Gout Education and Support Group open to all patients

Gout can be a painful disease that is difficult to treat. It is the physical build up of the body’s waste product underneath tissues and between joints. This can cause intermittent painful, flare-ups for patients. The disease is most often evident in the big toe joint, but can appear in the mid foot, knee or other joints in the body.

ADC rheumatologist Dr. Christopher Parker states there are two approaches for care:

Reactive: Caring for patients when flare-ups occur and helping them feel better and manage pain
Proactive: Caring for patients with advice and treatments to help offset the pain and avoid flareups.

There is no cure, therefore the question then becomes how can you manage your health and manage the disease before it manages you?

One of Dr. Parker’s patient’s who has attended the Gout Education and Support group now feels empowered to take a hold of his health. He met people through the support group who share his experience with the disease and it has made a tremendous difference in his life. Together, patients learn what works and what doesn’t and that each of them is not alone in this fight.