13 Things You Can To Do To Decrease Chronic Pain

Some Things to Avoid:

1. Smoking Tobacco – studies have shown the chemicals in cigarettes decrease disc height, destroy joint cartilage and deplete the body of vitamin C. If you smoke, try to quit, reduce your intake or at the very least boost your Vitamin C intake.

1. Artificial Sweeteners – Aspartame (Nutrasweet) has been shown to heighten the sensitivity of nerves and make you more susceptible to pain. It keeps your body in an easily irritated state! The best idea is read the labels and to eliminate any diet drinks or artificially sweetened foods. (Splenda too, sorry)

1. MSG & Glutamates - Also sensitizes the body and sets off the pain fibers too quickly. Careful! Even if not listed as an ingredient, this one is released during the manufacturing process as MSG and is found in most processed foods. Again, read labels and eliminate as much as you can from your diet.

1. Trans Fats – They cannot be metabolized in your body and they alter sensitivity and function of neurotransmitters, the chemicals that relay nerve signals. Reduce your consumption of all types of fried foods. Burgers, fries, chips etc.

1. Sedentary Lifestyles - Primarily from television, secondary from computers and video games. Sitting too much reduces the flexibility of the joints and alters the body’s ability to send proper nerve signals to the brain. Without good info from the body’s joints, your brain will perceive pain as the default. So to counteract the effects of sitting at work, be sure to get a 30-minute walk in every day.

Things You Can Easily Do

1. Drink Green Tea – Contains 51 anti-inflammatory compounds! Compare this to chemical anti-inflammatories like aspirin, ibuprofen or the COX-2 inhibitors, which typically only have one or two. Plus you don’t have the risk of dangerous or fatal side effects linked with the drugs. Start by replacing one cup of coffee with green tea instead.

1. Pineapple and Papaya – contain bromelain, which is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory. A note about inflammation – Inflammation occurs after even minor injuries or strains as a biochemical process. At the joint and disc level in the vertebrae, it may subtle so you may not ‘feel swollen’. It’s there and will continue due the presence of toxic chemicals (see #2, 3, 4 above) in our modern diets and will keep your body in chronic pain.

1. Olive Oil- My suggestion is to use olive oil as your main cooking oil. This will lower your Omega 6 intake (see next item), lower your trans fatty acid intake and also gives you a natural anti-inflammatory found in olive oil. This is the basis for the benefits of the ‘Mediterranean diet.’

1. Omega 3’s Fatty Acids – Eat more wild salmon, halibut, flax and walnuts for a great source of the omega3’s (DHA, EPA and ALA). The problem is we have too many Omega 6’s in our diet from corn oils and canola oils so that the ratio of 3’s to 6’s gets out of whack and our bodies can’t clear the build up of nasty irritants. You can also take fish oils as a supplement but must be certain they don’t contain mercury!

1. Anti- oxidants – A good multivitamin will contain vitamins, A, C, E, the B complex, zinc, selenium and other trace minerals. (Everyone needs supplements but I will tell you why in another lengthy article). Buy a good one that your body will absorb, not the cheapest, generic ones that will sit in your stomach and never enter your blood stream. Its no great savings if your body never uses the vitamins. I’ll help you pick a good one.

1. Use Herbs that fight inflammation – Rosemary, oregano, basil, and turmeric are great to use in cooking and they all work with the natural biochemical processes in the body that inhibit pain. Use in place of salt to perk up your meals.

1. Ginger – The royalty of foods because it contains 477 (wow!) active constituents that play a role in reducing inflammation in the body. Great with stir-fry vegetables, ginger can also be used in drinks or taken as a supplement.

1. Glucosamine & Chondroitin – are basic nutrients for joint cartilage. Taken as a nutritional supplement they have been shown to help people with arthritis and osteoporosis.

Don’t be overwhelmed. Start with one or two from the ideas listed above. Get them established as routine in your lifestyle and then add others as you see fit. Take it at your own pace. Remember that this is a process and this will take time. Health is not a single event that once it occurs its there forever. Good health is a dynamic ongoing process and there are always things that you can do to help yourself get out of pain and live a normal happy life.