I have been aching down my right side from the top of my leg to just above my knee. I can't move after I have sitting or lying down. I have to hang on to something until it eases off. I am also very moody because I'm not sleeping for more than 5 hours. I feel drained.

Where uric acid crystallises in the joints to cause intense burning pain and redness around the affected area, it is a form of arthritis called gout.

Gout is sometimes due to a poor diet and lifestyle and most of us are familiar with the image of monarchs of old with gouty feet perched on cushions while they tuck into organ meats and fortified wines.

Other foods such as yeasts (bread, wine and beer) and fish are, like the organ meats, full of purines, substances that when broken down by the digestive system can form excessive uric acid.

Uric acid can crystallise in the extremities, such as the feet, where body temperatures are lower (most gouty people also have uric acid crystallisation in the cartilage of the ear but it causes no symptoms here.

Eliminating these foods and drinks and drinking lots of water and certain herbal teas help both lower the intake of uric acid-forming foods and help its elimination via the kidneys.

While very treatable through dietary changes, gout can also be a 'metabolic disease', meaning it is a result of compromised liver or kidney function.

If you have tried the remedies above and continue to see the symptoms worsen, you should ask your doctor to check the health of these vital areas.
Best wishes

Earle