Chronic Pain and Nutrition

This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:   Frankp@chiro.org

If there are terms in these articles you don't understand, you can get a definition from the Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary.   If you want information about a specific disease, you can access the Merck Manual.   You can also search Pub Med for more abstracts on this, or any other health topic.

Pain Articles

	Chiropractic and Pain Management A Chiro.Org article collection Start with conservative chiropractic care. It's cost-effective and yields higher levels of patient satisfaction.
	Chiropractic and Chronic Neck Pain A Chiro.Org article collection This page reviews the research relating to neck pain reduction with chiropractic.
	Chiropractic and Low Back Pain A Chiro.Org article collection This page reviews the research relating to low back pain reduction with chiropractic.
	Natural COX-2 Inhibitors: The Future of Pain Relief Nutrition Science News (August 2000) While COX-2 inhibition may seem to clearly describe one pharmacological effect of several common and widely recognized natural products, such a benefit cannot be confirmed until each is systematically tested for such activity. However, the odds seem in favor of the following compounds serving as natural modulators of pain.
	Chronic Joint Pain Nutrition Science News (January 1999) Unlike aspirin and other nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs commonly recommended for arthritis, natural remedies do more than mask painful symptoms. Antioxidants, fatty acids and enzymes target arthritis where it hurts—by protecting and repairing cartilage and reducing inflammation.
	Persistent Pain Nutrition Science News (October 1999) Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic debilitating disease. It affects 2 to 4 percent of the U.S. population, with women sufferers outnumbering men by a ratio of 10:1. [ 1 ]Some experts estimate FMS is second only to osteoarthritis as the most common rheumatic condition. [ 2 ] The women affected are between the ages of 20 and 60--most are 45 to 55. Women in this latter age range are typically experiencing perimenopause or menopause, with shifting hormone levels that can affect the degree of pain experienced. [ 3 ]In the end, fibromyalgia is an often misunderstood condition--and there is no cure.
	Enzymes Can Hasten Pain Relief Nutrition Science News (February 2001) One of the more common reactions to pathological processes is inflammation. Just about every disease or injury involves some form of it, which often manifests as pain. Enzymes, particularly proteases that break down proteins, can effectively be used to ease inflammation. Enzymes are molecules involved in speeding up chemical reactions necessary for human bodily functions. Because enzymes occur naturally in the human body, using them to ease inflammation does not incur the side effects brought on by their synthetic counterparts. Enzymes work not by stopping or blocking inflammation, but by supporting and quickening the process; hence, they are not anti-inflammatory agents per se.
	Solving Sinusitis Naturally Nutrition Science News (April 2000) The therapeutic goal for acute sinusitis is to clear the URI and reestablish proper sinus drainage. Most doctors prescribe antibiotics. This practice, however, is being scrutinized because most cases of acute sinusitis are viral and therefore not responsive to antibiotics. There is also growing concern among doctors that antibiotic overuse is causing a proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. [ 2,3 ] A better strategy is to strengthen the immune system so it can counteract the underlying respiratory infection. Several nutrients can help yoU with acute sinusitis.

Pain Abstracts

	Food Pyramid for Subjects with Chronic Pain: Foods and Dietary Constituents as Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Agents Nutr Res Rev 2018 (Jun); 31 (1): 131-151 Emerging literature suggests that diet constituents may play a modulatory role in chronic pain (CP) through management of inflammation/oxidative stress, resulting in attenuation of pain. We performed a narrative review to evaluate the existing evidence regarding the optimum diet for the management of CP, and we built a food pyramid on this topic. The present review also describes the activities of various natural compounds contained in foods (i.e. phenolic compounds in extra-virgin olive oil (EVO)) listed on our pyramid, which have comparable effects to drug management therapy. This review included 172 eligible studies.
	Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) as an Anti-inflammatory: An Alternative to Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs for Discogenic Pain Surgical Neurology 2006 (Apr); 65 (4): 326–331 The use of NSAID medications is a well-established effective therapy for both acute and chronic nonspecific neck and back pain. Extreme complications, including gastric ulcers, bleeding, myocardial infarction, and even deaths, are associated with their use. An alternative treatment with fewer side effects that also reduces the inflammatory response and thereby reduces pain is believed to be omega-3 EFAs found in fish oil. We report our experience in a neurosurgical practice using fish oil supplements for pain relief.
	The Diet-induced Proinflammatory State: A Cause of Chronic Pain and Other Degenerative Diseases? J Manip Physiol Ther 2002 (Mar); 25 (2): 168–179 ~ FULL TEXT The purpose of this article is two-fold: (1) to demonstrate that chronic pain and other degenerative conditions encountered in clinical practice have similar biochemical etiologies, such as a diet-induced proinflammatory state, and (2) to outline a basic nutritional program that can be used by all practitioners.
	See also the: Omega-3 Fatty Acid Page

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Updated 7-27-2023