Some times we all have things going on with our bodies that cause us to think we have something wrong, it is easy to get worried. Here are a few things that may signal that you have gout, as always go to a Dr and explain your symptoms and ask him to run some tests.

• Big Toe Pain
• Big Toe Red and swollen
• Big Toe is hot to the touch
• Big toe is to tender to touch

You will notice that all these gout symptoms are to do with your big toe, that is because usually your big toe joint is where uric acid crystals will settle and cause the agony that is gout.

The costs to go see a Dr every time you get a swollen big toe joint and then add on the cost of any medication he may tell you to take and you are easily looking at a hundred dollars or more. While I can not tell you that I know some miracle home remedies or magic cure for gout that I know about but no one else does I can tell you a few things that you can and should be doing to help yourself.

Start doing things to prevent your next gout attack rather than waiting till you wake up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain and then wish you had taken more notice.

Before you start mixing up home remedies for gout you can start changing what you eat.

• Cut Out Game Meat
• Stop Eating Liver and Organ Meat
• Drink More Water
• Cut Down on Red Meat

Increasing your water intake will help your kidneys deal with the uric acid that you do take and since game, organs and red meat are all high in purines (which become uric acid)  cutting those out of your diet will help your body deal with the uric acid that is one of the root causes of your gout.

In a good percentage of cases (I hate to say all of them) Gout is caused by a mixture of poor diet and a genetic disposition towards Gout. Gout isn’t a illness that you catch from someone else.

When you are wondering about the cause of gout and the incredible pain that it brings with it start off by looking at your lifestyle. Looking for external causes for any problem is easy, lets be honest it is always easier to blame someone or something else rather than look at ourselves and see what we have done or are doing wrong.

So lets start off by making a list of everything you eat in a week, this can be a real eye opener in so many ways. One thing most of us do is not take any notice of the snacks we eat between meals or the drinks we have during the day.

Since Gout is caused by a build up of uric crystals in our joints, we need to look at our diet and see if we eat foods (or drinks) that are high in uric acid. Take the list you have made and look for items like shellfish, red meat and alcohol.

I am sure that you see at least some amount of red meat and possibly alcohol in your diet, in minimal quantities, when you start eating red meat every day and drinking then there is a good chance you are headed for gout.

[nms:gout,3,minbid,minprice,5336166119]One of the causes of gout is the increase of uric crystals around your joints. Mostly this will start to show itself in your big toe, from here it can travel around your body causing more damage as it goes. It doesn’t matter that you could be very young and consider yourself not at risk from gout, you are not too young to feel the pain that gout attacks bring.

Your weekly trip to the supermarket should be the basis of preventing gout problems in your family. You can cut out foods which are bad for you before they get anywhere near your fridge or kitchen. For a start you can avoid foods and drinks which contain high levels of uric acid causing chemicals. Also try to cut out drinks which are high in fructose. By doing this you can cut down on the chances of your children developing gout problems, as well as leading a more healthy lifestyle in general.