Understanding Uric Acid Results
Try and spin the content of this page replacing all glucose/sugar mentions with uric acid instead and have it rewritten so it’s not a duplicate copy or close to it.
Ignore the bottom 2 sections which are not relevant (A1C Testing and Ketone Testing).
promote a new product called UriTouch which is a uric acid measuring health device. It’s the same as those diabetes devices where you prick yourself and draw some blood and add it to the device to measure your sugar levels, only here you measure your uric acid levels with strips.
When it comes to controlling gout, it’s important that you monitor your uric acid levels. If you uric acid is too high, there’s a high chance that you might have a gout attack. If it’s low, you don’t have to worry about any impending flare. Here are some of the tests you will take to check your uric acid.
Urine test
For this test, you’ll need to provide a urine sample passed within the last 24 hours. They will then analyze this in the medical laboratory to check the level of uric acid.
Blood test
With this test, a blood sample is drawn from a vein on the arm. The medical laboratory will then do an analysis to determine the concentration of uric acid in the blood.
A uric acid level that’s 6.0 mg/dL is considered normal. However, if it’s higher than this, it could mean you have hyperuricemia.
Self-Monitoring your Uric Acid Levels
The manner of identifying high uric acid levels is very easy. Just submit a urine or blood sample and you’re done! However, a one-time test is not enough to determine whether your health is in good standing. Your doctor will likely recommend that you come back every few months to keep monitoring your uric acid, especially if your case is severe.
It’s important that you’re able to self-monitor your uric acid levels. Most gout patients think that just because they don’t feel anything, it means there’s nothing wrong with their health. An unexpected gout attack can quickly prove you wrong. There have been horror stories of gout patients who have experienced gout attacks at a time they least expected it. You don’t want the same thing to happen to you. The only way to know for sure is by doing a uric acid test.
Thankfully, we now have health products that allow you to catch an impending gout attack in its tracks. With Uritouch, you can monitor your uric acid levels closely. It’s so simple to do, you can even do it every day. This will allow you to identify patterns and trends with your lifestyle that could be affecting your uric acid levels.
For instance, there might be certain foods or activities that cause your uric acid levels to rise. You can then make quick changes to your lifestyle so you save yourself from that painful gout flare.
How Can Self-Monitoring Uric Acid Levels Help You?
Self-monitoring helps you to understand what is causing your uric acid to rise. You don’t have to guess whether it’s yesterday’s lamb chops or because you didn’t drink enough water that day. Uritouch takes out the guesswork out of this condition and lays out all the facts in front of you. Simply use a strip to analyze your urine and you’ll see exactly what your uric acid levels are.
You might be surprised to find that your uric acid could rise due to the following factors:
- Diet
- Physical activity
- Weight
- Stress levels
- Hydration levels
When Should You Test and How Often?
It all depends on you. It’s best to talk to your doctor so they can advise you in the best time to do a test. It could be before breakfast, before meals, a few hours after meals, or before bedtime. They might also advise you to do close monitoring if you’ve had a change in your treatment plan, started on new medication, you think your uric acid levels might be too high or low, or you have a fever.
How Do You Do the Test?
First, you need to wash your hands and clean your genital area. Then, release a small amount of urine in a clean container. After that, take out one Uritouch strip and dip it in the urine sample. The strip will indicate the level of uric acid you have in your body.
How Important is Accuracy When Testing for Uric Acid?
Many gout patients don’t know what their uric acid levels are until they visit a doctor and do a test. This can be very dangerous especially if you’re not conscious about your health. You never know when you’re on the brink of a gout attack. By having a monitoring tool right in your hands, you can check your uric acid levels accurately and know where you stand.
Is It Really Important to Keep Records?
Since you are testing your uric acid levels regularly, you may as well keep a record of it. This allows you to look for patterns and trends that help you determine what could be causing your uric acid levels to rise.
A good record should include the date, time, and whether the uric acid test was done before or after eating. If your uric acid is high, make sure to note what particular foods and activities you did that day. One or two of these things are the culprit to your uric acid levels rising. This record can also be helpful for your doctor. By looking at the patterns, they can provide the best treatment plan for your condition.
What Should You Do if Your Uric Acid Levels Are High?
If your uric acid is too high, here are some of the things you can do to bring it down:
- Drink plenty of water. This will help dilute the uric acid and encourage your body to eliminate it via urination.
- Avoid high purine foods. You probably already know what caused your uric acid levels to rise. Avoid that trigger item as much as possible as well as other high purine foods.
- Follow your recommended diet. Your doctor probably recommended a certain diet for your condition. Stick to this meal plan since this is known to help you manage your uric acid levels.
- Take your medication. You should never stop taking medication without talking to your doctor first. Follow the recommended dosage and have some NSAIDs ready in case of a gout attack.
- Do some home remedies. There are some home remedies known to lower uric acid. One of them is doing an Epsom salt soak. You can also take an apple cider vinegar drink or baking soda drink. These two ingredients have been known to help relieve gout symptoms.