In this article Gout Overview, you will find all the information about gout symptoms and treatments for your condition. Gout is an inflammatory disease which can cause severe pain in your joints, mostly in your big toe.

Gout is the most common type of arthritis affecting the joints of your feet and ankles. Almost 60 percent of those who have this condition tend to experience acute pain in their big toes, often lasting a few days.

Gout causes an inflammation of the joints and deposits of uric acid crystals in them. Gout can result from a number of factors such as improper blood flow to the affected area, certain medications, dehydration and high body salt.

There are four basic kinds of uric acid found in our body

These are erythrocytes, oxalates, phosphates and creatins. Each has specific functions in our body and some are more important than others.

The normal levels of uric acid in our body range between two and three hundred milligrams per deciliter. But if we are experiencing gout symptoms, this level of uric acid can get dangerously high and may lead to severe pain. The good news is that we can prevent gout by making changes in our lifestyle and diet. If the uric acid level in our body becomes too high, we need to reduce it to normal levels so we can fight it.

One of the ways to reduce uric acid in our bodies is by avoiding foods with high levels of purines such as meat, shellfish, nuts and mushrooms. These foods contain excessive amounts of purines that contribute to uric acid buildup. They also have many other chemicals that can damage our kidneys and arteries.

A low-salt diet also helps a lot. Salt increases the production of uric acid in our blood and lowers the level in our urine.

Another way to reduce the level of uric acid in our body is to take drugs such as metformin, which inhibits the production of uric acid crystals. or drugs like aspirin, which can reduce the amount of urate crystals and reduce the inflammation. These drugs reduce the pain associated with gout. These drugs should only be used with a doctor's advice because they might interfere with the normal functioning of other medications you are taking and therefore could lead to a serious health problem if taken without a doctor's advice.

Certain antibiotics, like erythromycin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline are known to reduce the level of uric acid in our blood. They also help prevent other diseases that may be caused by increased levels of uric acid in the bloodstream. These drugs should only be taken when prescribed by your doctor because they may interact with other medicines you are taking.

To fight the gout uric acid in our blood, there are herbs that also fight uric acid

Garlic is one herb that has been used to fight uric acid for ages. Others include ginger, red clover, echinacea and neem.

For gout symptoms, use of ginger and tea tree oil have been known to be very effective. Red clover is said to be an excellent remedy for arthritis. It also helps relieve the pain associated with gout.

Echinacea is known for helping to ease the pain associated with gout in some people but it can also help treat other health problems. Red clover can be taken in capsule form as a supplement or in the form of tea.

These herbs, coupled with the above treatment methods are proven to be very effective in reducing the pain and reducing the severity of the gout symptoms. It is important to drink plenty of water to keep the uric acid levels in your body under control.