Donald B. Ardell, Ph.D. is the director of the Wellness Center at SeekWellness.. Don is a leader in the wellness movement, which promotes going beyond merely avoiding illness to making the act of living an art form.
Wellness is a term which, when used properly, refers to a special mindset or perspective for dealing with problems and opportunities. This mindset, characterized by a strong sense of personal responsibility and a regard for key principles of a lifestyle nature, has relevance to anyone faced with gout who finds the idea of consumer empowerment attractive.
As the host of the Wellness Center at SeekWellness.com, I can suggest a few ways in which a wellness perspective could add value to your efforts to deal creatively and effectively with the many problems and challenges connected with the experience of gout by yourself or someone in your care.
Though I am a promoter of healthy lifestyle with a doctorate in health promotion, not medicine, I understand that about a million Americans suffer from gout, 90 percent of whom are both overweight and over forty, a dangerous combination. Nobody can do anything about the latter, but the former is very much affected by lifestyle, including excesses with respect to nutrition and short-term alcohol use, particularly binge drinking. Gout is also hereditary, related to high blood pressure and high blood fat levels.
These are just a few wellness basics. If these ideas seem appealing to you, please take a few minutes and have a look at the Wellness Center at this site. It contains over a hundred essays about wellness, and many interesting features, including interviews with wellness leaders, a resource section for further information, foundation concepts highlighted, comments by visitors, and much more.
Posted March 2005
Last updated March 2011
