Gout isn't caused by what you ate last night. For most people, it's caused by what their kidneys aren't clearing.

Last Saturday Connie walked us through the kidneys — the filter that clears what your body doesn't need. This Saturday she follows one of the things it clears, and what happens when it starts backing up: uric acid.

Anyone who's had a flare can describe it without help. It usually starts in the night. One joint — often the big toe — goes red, hot and tight, and by morning the weight of a bedsheet is more than you can stand. What surprises people is everything around it: that gout isn't really a toe problem, that it isn't the verdict on one rich meal, and that the quiet months in between aren't as quiet as they feel.

Uric acid is a normal by-product of breaking down purines — some from food, and a good deal from your own cells simply doing their job. Your kidneys clear most of it, your gut handles the rest. Trouble starts when more arrives than leaves. And that's the piece most people never hear: the majority of people with gout aren't over-producing uric acid at all. They're under-clearing it.

Connie will also take apart the old story about gout being the "rich man's disease" — a punishment for steak and port. The real picture is broader, and a lot more useful: hydration, sugar, alcohol, weight, medications, kidney function, and for women, what changes after menopause.

This week we're covering

• What gout actually is — purines, uric acid, and how sharp little crystals end up settling in a joint
• Why the big toe goes first — and the other places gout turns up: midfoot, ankle, knee, elbow and fingers
• Making too much vs. clearing too little — why your kidneys sit at the center of this, and why so many people are quietly under-clearing
• The triggers that matter — beer and spirits, sweetened drinks and fructose, organ meats and certain seafood, dehydration, crash diets, and a few very common prescriptions
• The purine myth worth dropping — why spinach, mushrooms, peas and lentils don't behave the way animal purines do
• Why women's risk climbs after menopause, and what estrogen had to do with it all along
• What the quiet spells are really doing — crystals keep building between attacks, and where that leads: tophi, joint damage and uric acid kidney stones
• Foods and herbs with a long history here — tart cherry, celery seed, nettle, turmeric, devil's claw, bromelain and quercetin — plus water, coffee and vitamin C

Missed last week's kidney session? No problem. Connie starts each workshop from the ground up, so nothing this Saturday depends on having been there. Bring your questions.

Join us Saturday, August 15

⏰ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm CST

In person: Wise Women Botanicals, 1011B Hwy 24 West, Moberly, MO 65270. $10 per person, limited seating — call (660) 263-1033 to reserve your spot.

Online (free): Can't make it to Moberly? Join the live webinar at no charge. Register on our Wellness Workshops page and we'll email you the meeting link.

Our Wellness Workshops happen every Saturday. Sign up once and you'll get each week's topic and meeting link in your inbox.