Most people have heard about it – but what is gout?

Its symptoms include joint swelling, tenderness, reddish rash, and inflammation. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, associated headache, and anxiety.

Gout is caused by uric-acid crystal formation around joints. The prime target is the big toe, but once that becomes inflamed other joints may follow.

According to several studies, the incidence gout is on the increase. There may be several reasons for this, possibly including increased alcohol consumption and greater use of medications. Interestingly, its mainly that suffer from gout but there’s an increased risk for menopausal women.

Conventional treatment for gout include anti-inflammatory drugs, pain-killers, and colchicine.