Gout refers to a certain form of metabolic disease that cause inflammation of the joints and swellings that affect the various joints of the body due to the excessive deposition of the uric acid in the tissues. Although chronic in character, it breaks in acute attacks. Gout has more influence over for the smaller joints such as the toes and the fingers. It is a disease of the wealthy, and it chiefly also affects middle-aged men, since the causes for the condition are high living, rich protein diet, diseases of kidney and liver, excessive intake of liquor and lack of physical exercise. This disease also sometimes affects women, after menopause.

Symptoms of Gout:
An attack of gout is usually accompanied by acute pain in the big toe, which becomes tender, hot and swollen in a few hours. The affected joints also become red, hot and painful. It may also similarly affect other joints such as the knees and the wrists, and sometimes more than one joint may be affected at a time. The attack usually occurs at midnight or in the early hours of the morning, when the patient is suddenly awakened. The acute attack generally lasts for a week or so. The disease may be accompanied by feverishness, vomiting and headache and also feel disinclined to eat. His health however, can also be aggravated by humid weather and errors in diet. If mismanaged, the disease can affect vital organs like the heart and the patient may suffer from palpitation and a sinking sensation.

The attacks are periodic and recur every few months and interval becomes shorter if the disease is not treated properly. The joint generally becomes damaged by arthritis. This is chronic gout, in which chalky lumps of uric acid crystals remain in the joint and also form under the skin. Another serious complication of gout is kidney stones containing uric acid, causing severe colic pains in the stomach in some cases the kidneys become damaged and do not function properly. This is a serious condition as the poisonous waste products, which are normally removed by the kidneys, accumulate in the blood.

Causes of Gout:
The chief cause of gout is the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints, skin and kidneys. Uric acid is an end product of the body`s chemical processes. Those affected by gout have a higher level of uric acid than the normal, due either to the formation of increased or reduced amounts of acid being passed out by the kidneys in the urine. This uric acid usually remains dissolved in the blood. But when the blood becomes too full of it, the uric acid forms needle-shaped crystals in the joints, which bring about attacks of gout.

Heredity is an important factor in causing this disease and certain races are prone to gout. Other causes include excessive intake of alcoholic drinks, regular eating of foods rich in protein and carbohydrate and lack of proper exercise. Stress is also regarded as an important cause of gout. During the alarm reaction, millions of body cells are destroyed and large quantities of uric acid freed from these cells enter the tissues after being neutralised by sodium.

Treatment of Gout by Nature Cure:
Simple balanced food with minimum of proteins substances and physical exercises are absolutely necessary for cure. For an acute attack, the patient necessarily has to keep a fast for about five to seven days on orange juice and water. Sometimes the condition may worsen in the early stages of fasting when uric acid, dissolved by juices, is thrown into the bloodstream for elimination. This usually clears up if fasting is continued.

In severe cases, it is advisable to undertake a series of short fasts for three days or so rather than one long fast. A warm water enema should be used daily during the period of fasting to cleanse the bowels. After the acute symptoms of gout have subsided, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for a further three or four days comprising three meals a day of juicy fruits such as grapes, apples, pears, peaches, oranges and pineapple. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon the following diet:

Breakfast: Fruits such as oranges, apples, figs, apricot mangoes, whole wheat bread or dalia and milk or butter-milk.
Lunch: Steamed vegetables such as lettuce, beets, celery water-cress, turnips, squash, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes, chappatis of whole wheat flour, cottage cheese and butter-milk.
Dinner: Sprouts such as alfalfa and mung beans, a good-sized salad of raw vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, whole wheat bread and butter.

The patient should avoid all purine and uric acid producing foods such as all meats, eggs, and fish. Glandular meats are especially harmful. He should also avoid all intoxicating liquors, tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and its products, and all canned and processed foods. Spices and salts should be used as little, as possible. Foods high in potassium such as potatoes, bananas, leafy green vegetables, beans and raw vegetable juices are protective against gout.

Carrot juice, in combination with juices of beet and cucumber, is especially valuable. 100 ml. each of beet and cucumber juices should be mixed in 300 ml. of carrot juice to make 500 ml. of combined juice. The juice of French or string beans has also proved effective in the treatment of gout. About 1 50 ml. of this juice should be taken by the patient suffering from this disease. Raw potato juice and fresh pineapple juices are also beneficial.

Water Treatments:
The feet should be bathed in Epsom salt foot baths twice daily. Half a pound to one pound of salt may be added to a foot bath of hot water. Full Epsom salt baths should also be taken three times a week. The baths may be reduced to two per week later. Cold packs at night, applied to the affected joints, will be beneficial. Fresh air and outdoor exercise are also essential. The patient should eliminate as much stress from his life as possible.

Treatment for Gout by Magnetic Therapy:
South-pole oil should be applied before the application of the magnets. Local application of the magnet should be executes either to the toes which are most frequently affected or to any other joint for 30 minutes daily in the evening. Mixed magnetized water should be taken four times daily to wash off the uric acid deposits and to rid the organism of morbid matter.