INFLAMMATION HAS BEEN LINKED to every health condition that afflicts the human race, including chronic pain. There are many causes of inflammation, such as injury, poor diet, and stress, to name a few.
In case of injury there are several things that help the body heal properly, such as chiropractic adjustments, laser, nutrition, acupuncture, and massage.
One element that promotes chronic pain after an injury is NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), which block the healing of the joint. NSAIDs relieve pain initially, but can put the person into a chronic pain cycle. One of the mechanisms is that NSAIDS block resolvins, the by-products of omega 3’s that help resolve pain.1 Dan Murphy DC came upon this relatively recent discovery, and has since lectured and expounded on how important this resolvin concept is, how resolvins are more anti-inflammatory than the EPA and DHA in fish oil, and how NSAIDS block their formation (personal correspondence).
Recent research shows that people given NSAIDs for an injury can cause them to have chronic pain indefinitely, because their pain has never had a chance to resolve.
There has been ample evidence for decades that NS AID use has ill effects on soft tissue; in fact, a publication from the National Library of Medicine states that, “the short-term benefits of NSAIDs in the treatment of acute soft tissue injuries must be weighed against the potential long-term adverse effects on tissue healing, structure, and function.”2. Additionally, Dr. Murphy points out a study noting that “There is a protective effect of the acute inflammatory response against the development of chronic pain”, and this protective effect is blocked by NSAIDS3. It is now known that NSAIDs also cause damage to the mucosal lining of the small and large intestines (they block mucus-producing prostaglandins), which leads to leaky gut and inflammation in the gut. Once we have inflammation in the gut, we have inflammation in the brain.
Omega 3’s from fish have been shown to be as effective as NSAIDs in supporting pain and inflammation in the joints from acute injury4. As far as chronic pain goes, the food we eat is critical to our inflammatory profile. People with a ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 oils above 4/1 (some researchers say 2/1) are in serious trouble. The average American’s ratio is 25/1, which practically ensures chronic problems and possibly even early death. It is important to have this ratio checked by a simple finger-prick blood analysis. I use the Brain Span test (BrianSpan.com), which also has a cognitive portion as well.
“Omega 3’s from fish have been shown to be as effective as NSAIDs in supporting pain and inflammation in the joints from acute injury4.”
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has also been shown to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and increase mitochondrial production of ATP. When an element does all three of these things, healing occurs. I use and trust Erchonia lasers.
When it comes to chronic pain, nutrition becomes critical. We need to reduce pro-inflammatory foods like sugar, refined or excess carbohydrates, trans fats, processed/packaged foods, deep fried foods, soda (whether with sugar or one of the diet forms), high omega 6 oils, (vegetable oils) and fast foods to name a few.
These foods need to be replaced with Omega 3’s containing foods, wild caught fatty fish, wild game/lean organic meats, olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil, organic fruits and vegetables, raw unsalted nuts, clean filtered water, organic green tea and spices.
There are also many nutrients that can help reduce chronic inflammation, including:
There are also many nutrients that can help support chronic inflammation, including:
1. Boswellia
2. Ginger
3. Turmeric
4. Curcumin
5. Milk Thistle
6. Quercetin
7. Alpha Lipoic Acid
8. Vitamin D3
9. CoQlO
10. Vitamin C
11. Valerian
12. Fever Few
13. Passion Flower
14. Skullcap
15. White Willow Bark
16. Calcium
17. Magnesium
18. Zinc
19. Bromelain
20. Papain
21. Trypsin
22. Pancreatin
23. Rutin
24. Glycomacropeptides in Whey
25. Organic Sprouts
26. Parsley
27. Probiotics
28. Spirulina
29. Beta Sitosterol
And the list goes on.
Then we come to stress, also known as the silent killer. The organs that are affected most by stress are the adrenal glands. One of the primary jobs of the adrenal glands is to produce adrenaline when we perceive we are in danger, as when we need to escape, or when we see someone pinned under a heavy object and require the strength to lift it, which are important to our survival. The problem becomes acute when we are under chronic stress due to day-to-day life events like helping patients, being a parent or a spouse, dealing with traffic and, maybe the worst, dealing with insurance companies.
“Finally, chronic stress caused deep bleeding in the stomach and duodenum.”
Hans Selye, a Canadian researcher, called chronic stress “the syndrome of just being sick.” When lab animals were placed under stress for prolonged periods he noted that the adrenal cortex enlarged, and the spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and all other lymphatic tissue atrophied.
Finally, chronic stress caused deep bleeding in the stomach and duodenum.
Any time the body is under long-term stress it reacts by secreting cortisol. When cortisol levels rise this leads to inflammation. One of the conditions that happens is that adjustments don’t hold like they should. If I have a patient who doesn’t seem to hold adjustments, I immediately think stress and adrenal glands.
This leads to:
Liver toxicity, colon inflammation, joint pain
And will yield:
Nociceptive irritants:
• Mechanical: trauma and injury
• Chemical: Lactic Acid, Prostaglandin E2, Leukotriene B4 (LTB4), Histamine, Hydroxytryptamine, and Bradykinin.
As we know, these chemicals are pro-inflammatory and keep us in chronic pain.
Supplements containing adrenal glandular and synergistic B vitamins and nutrients like grape-seed extract or bioflavonoids, and helpful herbs like astragalus and American ginseng, can support the adrenal glands and balance the output of cortisol. There are many supplement offerings available. Personally, I have used Nutri-West, especially for adrenal support.
Steps to take in supporting inflammation and thereby chronic pain:
• Greatly reduce or eliminate the use of NSAIDs
• Fight the effects of inflammation by improving our diet to improve the Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio and also reducing vegetable oils and increasing EPA and DHA by taking a quality fish oil. This requires 2-10 grams of EPA and DHA per day for 4-6 months.
• Take supplements that include boswellia, ginger, turmeric, curcumin, milk thistle, quercetin, alpha lipoic acid, and other anti-inflammatory herbs and nutrients.
Use a Low-Level laser to support inflammation, circulation and production of ATP from the mitochondria.
Dr. Mark Earnhart is a graduate of the University of Washington in 1979 and then Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1982. He has practiced in Friday Harbor, Washington for the past 41 years.
He has used Nutri-West supplements and Erchonia lasers for 25 years in his practice and has been a distributor for Nutri-West in the Pacific Northwest for 11 years and teaches workshops in Washington, Oregon. Alaska and Canada, [email protected]
