If this is your first gout attack you can easily confuse the symptoms with other problems. So if you are suffering some of the symptoms below then you need to get to your doctor for a diagnosis. Once confirmed, they'll probably put you on some drug-based medication. This is fine, except that they do have some bad side effects, and only work while being taken.

If you've had gout diagnosed before then you'll probably have had these medications and perhaps had experience of their side effects and limitations. So you may be looking for natural alternatives as more and more gout victims are doing. I'll cover this further on.

First, gout symptoms are inflammation, redness, stiffness, heat, swelling and, of course, one of the worst pains you can experience. The vast majority of symptoms appear in the big toe of the foot. But you can get gout symptoms in the ankle, knee, hands, wrist, elbow, etc.

Gout symptoms are caused by crystals which have formed in the joints due to high uric acid in the blood. This is called 'hyperuricemia' and occurs when your kidneys aren't working effectively enough to flush excess acid out of your body. But it can also happen when your body is producing far too much uric acid for your kidneys to process in the first place.

So one of the key things is to lower high uric acid levels. Now, you can get drugs for this, but once you come off those there isn't anything to prevent your gout recurring if you don't address key underlying issues. For example weight, diet, lifestyle, some drugs, stress, family history, medical conditions, alcohol, etc., are all triggers for gout.

But there are many natural remedies to help alleviate gout symptoms during an attack and some also help to prevent future gout attacks. This is vital because recurring gout symptoms can lead to permanent joint damage and kidney problems. Typical of these natural remedies are the following...

Cherries. Eat 30 to 40 cherries every 4 hours or so during an attack. They have great anti-inflammatory properties and can also reduce uric acid levels. After the attack, to help prevent your gout symptoms returning, just consume 30 or 40 per day.

Another important remedy is to drink lots and lots of water throughout the day, every day. You need to drink a minimum of 3 liters every day. Water helps your kidneys to flush uric acid out of your body. It also helps to prevent crystal formation.

Diet that is high in purines needs to be adjusted. Purines occur in our bodies and foods and are part of our bodies' metabolizing process. When they breakdown during this process uric acid is produced as a byproduct. So high purine food needs to be avoided; red fatty meat, organ meat, game, poultry, seafood, etc.

These are just three ways to help get rid of the symptoms of gout. But there are many more out there. So you need to become familiar with them to give yourself the best possible chance of getting rid of your present gout attack and preventing further attacks causing you harm down the road...