Gout appears when you have too much uric acid in your blood. Uric acid comes from certain types of food that contain purines, a substance that turns into uric acid after digestion.
There are several methods to treat gout, but there is no better way to prevent a gout attack than to have purine-free diet, which means to eat less red meat, consume less alcohol and tobacco, and drink less coffee.
In the case of an acute gout the patient experiences severe pain, so the goal of the treatment is to try to reduce the inflammation of the joints and to calm the pain down. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are known to be the best solution to treat an acute gout, because they block the flow of the substances that cause the inflammations. These drugs are taken orally.
A non-NSAID drug is sometimes used to treat acute gout. This drug is called colchicine, but many patients prefer NSAIDS because colchicine has bad side-effects.
If the patient suffers from chronic gout NSAID's don't help that much. The purpose of the chronic gout treatment is to prevent acute gout attacks by eliminating as much uric acid from the body as it's possible. The best medication for this are Uricosuric agents. These act directly in the kidneys and they make them work more effectively and eliminate the acid.
When somebody is suffering from a severe gout attack the doctors inject cortisone directly in the affected joint. Cortisone can immediately relieve pain and swelling, but it's not recommended to use it too often because it can weaken the bones.
But the best gout treatment method remains a healthy diet. This will help both to cure and to prevent this illness. It is also important to know that the levels of uric acid in the blood can also be raised by stress, injuries, obesity and high blood pressure. A healthy fat-free and red-meat free will significantly reduce the risk of a gout attack and not only, it can help in the treatment of many other affections, so try loosing weight, drink less alcohol and eat healthy and you'll never have gout problems!