Natural gout relief
What is gout?
Gout has been described by researchers as "One of the worst types of pain that human beings can experience" Also known as gouty-arthritis or uricemia, it is a disease which causes sudden,excruciating attacks of pain, redness, and swelling in one or more joints. It most commonly begins in one of the big toes. Gout can also affect the ankles, knees, hands, wrists and/or elbows. The cause is uric acid crystals forming in the blood and accumulating in the affected joints due to unnaturally high levels of uric acid in the body.
Uric acid forms as the body breaks down purines in foods. Eating foods that contain high levels of purines can contribute to the build-up of uric acid which leads to gout. High-purine foods include organ meat (i.e. liver), beer and wine, anchovies, and shellfish.
Each year millions of American visit their doctors seeking relief from gout, and the numbers are increasing rapidly. About 90% of gout patients are men, and the majority suffer their first gout attack between the ages of 40 and 50. Rates are also increasing among women.
Gout is typically treated with a variety of prescription drugs, but these often have harmful side-effects. (More on pharmaceutical gout treatments here). In recent years much research has been done on non-pharmaceutical, natural treatments to relieve gout and prevent recurrences. (More on natural gout supplements here).