Gout is a disease usually caused by having too much uric acid in the body. Too much uric acid may not cause symptoms for years, but after a time it can cause painful joint inflammation. The most common site of inflammation is the joint between the foot and the big toe. Later attacks often affect other joints of the foot and leg. Less often, the arms and hands are affected. In addition to the arthritis, gout causes the formation of tophi. Tophi are lumpy deposits of uric acid crystals just under the skin. Common places for tophi to develop are in the outer edge of the ear, on or near the elbow, over the fingers and toes, and around the Achilles tendon in the ankle. Gout can also cause kidney stones made of uric acid. Most people who have gout are middle-aged men, but it can occur at any age. Only 5 to 10% of cases of gout occur in women, most often after menopause.

Gout and heart disease
For men with risk factors for heart disease, having the arthritic condition gout may further increase their odds of dying from heart problems.

Gout Research Update
A 12-year study has largely confirmed the conventional wisdom about the dietary causes of gout. Diets high in purine-rich beef, pork, lamb, and seafood were found to increase the risk of gout. Diets high in dairy foods that are rich with casein and lactalbumin, which reduce serum uric acid levels, were found to decrease the risk of gout. Surprisingly, intake of purine rich vegetables did not affect gout risk.

Alcohol and gout
Beer is more likely to be associated with gout than spirits. Moderate wine consumption does not appear to raise the risk.

Gout treatment questions
Q. Does Green tea extract help reduce gout symptoms?
   A. Good question. We don't know at this time whether drinking green tea or taking a green tea supplement helps reduce gout symptoms.

Q. I have hemochromatosis, iron in control for 2 yrs, a lot of joint pain with regular gout attacks. I tried GC Gout care after 2 pills all inflammation was gone but developed massive headache and dizziness and had to stop.

Q. I do not have gout, and I’m not exactly sure why I read your page on it, but I noticed that there was no mention of honeybee sting therapy. I heard a segment on NPR in June 2008 about the topic and just thought it was incredibly interesting.
   A. We are not familiar with honeybee sting therapy as a natural treatment for gout.

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