What do arthritis, cancer, heart disease, shingles, diabetes, poor digestion, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, backache, abdominal cramps, kidney stones, injuries, pre-menstrual tension and urinary tract infections have in common? The answer is pain and inflammation.
Pain and inflammation are essential life processes. Pain acts as a warning sign that something is wrong in the body, and inflammation is an important protective mechanism allowing healing to take place. However, an excess of these can result in unrelenting symptoms, misery, anguish, stress and sometimes disablement for the sufferer.
Whether the pain and inflammation are in the area localised or referred they are caused by chemicals called inflammatory mediators. Examples of these chemicals are prostaglandins, histamine, leukotriennes, cytokines, free radicals, seratonin, histamine, interleukin and insulin. Allopathic medicine uses drug treatment to decrease the inflammation and reduce the pain by blocking these chemicals. These often cause side effects ranging from stomach bleeding, bone demineralisation, kidney damage and nutritional deficiencies. Ideally, it would be beneficial to get to the root cause of the problem, but as that takes time interim measures may have to be considered. Natural pain remedies, which are often as effective as drugs, but without the side effects, are available. So are modern energy treatments.
 Avoiding Allergens
An allergic reaction to a food, chemical or environmental substance causes an immune response in which chemical mediators are released. These can lead to the pain associated with many symptoms and disease states ranging from headaches, arthritis, migraine and muscle cramps to chronic back pain. Examples are red wine, containing histamine, causing sneezing, runny noses and sinus problems, and monosodium glutamate, a flavour enhancer, resulting in headaches, muscle cramps and flushing. Potatoes tomatoes aubergines and peppers (members of the deadly nightshade family) may lead to arthritic pain, dairy products to eczema and asthma, and gluten grains to celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. The major food allergens are wheat, dairy products, chocolate, eggs, citrus fruits, meat, nuts, tomatoes, onions, corn, apples and banana and any one of these can cause pain and inflammation in any area within the body.
Eating the right foods
Certain foods can aid pain relief by reducing the body's inflammatory response and by promoting healing through their analgesic action on pain nerves. Specific nutrients with these properties are
cranberry juice, which eases the pain of urinary tract infections,
peppermint oil, which soothes the digestive tract, and
high fibre foods such as grains, vegetables and legumes, which ease inflammatory bowel diseases.
A diet low in saturated fatty acids (dairy and meats) and high in phytoestrogens lowers oestrogen levels to reduce the pain of pre-menstrual tension and endometriosis. Elderberries containing quercetin are able to relieve pain and promote healing in skin conditions and injured body structures as well as fighting infections.
Essential Fats
Essential fats are important nutrients to reduce pain and inflammation. They derive from two sources:
the first is omega 6 fatty acid, produced from nuts, seeds and oils such as sunflower, safflower, borage and evening primrose. These are converted to prostaglandins (local hormones) in the cell membrane walls. These prostaglandins reduce inflammation in a similar way to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but do not have side effects. In order to produce these anti-inflammatory prostaglandins it is important to avoid asprin, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, food additives and high doses of vitamin E.
the second is omega 3 fatty acid found in fish oils and flax seeds and is particularly effective in reducing the pain and inflammation of arthritis.
Supplements
Vitamin B6 has analgesic properties and increases resistance to pain particularly where nerves are involved. It is used to make the neurotransmitters seratonin and GABA that inhibit pain impulses. It is particularly useful in carpal tunnel syndrome (compression of the meridian nerve) as it reduces the swelling in the hand and also for nerve pain caused by diabetes, headaches and by the temporomandibular joint.
amino acid Lysine helps to prevent the herpes virus (cold sores) by inhibiting the ability of the viral cells to multiply and speeding up the healing process. It is also able to displace the amino acid argenine, which aids viral replication. A supplement of lysine can be taken to prevent herpes along with lysine rich foods such as chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, fish, cheese, mung bean sprouts and brewer's yeast, and by avoiding argenine rich foods such as nuts, seeds, chocolate and gelatine. 5
Phenylalanine is an amino acid derived from animal, nuts, vegetables and bacteria and is available in two forms, the L form and the rarer D form which is able to prevent the breakdown of endorphins (natural painkillers). Combined together DL Phenylalanine has natural pain relieving effects in arthritis, bursitis, lower back pain, myalgias, neuralgias, migraine, PMS, headaches and sports injuries. However, it should not be taken in pregnancy, diabetes or high blood pressure.
Methyl Sulfonyl Methane (MSM) is a sulphur compound, which occurs abundantly in nature. It is naturally present in the body and is able to regulate fluids and nutrients into the cells, and the elimination of toxins from the cells, which reduces pain and inflammation and promotes healing. It is also able to block the pain response in nerve fibres and reduce scar tissue allowing repair and healing to take place. Body levels of sulphur are often low as every time the body removes invading toxins from the cell it also removes the sulphur compounds. Extra sulphur in supplement form is useful for rheumatoid arthritis, disc problems in the back, acute injuries, tendonitis, bursitis and muscle cramps. Interestingly a solution of MSM can be used on burns to hasten healing and reduce pain and scarring.
Treatment for Pain by health Professionals
Bioresonance therapy and Mitosan therapy, both derived from a long lineage of research in Germany, can be very effective for pain relief. They are especially useful since a wholistic practitioner using either or both of these methods will be able to search for and treat the cause of the pain as well as speed up the reduction of the pain. For Mitosan therapists contact Vitatec in the UK on 01938 556800.
Acupuncture, Osteopathy, and Herbal Medicine are all relevant in certain pain situations. Consult your Complementary practitioner for guidance.
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