For years Gout had been reffered as a rich man’s disease. Not any more. Gout is a man’s disease. It occurs about 90% more in men than in women.

An attack of gout occurs when excess uric acid is deposited in a joint and forms crystals. The joint treats these crystals as foreign invaders. To fight the invaders, the joint sounds out signals that it needs help. The body makes more white blood cells, which are delivered to the joint through the blood stream. These white cells release chemicals that cause inflammation, swelling and pain.

Uric acid results when purines, a group of chemicals present in all body tissues and many foods, are broken down. It has no useful function in the human body.

Normally, uric acid is excreted in the urine. This keeps blood levels low. But some men have inherited a metabolic glitch that allows too much uric acid to build up in the blood. Ninety percent of the time the build-up occurs because the kidneys don’t excrete enough uric acid. But sometimes the body just produces too much of the pesky chemical.

As the most common type of inflammatory arthritis, gout is often overlooked as a serious disease. In fact, 7 in 10 adults don’t know that gout is a form of arthritis. Gout is associated with other serious conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and blood lipid issues, which are dangerous and can potentially become life-threatening. Gout is an extremely painful disease, yet just one in five think of gout as a “serious” condition.

While gout can affect a number of joints, it most commonly affects the big toe. Consumption of alcoholic beverages – particularly beer – has been linked to gout flares. While people who don’t drink beer can still get gout, studies have shown that those who do drink beer are more likely to suffer from attacks.

There are a number of factors that can contribute to gout attacks, including high uric acid levels greater than 6 mg/dL and consumption of alcohol. Taking steps like getting your uric acid levels checked regularly and avoiding trigger foods and drinks, like red meat and alcohol, can help to reduce future attacks.

Certain foods – including shellfish, like lobster – have been linked to an increase in gout flares. As part of a low-purine diet, patients are encouraged to include more foods such as low-fat or non-fat dairy products, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts and grains. Keeping the body well hydrated, helps your kidneys excrete the excess Uric acid secreted.

While allopathic medicine only prescribes pain killers it does not get down to the root cause.
Homeopathy works well here. It gets to the root cause and helps you bounce back to good health. A thorough case taking by a homeopath is necessary to arrive at the right remedy. Some of the remedies that work for gout are
Urtica urens, Aurum muriaticum natronatum, Solidago, Coccus cacti, Acidum flouricum, Actaea spicata,China officinalis, Caullophyllum, Bryonia alba, Benzoicum acidum, Kalium iodatum.Kali bromicum, Rhus tox