Gout is a common condition, especially in older people. According to medical research about one in a hundred people develop it at some point, although it is more common in men than in women (5 in 100 men past the age of 65 compared to less than 1 in 100 women in the same age bracket). Gout attacks can be excruciatingly painful and it can strike unexpectedly, causing intense pain in a particular joint, most often in the big toe, although other joints such as the knees, elbows, ankles, fingers, and thumbs may also be targeted.
One of the most common forms of arthritis, Gout, is mainly caused by excessive amounts of uric acid in the blood. Excess uric acid is normally filtered through the kidneys and expelled from the body via urine. However, if the body fails to excrete it, tiny crystals begin to form and become lodged in the joints causing inflammation, pressure, and as a result, severe pain in the problem area.
Getting uric acid levels in control is an important step to manage the condition. Before going out to spend hundreds of dollars on homeopathic treatments, supplements, and herbal remedies, consult your physician and invest in a high-quality and reliable uric acid test meter. Monitoring your uric acid levels accurately is important in beating gouty arthritis and other diseases caused by hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels).
Controlling Gout
The internet is full of suggestions and herbals remedies to help you control your gout by working to decrease your uric acid levels. But what good are all these ideas and remedies if you don’t even know what your uric acid levels are?
It’s really no secret, the only way you can become symptom free is to maintain your uric acid levels consistently below 6 gram/dL. Getting your uric acid levels to be under 6 gram/dL is your key to alleviating the pain of gout. Period!! There are no other magic answers. Nothing else really matters when it come to controlling gout flareups.
Regular testing, either at your doctors office or with a home uric acid meter is the only way you can know for sure if you are beating gout. See our recommendations here.