Unless you have a serious psychological disorder or fetish for any physical discomfort, you would not welcome anything that could cause you pain. Yes. Innately, humans abhor pain of any kind. So it is only logical that you would detest having gout, one of the most common causes of pain, especially in middle-aged or older men.

What is gout?

Well, gout is a medical condition in which a person’s body over produces uric acid. This substance gets lodged in the joints, which in turn causes swelling and pain.

What is uric acid?

Well, it is the end product or the substance that is produced when our bodies metabolize a substance called purine. Our bodies do not actually use uric acid, which is why it is most often flushed out of our bodies through our kidneys. In short, it goes out of our system in our urine.

Now let us discuss what purine, the substance that carries uric acid, is. Purine is present in most of the food that we eat, especially in red meat and animals’ internal organs such as liver, intestines, and kidneys. It can also be found in some non-meat food products such as mushrooms, beans, green peas, oats, wheat, cauliflowers, and asparagus. It is even present in poultry and seafood. So there is the dilemma. Since purine is present in most food products it is quite hard to avoid.

Moreover, our bodies need purine. In fact, it is quite essential to our existence. Our bodies use purines to convert genes into proteins, convert energy from food into energy that our bodies can use, help our bodies dispose of excess nitrogen, help carry messages through our nerves and muscles, and help our bodies stay healthy by fighting off substances that can cause cancer which are present in some food. Thus, a person cannot survive without purine.

How exactly does uric acid cause gout?

Well, when the blood has high levels of uric acid, the excess uric acid turns into crystals and lodges in the joints. Most often it lodges in the big toe, ankles, knees, fingers, elbows, and wrists. These crystals are the ones that cause swelling, redness, and pain in the joints.

How does a human body produce too much uric acid that can lead to gout?

Well, there are several ways that can cause high levels of uric acid in the body. They are the following:

1) When a person consumes food that is high in purine

2) When a person consumes a lot of food that has purine

3) When a person? is genetically inclined to overproduce uric acid when metabolizing purine

4) When a person is genetically unable to properly dispose of? uric acid in the body?

How do doctors know for sure that a person has gout?

Well, among the things that doctors can do to diagnose gout are:

1) Check medical history or background

2) Conduct urinalyses

3) Conduct blood tests to check the levels of uric acid in the blood

4) Take a sample of the lubricating fluid from the affected joint

5) Ultrasound imaging of the affected joint

Often, doctors just conduct one of these aforementioned tests. However, since gout could be confused with other medical conditions, it may be good advice if you tell your doctor to conduct two or more of the tests or diagnostic procedures mentioned above to assess your condition before making the final conclusion.

Over half the people in the United States over the age of 65 have suffered from joint pain and are seeking relief. Pain in the joints is most likely cause either by an inflammation or swelling of the joint, or it is caused by wearing off of the joint’s natural cushioning with likely causes being obesity or loss of blood flow. Luckily there are several know methods of providing fast joint pain relief healing or suppressing joint pain based on the severity and type of pain.

A simple exercise routine is a common treatment for mild pain relief since it increases blood flow and helps shed some unwanted pounds. The increased blood flow that accompanies mild exercise reduces the stiffness surrounding the joint and builds muscle strength to help support the body and relieve the joint of having to support the weight on its own.

Another common method of relieving joint pain is the use of medicines or temperature packs, such as a heating pack or a cold pack. In some cases, a steroid called glucocorticoid or hyaluronic acid is injected into the joint and provides long term pain relief lasting around 4-12 months. Normally, however, tropical rubbing ointments or sprays and pain relief pills are the most common method for fast joint pain relief although they only provide short term relief.

If drastic measures are necessary, surgical replacement of a joint or surgical repair is often the procedure taken. Since artificial joints and joint replacement surgeries are a growing trend in the US and because they are constantly improving, doctors usually choose this method for extreme cases of joint pain or joint damage.