J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy.

Occasionally a reader asks me about a specific medical condition. I always try to help the reader find more information and/or consult with their physician. Here is a note from Diana that I received last week.

No doubt, you've seen on television the big guy carrying the huge beaker with the green liquid.

Dear Mr. Hicks, I’m seriously considering starting your 4 leaf program.  I’ve purchased your book from Amazon, and am waiting for its arrival.

My boyfriend suffers from chronic gout, and I am quite concerned.  The medication he has used to treat his condition, while toxic in its own right, is the only thing that has allowed him to be reasonably mobile.  The FDA has banned this medication, and their recommendation doesn’t work for my boyfriend.  The alternative he’s been given is to use Tramadol, which is a serious pain medication with addictive qualities.

So far, I’ve not seen anything in your literature that addresses gout–mostly it talks about diabetes and heart disease. Will you please comment? Desperately seeking answers. Best regards, Diana

Dear Diana,

My daughter is named Diana. Thanks for your note and I hope you like our book. Not being a medical professional, I cannot specifically comment on gout. But there are numerous prominent MD’s featured in our book who believe that what we eat drives up to 80% of our cost of health care. They also believe that most of those “food borne diseases” would simply disappear if we shifted to a whole foods, plant-based diet.

I know that gout is a form of arthritis and I know that a 90-year old friend of mine was just cured of his chronic arthritis after adopting a near-optimal plant-based diet. Here’s what wikipedia had to say:

Gout has increased in frequency in recent decades affecting approximately one to two percent of theWestern population at some point in their lives. The increase is believed to be due to increasing risk factors in the population, such as metabolic syndrome, longer life expectancy and changes in diet. Gout was historically known as “the disease of kings” or “rich man’s disease”.

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic has reversed heart disease in nearly 100% of his patients -- with diet change only.

In our book, we talk about many other diseases of affluence that are not seen very often in populations that eat a whole foods, plant-based diet. My very strong conviction is that whole, plant-based foods comprise the natural diet for our species and that when we eat at the 4Leaf level (over 80% of your calories from whole plants), many of our health maladies will simply disappear. Maybe that will happen with your boyfriend’s gout; maybe not.

A few hours after I posted this blog, there were two very helpful comments. The first contains a video-case of a man who eliminated his gout after thirty years. The second one is from Dr. Craig Holman, a practicing podiatrist for 33 years. He said he used to see gout about once a month; now he sees it 2-3 times a week. His advice is simple. Scroll down to take a look.

I started eating this way nine years ago when I was 57. Since then, my borderline high cholesterol, blood pressure, PSA and A1C levels have all moved effortlessly into the very healthy zone while I dropped 25 pounds to my ideal weight of 155 today. Today, at age 66, I take no medications, enjoy near perfect health and rarely ever see a physician anymore — unless I have an accident. Ripped my Achilles tendon last year, and spent lots of time with our health care system during the next few months.

I often hear people talking about their list of “food allergies,” but often wonder, “What would happen to all of those allergies if they traded their toxic Western diet for a health-promoting, whole foods, plant-based diet?” My guess is that most, if not all, of their food allergies would disappear.

You might wish to send a note to Dr. Michael Greger, who recently launched a new website at nutritionfacts.org. In less than a year, he has posted several hundred videos, but this is the only one that even mentioned gout. This video leads off with Dr. Greger quoting from a Caldwell Esselstyn paper about treating heart disease. He mentioned gout only once in this five-minute video. Take a look at it and think about sending Dr. Greger a specific question.

Diana, you didn’t mention anything about his current diet in your note, but I am confident that a shift to 4Leaf would have a beneficial effect on his overall health. I wish the best for you and your boyfriend and look forward to hearing from you again. Sincerely, J. Morris Hicks.

Disclaimer. The author of this blog and the “Healthy Eating – Healthy World” book is not rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, suggestions and procedures on this blog are not intended as a substitute for consulting with a physician. All matters of health require medical supervision. The author will not be responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion on this blog.

J. Morris Hicks, author and activist. Working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

If you like what you see here, you may wish to join our periodic mailing list. Also, for help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4-Leaf page.

And if you like what 4-Leaf eating is doing for you and your family, you might enjoy visiting our new “4-Leaf Gear” store. From the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

If you’d like to order our book on Amazon,  visit our BookStore now.

—J. Morris Hicks…blogging daily at HealthyEatingHealthyWorld.com

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