumption of broccoli, cauliflower, and possibly spinach," they conclude. – (Reuters Health)

Marijuana smoking damages sperm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/4482.php
Men who smoke marijuana frequently damage their fertility in several different ways, research suggests.

Scientists at Buffalo University found regular smokers had significantly less seminal fluid, and a lower sperm count.

Their sperm were also more likely to swim too fast too early, leading to burn-out before they reach the egg.

Lead researcher Dr Lani Burkman said: 'The bottom line is, the active ingredients in marijuana are doing something to sperm.'

Marijuana contains several chemicals known to have an impact on human physiology, including THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).

The researchers believe that THC may disrupt the way sperm swim, or it may block mechanisms designed to weed out malfunctioning sperm.

Herbs, Lifestyle Changes May Reduce Symptoms of Enlarged Prostate

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/15689.php

Symptoms of an enlarged prostate - known medically as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - can range from a weak, slow urinary stream, to hesitancy and straining to urinate, to an inability to empty the bladder completely, to more serious complications including recurrent urinary tract infections and kidney damage.

If a man lives long enough, he will almost certainly experience some degree of BPH. Although 50%-60% of men with this condition may never develop any symptoms, BPH can make life miserable. The November issue of the Harvard Men's Health Watch examines the safety and effectiveness of several herbs commonly used to reduce BPH symptoms and offers practical lifestyle tips that can ease living with this prostate problem.

Among herbal remedies, saw palmetto seems to be the most promising. One large analysis of studies done on this herb found that saw palmetto reduced nighttime urination by 25% and other bothersome complaints by 28% when compared to a placebo. Side effects reported were mild and did not differ significantly from problems that the men attributed to the placebos.

The November issue also offers a few simple adjustments that can reduce the bother of BPH:

-- Reduce your consumption of fluids, particularly after dinner.

-- Limit your use of alcohol and caffeine, and avoid them after about 3 p.m.; both increase urine flow.

-- Avoid medications that stimulate muscles in the bladder neck and prostate, as well as medications that weaken bladder contractions.

-- Never pass up a chance to use the bathroom, even if your bladder does not feel full.

1 In 10 Men Suffer From Erectile Dysfunction Due To Work Related Stress

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112046.php
New research has shown that 1 in 10 men experience erectile dysfunction (ED) and as many as 1 in 5 men suffer a loss of libido, as a result of work-related stress.

These latest figures suggest that 90% of men have shown at least one clinical feature of stress due to work but only 54% of men know that stress from work may be the cause of their ED. Stress, either at work or home, is a known cause of ED and prolonged stress is associated with low testosterone levels.

Unfortunately 44% of men would not go to their GP if they experience erection problems, and those who do go to their GP about their ED wait on average 17 months before going for a consultation