Is This the Best Cure for Gout in Your Big Toe?

 Gout in your big toe is caused when uric acid crystals form in the toe joint and surrounding tissue as a result of high uric acid levels in the bloodstream. In this short article you're going to discover, not only one of the best cures for your gout, but also, why gout prevention may be a matter of life or death for some of us.

The symptoms of gout -- redness, swelling, inflammation, stiffness, hot to touch and very great pain -- can occur in any part of your body, but the big toe is the most common location.

When first diagnosed with gout, patients are usually prescribed anti-inflammatory medicines to help alleviate the painful symptoms and, after the attack has abated, uric-acid-lowering medication to help maintain healthy uric acid levels in order to reduce the risk of crystal formation.

However, all of these medications have side effects that can affect many patients. In addition, many of us simply prefer not to use drugs wherever possible. This is especially the case with drugs to lower uric acid as these generally have to be taken for a lifetime!

So more and more gout sufferers are looking for natural treatments for their condition. And there are many natural cures for gout out there. Perhaps one of the best natural cures is cherries...

Cherries contain large amounts of anthocyanins which are known to have inflammation-reducing powers. And studies have found that, not only do cherries help to reduce the inflammation and pain of a gout attack, they can also lower uric acid because of their high vitamin C content.

The amount of cherries to take to be effective varies across studies, but at least one suggests taking 30 to 40 every four hours during an attack and thereafter 30 to 40 per day to maintain healthy uric acid levels.

Note that once having had your first gout attack you are now at a much higher risk of recurring gout which, studies have shown, puts you at a higher risk of permanently damaged joints, kidney disease / stones, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and sudden heart attack. You need to do everything in your power to prevent further attacks.

Now, although "cure" is used in the title of this article and, in all probability, you used that in your search query, it should be noted that there isn't a known medical cure for gout as yet. But it definitely can be managed and, if you do it well, there's no reason why you need to suffer further health-damaging gout attacks.