By: Brad Watson
Most people have heard of gout, but I suspect many don't know what it really is. Simply put, gout is a disease caused by excessive levels of uric acid in the blood-stream (hyperuricemia). Not everyone who has high levels of this acid their blood develops gout disease, but it does seem most do. Specifically, gout occurs when uric-acid crystals form around body joints like knees, fingers, elbows and especially big toes - in fact, for the vast majority of gout sufferers, the first sign of the disease is big toe pain! After salt-like crystals form, inflammation, tenderness, and even a reddish rash may occur around affected joints.
The disease has been noted and documented since the time of Hippocrates. Traditionally, it's been associated with exuberant living - eating and drinking well. And there is some indirect evidence to support this. For example, a long-term study noted that heavy consumers of meat and sea food were much more likely to develop gout. Additionally, significant alcohol consumption, especially in the form of beer, is also known to increase the risk of gout development.
Below are simple home remedies that may help to relieve pain and other symptoms linked to this sometimes debilitating disease. It's unlikely they will all work for or apply to you, so it may be worth experimenting with different remedies to find the ones that personally help alleviate your symptoms.
* An old study supported by a recent one and significant amount of anecdotal stories suggest drinking cherry juice may help alleviate pain caused by uric-acid crystal formation.
* Soaking the affected joint or joints in warm water, or having a warm bath, may also help.
* Drinking plenty of water may help eliminate uric acid from the body.
* Cutting back on alcohol and meat (especially red) consumption should reduce the level of digestive purines from which uric acid is formed.
* If you're overweight, slowly losing weight may also help.
* A recent study suggested taking vitamin C supplements may reduce the risk of gout attacks, so this is worth considering too.
These are just some simple remedies that may help curb gout attacks. Visit my website: http://www.gout-diet-tips.com/gout_relief/ for many more ideas.
