Almost done with winter here. Not that I don’t enjoy it, I do. I like walking around the neighbourhood when I don’t have time for a forest walk. The one thing that does bother me about it is the ice, especially when I go out for a walk. I have fallen a few times in previous winters due to icy sidewalks, and it’s not fun when all of a sudden, poof!.. you are on your back looking up at the sky and wondering how you got there. Thankfully I have never hurt myself though. Gotta admit, there are more houses along our route that are not shoveled more than there are. My message to homeowners everywhere, ‘Please be nice and clear your ice’.
Out With The Old!
The past month my husband and I have been doing reno’s in our living room. The couch was in the kitchen up on it’s end in front of the fridge, so we were in ‘camping mode’ and couldn’t wait to get outside from all the drywall dust and sanding dust. So we did go for quite a few walks. You definitely have to dress for the weather because if you don’t, the walk is not nice. I made the mistake once of looking outside to see the sun and a few clouds, thinking, ‘oh, it’s gorgeous out, spring must be around the corner’. No putting on 3 layers or a pair of yoga pants under my jeans, and just my hiking shoes. Big mistake. Within 10 minutes I declared that it would be a short walk around the block (breeze chill factor felt like -20, but of course you can’t always tell if it’s breezy on your own street). Heck with that! Back we go to reno’s.
There is something to be said for getting rid of things that are tired or dated, and getting a few new pieces; if not new, then repurposed, whether that means refinishing or changing out handles, etc. It just seems to give you a boost of energy and creativity. Plus it’s always fun when you get a little ‘challenge’ in the middle of ripping everything apart, ya know, like when the furnace decides to crap out… at the beginning of a weekend. Yes, I definitely had a little panic attack as I was driving around borrowing some space heaters. How were we going to get through the weekend when it’s down to -20?? But we made it, and the furnace guy had us up and running in 30 minutes (never mind he showed up at 9:30 at night, when they told us he’d be there between 5 and 7 pm., yes, they were busy for sure).
Finally have gotten most of it back in order, whew! I have been using my down time doing research on some different foot/health topics. The first one I am going to discuss is gout. It is not an uncommon ailment, and I have had a quite a few clients that have experienced it.
What is Gout?
Gout is a painful, sudden severe attack of swelling, redness, inflammation and tenderness that usually affect the big toe or fingers. It is caused by a build up of URIC ACID. Uric acid is a waste product that forms when the body breaks down Purines.
Joints feel hot and extremely tender usually to the point that they cannot even be touched or have anything touching them. The swelling of the joint around the area usually has red, shiny skin. Once swelling goes down the skin may start to peel and flake or itch.
Definitely check with your doctor if you think you may have gout. There may be something else causing the symptoms.
FOOD TRIGGERS
Some foods that may trigger gout attacks include game or organ meats, sugary sodas, alcohol and fruit juice as well as some types of fish.
FOOD HELPERS
Some fruit, vegetables and whole grains, soy products and low fat dairy may help to prevent an attack. These include:
bananas, which are high in Vitamin C, low in Purines, green tea, low fat milk, sour cherry juice, lemon juice and water
Gout is not a nice thing to get but it is treatable. It can last for a few days, but maybe with a change to your diet, you may be able to help prevent an attack.
Sandra A. Murphy Reflexology 