How Can I Tell If I Have Gout?

When there is an excessive amount of uric acid in the blood, the condition is called hyperuricaemia. Uric acid plays an important role in breaking down the nutrients in the food. It is important to heal the daily wear and tear that body tissues face.

Gout occurs when there is accumulation of the excess uric acid at various joints in the body. The most common place for the occurrence of gout is the joint of the big toe. But any of the joints of the limbs can be afflicted. Typical signs are redness, heat in the area, swelling and a searing pain.

Men are more susceptible to gout. Sudden attacks normally happen in the night. Various anti-inflammatory drugs can be effective pain killers. Gout can be prevented by regular liquid intake, this helps dissipate the uric acid. Good fitness levels should be maintained. Food that needs to be avoided includes red meat, sweets and rich cream gravies.

The most important thing to do when you have gout, is that doctors will only prescribe medication. I found that the best treatment, even better than meds, is to soak the joint (usually the ankle) in water as hot as you can stand for as long as it is hot. Then do it again. The uric acid washes away, and the pain with it. I have a large pot that I use for this purpose. I need it about every other year. Medication would be needed almost daily.

A consideration of gout in connection with the question of heredity will show how near-sighted people can be, how they can go on believing a certain thing for centuries without analyzing, until somebody suddenly shows them the absurdity of the thing. Gout was always considered a typical hereditary disease; for it was seen in the grandfathers, fathers, children, grandchildren, and so on. So, certainly, it must be hereditary! It did not come to our doctors' minds to think that perhaps, after all, it was not heredity that was to blame, but simply that the same conditions that produced gout in the ancestors likewise produced it in their descendants.

We know now that gout is caused by excessive eating, excessive drinking, lack of exercise, and faulty elimination. And, since, as a general thing, children lead the same lives that their fathers did, they are likely to develop the same diseases as their fathers did. A poor man who leads an abstemious life doesn't develop gout, and if his children lead the same abstemious lives they do not develop gout. (There are some cases of gout among the poor, but they are very rare.) But if they should begin to gorge and live an improper life they would be prone to develop the disease.

The disease, therefore, cannot in any way be considered hereditary. In matrimony, gout in either of the couple is not a desirable quality, but it is not a bar to marriage; and, if the candidate individually is healthy and free from gout, the fact that there was gout in the ancestry should play no role.

Gout is a kind of arthritis. It is characterized by a painful irritation in the feet, particularly the toe. It is caused due to the excessive accumulation of uric acid in the joints of the body. This disease may also cause swelling of the feet. Modification in the diet and proper medication can help to treat people suffering from this disease. This ailment was known as podagra in the olden days. Redness in the feet, heat and stiffness is also caused by gout. Visit your doctor if you suspect gout.

Gout also affects other areas such as the knees, heels, ankles, wrists, fingers and elbows of people suffering from it. Gout can be caused by several reasons such as overweight, genetic factors, gender and age, alcohol consumption, faulty diet and other environmental factors. This disease is more common in men than in women. Doctors diagnose this disease by inserting a needle in the inflamed region and drawing out a little fluid which is used to determine the disease.