Gout is a nasty condition whereby your body does not balance the uric acid in the blood properly, causing excess uric acid to be deposited into joints which then crystallizes and causes inflammation. This is an extremely painful condition.

I first had this condition when I was only 32 years old. That experience was followed by a kidney stone formed from the uric acid crystal. At first it was very hard to diagnose. They would take a blood test and the uric acid levels would show normal.

But I would continue to have attacks, usually in the big toe. This is the typical place, but it can happen in any joint. I have experienced it many times in both feet, ankles, big toes, knee, shoulder and one time in a finger. The worst case was in the shoulder. The larger the joint the more pain and problems it causes.

When you have it low in the feet or knee joints, you cannot walk or have great trouble doing so. When it is in your shoulder, you can hardly do anything. Like simply putting on a shirt felt like you were going to keel over with pain.

The usual drug for controlling this condition is allupurinol. Take one pill a day and keep the inflammation away. The condition is made worse by diet. It is sometimes called the drinking disease, because alcohol can greatly contribute to flare-ups but it is not the cause.

It is mostly found in men, but women can have it too. It is hereditary and in my case my father, brother and son have the condition, but I was the worst. I had a bout once that last 8 weeks, in which time I could not put any weight on my foot.

I consumed large doses of aspirin to combat the inflammation, but it just dragged on for what seemed forever. But all things pass with time. The real problem is in your diet. Overindulging in meat and fat is the most likely reason for excess uric acid.

After several bouts of suffering the condition, it finally showed up in the blood test and I got on the medicine, but you know what, it seemed to always fail to do the job 1 to 3 times per year. It was not until just about 3 years ago that I found a permanent solution.

As least I believe it to be so, since I have not had even 1 gout attack in that time period since starting on a natural formula called Cherry Flex. It is a fruit supplement made with whole fruit. It is advertised as helping maintain healthy joint function.

Well I can surely say amen to that, since I have taken a softgel capsule every day for the past 3 years without 1 problem whatsoever. Now I am not always the best at watching my diet. I over indulged in eating meat quite often.

But even with all that there is still no problem. When I have a blood test it shows my uric acid level is at the top of the normal range, just on the brink you might say, but the daily dose of cherry flex keeps the inflammation away. It has made my life so much better. I cannot tell you how many times it has ruined the quality of my life and caused me to miss out on so many great events. I had problems just at the wrong time, such as on vacations and important events.

I even had to give up a job one time because of the constant inability to walk. It seemed hopeless at the time. The main ingredient of the capsule is tart cherries which contains 100 mg Anthocyanins per capsule. It has long been known that cherries helped with the problem of gout, but have you ever tried to eat a ton of cherries everyday of your life?

Probably you couldn't eat it for a month or even a week. The capsule is easy to take and about the same cost as taking the regular medicine. I hope this brings help and comfort to all those who suffer from this problem.