Post #533206 by 4WDtiki on Sun, May 30, 2010 11:01 AM

This thread spurred me to google 'gout'.

A 1799 cartoon depicting gout.

From wikipedia: "Gout usually presents as recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis (a red, tender, hot, swollen joint).[1] The joint that is most commonly affected is the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe (approximately 75 percent of first attacks) and when this occurs it is known as podagra."
Funny, I went to my doctor about that a couple years ago, and she told me it's the first sign of arthritis. She never mentioned the word gout. I was also getting the same pain in the base joint of my left thumb.

I don't drink all that much, or eat much meat and seafood, another cause mentioned. Then I saw this: "A sedentary lifestyle also increases the risk of developing the disease."
Guess I need to move more!

Ernie, a few months after I saw the doctor, I coincidently started drinking kombucha tea. It cut my symptoms (pain) by about 90%. Yeah it's anecdotal, but I think it works, for me at least. You might want to read up on it. I make my own at home, it's almost as cheap as water, vs $4 a pint in the store, and easy, too.