Konshin provides book about gout
by DARLENE M. DONOHUE Reporter

Victor Konskin

You wake up in the middle of the night, and your big toe feels as if it's on fire. It's hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of a sheet on it seems intolerable.

That is what Amherst resident Victor Konshin, a sufferer of gout, has experienced with the disease. Prompted by these symptoms and other factors, Konshin took it upon himself to educate the public about the disease by writing a book.

"I suffered many painful attacks, so I started to research this disease on my own and found tons of information on the Internet," stated Konshin, adding that he left his job as an engineer to write the book. "Unfortunately, much of this information, even information from supposedly reliable sources, was often contradictory."

"Beating Gout: A Sufferer's Guide to Living Pain Free," offers an informative and personal look into the disease that more than two million Americans suffer from — the majority of them men.

"If someone has this disease or is caring for someone with this disease, they will get the most accurate and up-to-date information on this disease available in one place," Konshin said of his book..

Konshin explained that he decided to dig deeper to discover the 'real' truth of the disease.

"As I searched, I realized that my doctor had not been treating my gout properly and that I was not alone," he said. "One study found that doctors made serious errors when treating patients 78 percent of the time."

Gout has a long, interesting history and has plagued people for centuries. Historically, gout was a disease that got much attention from the medical establishment. However, in the '50s and '60s a flurry of medical research found several effective ways of treating the condition, and interest in the disease almost completely disappeared.

"As a result, the medical community has collectively 'forgotten' about this disease, which has lead to the high rate of poor care," said Konshin. "I also learned through my research that the underlying cause of gout, a condition called hyperuricemia (high levels of uric acid in the body), has been linked to many very serious and life threatening diseases such as heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, stroke and diabetes, to name a few."

The 144-page book was published by Ayerware Publishing, a company that Konshin created after leaving his other profession. He added that he is thinking about writing another book about the energy crisis — another topic he says he knows a lot about through research.

As for his gout, he hasn't had a single attack since learning the proper way to manage the disease.

"My uric acid level is now about 5mg/dL (uric acid levels need to be above 6.4mg/dL before gout attacks become possible) and my joints are healing nicely from the damage caused by years of past attacks," he said.

"Beating Gout: A Sufferer's Guide to Living Pain Free" is available at all major online booksellers — Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble. com, Borders.com and Target.com or at www.beatinggout. com.