A Bout with Gout !!!

You got up in the morning, with a  reddish  tinge on your Big  toe and  excruciating  pain without any known physical trauma to the toe.

Think again !!!  You just might be having a bout with gout.

Gout is caused by a chemical called uric acid in your blood stream. It causes attacks of painful inflammation around your joints. It is usually caused by a high percentage of uric acid  which turns into minute crystals and accumulate near a joint.  Now the work of these crystals is to irritate the tissues in the joint causing immense pain.

There could be varied causes which trigger gout.

• High intake of alcohol can raise uric acid level
• Insufficient  Vitamin C  supplement in your diet
• Intake of aerated cola drinks, as they are high in fructose
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes mellitus
• Kidney disorders

To reduce the pain try wrapping an icepack or ice cubes in a towel and applying it on the affected area.

An anti-inflammatory drug would help

By changing your lifestyle, you can prevent yourself from a gout attack

Try losing that excess weight , which  in turn reduces uric acid level

Eat healthy and avoid high intake of protein foods which are rich in  Purine. (many organ foods like liver spleen, sweet breads)