Pain, Inflammation and Dietary Changes

  Back pain accounts for more than $100 billion in annual U.S. healthcare costs and a major component of pain is inflammation. Inflammation goes hand in hand in most discussions on pain and this is where we bring in the dietary changes. Several studies, including: "Controlled trial of fasting and one year vegetarian diet in rheumatoid arthritis", "Analgesic effects of dietary caloric restriction in adult mice", and others, tell us that overeating and the consumption of junk food increase pain. To quote Dr. D. R. Seaman: "it is clear that overeating nutrient-free and calorie dense foods (junk food) will lead to postprandial (after eating) elevations in glucose (blood sugar) and triglycerides, which is associated with inflammation." Now if eating junk food contributes to pain and pain costs Americans more than $100 billion a year then it makes no sense for people with pain to eat any junk food at all.
  Identifying these patients is important. They are not necessarily overweight although many are, sedentary, overeat sugary foods, overeat white flour based foods and fatty foods. All of the above at the expense of fruits and vegetables.
  In the context of keeping it simple I recommend a small calorie change. By cutting back or even better avoiding calorie heavy desserts after meals and junk food snacks during the day you can reduce your pain. If this is not enough and you don't need to visit your physician yet you can add a willow bark supplement to your cabinet and my favorite boswellia (the biblical Frankinscence). You can also add more ginger, turmeric, and curcumin to your cooking along with eating more fruits and veggies everyday. These herbs have been shown to decrease pain and inflammatory levels in many studies.
  The problem of pain and it's cost to our economy is made worse by our poor eating habits and can be improved by adding more fruits and vegetables, a few common cooking spices and a couple of time tested herbs.