Do I Have Gout? – Symptoms You Should Look For

Some people have gout and don’t even realize it. There are certain signs and symptoms you should be looking for if you are asking yourself do I have gout?

Gout may be considered a disease of old times. After all it is know as the Kings disease. Only the rich would come down with cases of gout because they are the only ones that could afford the rich foods and drink that caused gout. In modern time this is not the case and anyone can come down with the disease.

Gout usually comes on suddenly in the middle of the night. The feet, especially the big toe is the most common place for you to get your first gout attack. It can also start with other joints. Gout is more common in men than women.

It is a form of arthritis and eating certain foods can bring on an attack. One of the most common signs of gout is the sudden attack of pain with possible swelling and redness in your affected joint.

An overly high uric acid level in your system causes a build up of crystals around the joint. Also called tophi. It will also cause a noticeable lump under the skin. If you have any of these symptoms you may have gout.

A visit to your doctor can easily verify gout. A simple uric acid test and a blood ph level will tell whether you have the disease or not. If you are in severe pain the doctor can prescribe some drugs to reduce the pain and swelling.

You are much better off to learn what is causing your gout and to modify your diet and use other natural methods to control your condition.

The best thing you can do is to learn what food to eat and what not to eat or drink. Sorry guys but you have to lay off the beer. There may be common everday foods you are eating that are causing your attacks. For instance taking aspirin to relieve the pain will make your condition worse. Foods rich in purine are the ones to avoid.

I have been gout free for over a year now by simply modifying my diet and a few other natural methods. I started off taking the prescribed drugs but the side effects were enough to motivate me to seek out natural methods.

So there you have a simple guide to go by if you think you have gout. The more you learn about the disease the better prepared you will be to avoid those painful attacks.