This is the 'kings' disease' as it affects the affluent. It is a type of arthritis that affects the toe, knee and other joints. Your kidneys lose their ability to flush out the excess amounts of uric acid, partially. This uric acid crystallizes and lodges in the joints, thus causing joint pain. This joint gets hot, swollen and tender. This pain usually starts in the middle of the night and can last for hours and days at a stretch. But it can vanish quite quickly.

The following are some of the simple home remedies that you can take to prevent the gout infection:

- Lose weight slowly: People suffering from gout are usually overweight with their body weight about 10 to 15 percent overweight. More your girth, higher your uric acid level. The higher incidence of the uric acid leads to frequent and intense gout attacks. But take care that you should lose weight slowly as crash diet leads to increase in uric acid levels.

- Control the blood pressure: Gout patients who also suffer from hypertension need to be extra careful. This is because the blood pressure medications raise the levels of uric acid. Hence it is advisable to control the blood pressure naturally by lowering the intake of the sodium, exercising regularly, reducing the excess weight and eliminating stress.

- Skip liver: Certain foods contain purine that raise uric acid levels. Though it is found in most foods, it is advisable to skip certain foods like red meat especially organ meats, liver, certain types of fish and some green leafy vegetables like spinach.

- Stop the drink: If you are suffering from gout, avoid alcohol. This is because alcohol stimulates the production of uric acid. Beer is the main culprit as it has higher purine content than the other wines or spirits.

- Go heavy on water: Drinking lots of water will help kidneys flush out the excess uric acid. Dehydration is also known to trigger gout attack. You can increase the urinary output by drinking at least five glasses of water a day.

- Improve your sex life: It has been found that if you are a man, having frequent sexual activity reduces the levels of uric acid.

- Take care of your feet: If you increase your big toe, you run the risk of gout attack. Wear shoes around the house and protect the feet from the daily accidents.