written by Janet Ryan, Wellness Consultant & Founder of SpectraSpray Global
Life is not the same when you have pain. We know.
Your life can revolve around your pain if you can’t relieve it well enough.
There are many facets to pain, and more than one way to treat it. For extreme or chronic pain, you are most likely seeing your trusted physician, who is helping you navigate the options. You may already be using some helpful medications, or pain management technics but are seeking other ‘natural’ solutions.
And there’s a very good chance your pain may be keeping you from getting a deep, restorative sleep.
You may also not be aware of how your dietary intake can create ‘inflammation’.
We’re not here to treat or diagnose your pain, but purely to provide some information that could help you reduce inflammation, naturally.
INFLAMMATION = PAIN
Let’s start with food. Something you do everyday!
Many people are still in the dark when it comes to ‘what to eat, and what to avoid’ when you have inflammation. Most doctors, unless fully trained in nutrition will brush over diet for their pain patients. If interested, they’ll often refer you to a nutritionist or dietician to learn more about anti-inflammatory eating.
In general, you should be avoiding simple sugars, flour, excess alcohol and saturated fats that cause inflammation. If you add greens, a few healthy, gluten free grains, nuts & seeds, a few fruits and 4-6 servings of vegetables into your daily intake, you should be on your way. You’ll not only decrease inflammation, you’ll benefit from the added B vitamins for your nervous system, minerals and micronutrients found only in whole foods.
Drinking enough water and regular exercise (breaking a sweat) is very important to help keep your system flowing and to support the detoxification processes your body craves to stay well, and to decrease inflammation. Our lymphatic system has no pump and depends on YOUR BODY MOVEMENT to function properly.
For additional expert guidance, check out Dr. Michael Lewko’s blog written to educate his Rheumatology and Arthritis patients about their pain and inflammation.
Nutrition and Inflammation – Their 'Relationship' (click to read more)
How important are my Vitamin D Levels?
It’s just one piece of the inflammation puzzle, and by no means a stand - alone solution.
Keep in mind, that all CHRONIC disease in your body are caused by inflammation. Keeping up your Vitamin D levels is a large component in aging positively. It is considered more of a hormone, than a vitamin, regulating many functions that support heart health, immune health, pain, cognitive health and bone health.
‘D can down regulate production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by immune cells’ as shared in The American Geriatrics files.
How vitamin D inhibits inflammation. "Patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, arthritis and prostate cancer, who are vitamin D deficient, may benefit from vitamin D supplementation to get their serum vitamin D levels above 30 nanograms/milliliter."
According to one of the world’s leading experts; Dr Hollick; Vitamin D deficiency has been recognized as a pandemic. (1)Worldwide, more than a billion people may have low levels of vitamin D. (2)
‘Despite being known as “the sunshine vitamin,” research has shown that supplements are a more effective source of vitamin D than sunlight exposure to elevate serum vitamin D levels. (3) As stated in Life Extension’s most recent study on Vitamin D.
1. Holick MF et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008Apr;87(4):1080S–1086S.
2. Palacios C et al. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2014 Oct; 144PA: 138–145.
3. Moradi S et al. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2020;60(11):1881-1889.
Unfortunately, fruits, veggies, and grains have almost no vitamin D, but here’s a few foods that you can add to your diet, courtesy of Pain Science:
Salmon is the best source — there’s about 600 IU in 6 ounces of salmon — followed by mackerel, tuna and other fatty fish. (Cod liver oil, if you can stand taking it)
· Foods artificially fortified with vitamin D, some dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, cereals
· Beef liver
· Cheese
· Egg yolks
· Pork
B Vitamins for Neurological Support
Vitamin B12 is often neglected in the pain conversation but shouldn’t be overlooked. B12 deficiency is not easy to detect since blood levels are not always reliable. B12 and B6 both support neurological function and lack can include symptoms like tingling and strange sensations. Being more abstract, they are more difficult to detect and to treat. Since B12 is a water-soluble nutrient, your body excretes it throughout the day.
After age 40, our bodies don’t produce as much so a daily supplement can support many challenges- not just pain, but energy production, food conversion and cognitive health. The B vitamins work as a family and are plentiful in food. Only animal products contain adequate B12. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you could consider fermented yeast products, but please consult with a nutrition professional.
Why are so many people getting positive results with CBD?
Many people are using CBD for a variety of reasons these days, in different forms and at various strengths. Physicians and nutritional consultants are also beginning to embrace these wellness solutions for their patients due to the high demand and positive results experienced, especially pain doctors.
CBD or Cannabidiol supports the Endocannabinoid (ECS) system throughout your body. ECS is crucial to
overall health. The Endocannabinoid system is a long word that can barely be pronounced.
The ECS system has been around for 600 million years in our evolution and over 1,000 species on the planet have an ECS. We just recently discovered it and learning more about it. We currently know that it regulates and modulates our nervous system and immune system.
ECS is so important to our health that according to many scientists and clinicians, it is the main driver for regulating our body’s homeostasis.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25846617/
The endocannabinoid (EC) system is now known to be one of the key systems regulating pain sensation, which engages may pain processing pathways. As we know, pain, sleep and depression are typically interwoven.
As a powerful ANTIOXIDANT & ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, CBD and THC work throughout your whole system, possibly effecting all three issues. In the right dose, for the right person, it can support a deep and regenerative sleep, and can help reduce pain meds. It can also support pain relief and anxiety symptoms.
Many ask, but are there completed studies for CBD?
· There have been over 245 studies in 2017 alone worldwide; showing pain relief to support for sleep and general anxiety.
· Currently more than 500 clinical trials at www.clinicaltrials.gov involving hemp cannabinoid
· 50 of these studies involve pain related to cancer, lower back, acute or chronic pain
When you sleep, you REBOOT.
Many people, at any age, don’t sleep deeply. There are a few cycles of sleep, and if you don’t get through the REM cycles, you
really haven’t rested your engine, your brain!
This shortage of good sleep can adversely affect your pain levels.
Sleep has 2 major functions: it repairs the body from the degradation that occurs during the day; and it is involved in learning and memory. Your body needs repair when you have pain.
We have two interesting studies to share:
1) THE EFFECT OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON PAIN
‘Chronic pain syndromes are associated with alterations in sleep continuity and sleep architecture’ as cited in a Pub Med study.
2) INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY & LIFE SCIENCES (Int. J. of Pharm. Life Sci.)‘A Spray Supplement Improves Sleep, Pain and Depression in Mild to Moderate Chronic Pain Patients’. Excerpts from this study:
‘Chronic pain is a complex condition, often coexisting with sleep disruptions and depressive symptoms. Additionally, sleep quality and difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep have been linked to worsening a person’s depressive symptoms over time and contributing to the onset of chronic pain.
Insomnia, when examined alone, affects about 60 million American’
This study investigated the impact of this spray supplement on sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, pain and depression.
You have many choices. Choose wisely and with expert advice.
There is increased interest in finding integrative solutions such as dietary supplements and nutraceuticals. Formulations including Turmeric, Grape Seed Extract, Bromelain, Curcumin, Garlic, Boswelia, Celery Seed Powder and many other natural herbs and plant extracts have proven beneficial for many with pain.
Not everyone benefits from the same formulas though.
There can also be interactions with medications, so you should ALWAYS consult with your physician prior to starting any supplement therapy, no matter how ‘natural’ they are. Keep in mind that medications are extracted from nature. Any ingredient or nutrient that is effective, can also be harmful.
We hope the information here will inspire to you to learn more and find the best natural alternatives or compliments to your current pain management treatment.