Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis and affects the smaller joints in the hands and feet, thus why it's so well known for big toe pain.
High levels of uric acid in the body cause the excess acid to crystallize and settle into the small joints causing pain and inflammation.
High levels of uric acid can come from a variety of things; most common is overproduction (as the body naturally produces uric acid) or over-consumption of foods high in purines, which are converted to uric acid when processed.
There are many foods high in purines and the key to avoiding and relieving gout pain is to decrease the levels of uric acid in your body.
This can be done by avoiding gout foods in the first place and by helping the gout foods you do eat process through the body and clear out the uric acid faster.
You can help the foods high in purines through your system faster by drinking lots of water.
Of course, water is recommended for many aspects of healthy body functioning, but it is essential to the fight against inflammation.
Inflammation is caused by a number of medical and body conditions and can cause a whole host of problems.
Inflammation can be combated by helping your immune and other body systems to work better.
This, of course, can be accomplished by drinking plenty of water.
Water helps to flush the body out and this is where it can help you avoid gout symptoms and pain.
If you are going to eat gout food take into consideration the possible effects that could have on your body and the flare up that could come from it.
When you have favorite food items that are gout foods, you can eat them in moderation occasionally, but you need to do so with lots of water to help dilute the purines and help they process out of the body faster.
This is not a guaranteed method of avoiding gout symptoms and gout pain, but you can use this to help flush out the uric acid and other toxins which may make the symptoms worse.