What does diet / nutrition have to do with chronic pain?
Everything.
Without question some of my most severe chronic pain was experienced during a time when my body weight was 100 pounds heavier than my ideal weight. It’s simple yet highly effective; lose excess body weight and reduce your chronic pain. Research suggests that losing as little as seven to ten percent of your current body weight can help reduce pain.
While it’s obvious that extra body weight exerts additional constant physical strain on our bodies, nutrition also plays a crucial role in the natural inflammatory response our bodies have to what we eat. Inflammation is what our immune system creates when there is some kind of damage to our tissue(s). Inflammation is not the only cause of pain; however, it can make your pain feel more intense and last longer. The amount of inflammation that occurs in your body can be affected by what you eat.
Here’s the “skinny” on the inflammatory-food response:
- starchy and sugary foods increase pain signals.
- protein foods decrease pain signals.
- certain food additives and liquids (alcohol) increase pain signals.
Get “Fed-Up” with the help of mypainweb.
Here are some of the sobering facts about the state of health in America revealed in “Fed Up,” a new documentary from producers Katie Couric and Laurie David about the country’s food industry: (1) “Over 95 percent of all Americans will be overweight or obese in two decades”; (2) “By 2050, one out of every three Americans will have diabetes”; (3) 80 percent of food items sold in America have added sugar.
HuffPost Entertainment has debut the new poster for “Fed Up,” which is out in theaters on May 9, 2014:
The film’s official synopsis and must-see trailer are below:
For the past 30 years, everything we thought we knew about food and exercise is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, Laurie David (Oscar winning producer of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) and director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever. The film opens in theaters across the country on May 9, 2014.
Click this link to watch the official trailer:
Sugar & Chronic Pain
In the past ten years, researchers have found a solid link between sugar consumption and inflammation. Spikes in blood sugar levels promote inflammation and inflammation leads to chronic pain. – See more at: Sugar leads to Spike in Chronic Pain
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that processed sugars and other high-glycemic starches increase inflammation, which causes pain, overheating, redness and swelling. Click the following link for more details: When food causes you pain
Review some research for yourself: AJCN
What about GMO’s?
GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.
Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.
In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food.
Concerned about GMO’s? Read all about GMO’s and what you can do about it by clicking the following link: GMO’s
What to do??
The facts are overwhelming that support what I choose to eat will affect my Chronic Pain and overall health.
I chose the Paleo Diet as a way to help gain more control of over my Chronic Pain and help to improve my quality of life. Click on mypainweb journal blog to read more about the Paleo experience.
A recent study reports that cutting down on carbohydrates was a more effective strategy than limiting fat intake for weight loss and for reducing cardiovascular risk in a randomized trial, researchers found. This approach is very similar to the Paleo Diet.
Click on the following link to read the recent study findings:
Low Carbs Beat Low Fat for Weight Loss, CV Risk
Portion control is also central in controlling inflammation, as well as for successful weight loss. Portion control simply means not eating more food than you use for fuel on a daily basis.
Diet/nutrition and exercise are crucial. Medication, herbs, and nutritional supplements can help but they won’t be enough without your efforts to improve your muscle tone, lose extra fat, and take control of your own painweb.
Here are a few outstanding websites that fully explain this important cause and effect relationship:
Find Anti-Inflammatory Foods with Inflammation Factor Ratings | The Conscious Life
Chronic Pain and Nutrition | eorthopod.com
Dietary methods that reduce pain and inflammation
5 foods that help manage chronic pain
What not to eat if you have Chronic Pain
Disability Happens » Pain relief protein discovered in blood
Cell Protein Suppresses Pain Eight Times More Effectively Than Morphine
Water and Chronic Pain
If the cause of your chronic pain is the result of injury and / or disease of your intervertebral discs, then some help is just a glass of water away.
Intervertebral discs and especially intervertebral discs that are bulging and herniated require water.
Take a few minutes to review these sites to learn how drinking more water each day will help to reduce your chronic pain:
6 things to know about herniated discs
Why Not Drinking Enough Water Can Cause Chronic Back Pain
Like most people, I find diet / nutrition to be a balancing act requiring constant attention. Diet / nutrition is yet another strand within your painweb. Once you make the decision to improve your diet/nutrition you will be taking an important step in managing your painweb while improving your quality of life.
