NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), include drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen, are commonly used to stop pain and inflammation. Painkillers like acetaminophen are used for pain, but are not much use against inflammation. Using drugs to control pain is effective in the short-term.

NSAIDS, however, not only lose their effectiveness with prolonged use, they eventually cause problems. They demineralize bone and weaken cartilage. They actually set the stage for oxidative stress and inflammation; they act to prolong the symptoms that they are being used to treat.

Pain medications deplete glutathione—an important antioxidant and a substance that the liver uses to remove toxins. They irritate the GI lining, increasing intestinal permeability. Increased intestinal permeability creates more oxidative stress and increases inflammation. It also sets the stage for allergies and auto-immune diseases.

Fats and oils play an important role in inflammation. Essential oils are converted to substances called prostaglandins (aspirin and other NSAIDS are prostaglandin inhibitors). Some prostaglandins are pro-inflammatory and some are anti-inflammatory. The type of fats and oils you eat helps determine the kinds of prostaglandins you produce. Meat and dairy products contain arachadonic acid, which is converted to pro-inflammatory prostaglandin (called PG2). Flax oil and fish oil are converted to the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin (called PG3). Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils block an enzyme that helps to produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Hydrogenated oils should be avoided at all costs. If the pain is severe, or especially chronic, animal products should be limited or eliminated.

Some herbs are useful for controlling pain. Feverfew does many of the same things that aspirin does. It does one thing effectively that aspirin does not. In many cases, feverfew is often effective in relieving migraine headaches. Ginger is a good painkiller as is curcumin (an extract of cumin).

Enzymes help to control pain and inflammation. Pancreatic enzymes and vegetable enzymes are most effective for pain control when they are taken on an empty stomach. On an empty stomach, some of the enzyme is absorbed intact. The enzyme removes cellular debris associated with inflammation. It sort of cleans house, which reduces pain and inflammation. It is important to take the enzymes on an empty stomach. When taken with food they help your digestion, but not your pain.

Steps you can take to control pain naturally include the following:

1. Absolutely avoid hydrogenated oil. Avoid other pro-inflammatory foods like animal products, refined sugar and chemical additives.
2. Eat plenty of vegetables.
3. Drink plenty of water.
4. Fish oil, flax oil or other essential fatty acid may help offset inflammation.
5. When enzymes are being taken for pain and inflammation, they normally are taken on an empty stomach. Generally they are used for acute pain or a new injury. Enzymes are especially effective for alleviating acute pain. This is seen in a number of studies, for example, in Archives of Surgery: Following hand surgery, 21 of 25 patients who took enzymes were symptom free after 7 days, compared to 4 of 29 patients in the placebo group. Another study published in the Journal of Dental Medicine: Patients taking bromelin were out of pain an average of 1.5 days after oral surgery, compared to 3.5 days for the placebo group. It took 2.0 days for inflammation to completely resolve in the enzyme group compared to 6.9 days in the placebo group.

(Don’t self-medicate with supplements). Schedule a consultation and we can tell you if this is a useful or appropriate step for you.

Vegetables are high in folic acid; the word “folic’ comes from the word “foliage”. Adequate folic acid levels may protect you from dementia. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, affecting about 13 million people worldwide. By mid century the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is expected to quadruple. A study appearing in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (Published online ahead of print, doi 10.1136/jnnp.2007) found a connection between folic acid levels and the tendency for dementia. Researchers followed 518 elderly individuals (average age 73) for a 2.4 year period. At the beginning of the study, none of the subjects had dementia. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is associated with various health problems, including osteoporosis and heart disease. The body needs folic acid and vitamin B12 to convert homocysteine to more useful products. The subjects were tested at the beginning of the study and 20% had high levels of homocysteine, 17% had low vitamin B12 levels and 3.5% were deficient in folic acid. At the end of a 2.4 year period, 45 of the subjects developed dementia; 34 of those were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers noted that the development of dementia was much more likely in those subject with low folate levels and high homocysteine levels. So eat your vegetables, get plenty of folic acid and protect your brain.

We all think of a food allergy as an immediate reaction, like when a person eats strawberries and immediately breaks out in a rash. Some physicians believe that many of us are sensitive to foods that we eat on a regular basis. Often those foods are responsible for one or more chronic health problems, like migraine headaches or chronic sinusitis. The concept of the addictive allergy is based on the ideas of Theron Randolph, MD. Dr. Randolph looked at allergies in an entirely new way. Here are some of his ideas. 
 • A person can take up to 72 hours to react to an offending food. • Food sensitivities can cause symptoms of chronic conditions and seem to have nothing to do with consuming the offending food. Symptoms like migraine headaches, sinusitis, eczema, digestive problems, asthma, and obesity are examples of the problems caused by hidden food sensitivities. • People with food sensitivities are commonly addicted to the food that is causing their health problem. When told that there is a problem with the food, they commonly say, “What am I going to eat?” • Commonly, when the offending food is avoided, the individual’s symptoms become worse initially. Symptoms usually flare up for 4 or 5 days, but this reaction can last longer. After the reaction passes the individual will feel much better—chronic symptoms disappear, energy increases and excess weight begins to come off. This is still a controversial concept, but one that may be worth looking into.

The key to healthy eating is to know how to read labels. If you are used to eating a lot of convenience foods, it may seem that there is nothing for you to eat. With a little bit of practice and an open mind, you will be eating healthily and enjoying it.

When you read a label, it is important to realize that on the label the most plentiful ingredient is listed first, the second most plentiful is listed second, and so on. It may be a rude awakening for you to find that the breakfast cereal that boasts “honey and nuts” has much more sugar and chemicals than honey and nuts. You will discover that juices that advertise themselves as “natural” have a lot of sugar or corn syrup. When you read labels, you learn that many of the foods in the aisles of the supermarket should possibly be avoided. A list of foods and suggestions follows.

Bread
Bread is one area where you will really have to develop label-reading skills. You may intend to eat whole grain bread, but if you don’t look at the label, you will eat refined flour and chemicals without intending to.
Bread labeled as “wheat bread” that looks brown, like a whole grain bread, often has white, enriched flour as its first ingredient. The very first ingredient in a whole wheat bread should be whole wheat flour. If white, enriched flour is on the ingredients list, it should be listed after whole wheat. Avoid bread with hydrogenated oil. (Generally, avoiding hydrogenated oil in commercially prepared breads is sometimes difficult.) Absolutely avoid bread with brominated or bleached flour.
Kangaroo Whole Wheat Pockets is 100% whole grain and has no fat. 
Natural Ovens 100% Whole Grain Bread is also excellent. Here are the ingredients: Stone ground whole wheat flour, flax seed, oat bran, wheat germ, barley, malt, canola oil, yeast, sea salt and honey.
Breads made by Natural Ovens of Mannitowoc are of high quality. They make some breads that are 100% whole grain, and they use flax oil (an excellent source of essential fatty acids) instead of hydrogenated oil. Their whole wheat bread is an excellent choice.

Breakfast cereal
The cereal aisle in the supermarket is a study in additives and sugar. Grain that has been baked and pressed into a flake is not the greatest source of nutrients. If this is something you love to have, Nabisco Shredded Wheat has no sugar or additives. Some cereals use BHT in the packaging. Grape Nuts are also not too bad. Health Valley makes a whole line of cereal without sugar or additives. Cold cereal is not great food. Eat oatmeal or quinoa.

Peanut butter
Yes, peanut butter has eight grams of fat per tablespoon. It is, however, a good source of protein and other nutrients. It is good to have with your morning toast. It’s a much better choice than butter or margarine.
When you buy peanut butter, make sure that it is the kind with the oil floating on the top. Smuckers and Holsum are good brands. You can also grind the peanuts yourself in some supermarkets and health food stores. The only ingredients in peanut butter should be peanuts and perhaps salt. The peanut butters that do not have the oil separating out have added sugar and hydrogenated oil. Avoid these!

Jelly
Most jellies and jams have added sugar. You can, however, buy all-fruit spreads. These are made with fruit, fruit juice and perhaps a little pectin. Smuckers Simply Fruit and Polaner All Fruit are good examples. Read the label. Even jellies labeled “low sugar” have added sugar.

Condiments
In general, condiments often have a lot of sugar, but many have little or no additives. The good news is that you don’t eat much of them. A little ketchup or chili sauce won’t hurt, in spite of the added sugar. Salsa is usually free of additives. Mustard is usually free of sugar and additives. Soy sauce will vary with the company; read the label. Stay away from mayonnaise and most bottled salad dressings. Read the label of your salad dressing. Many of them are full of added chemicals. You’ll find that Neuman’s Italian and Cordon’s dressings are not too bad. Salad dressings are source of dietary fat, so use them sparingly if you desire to lose weight. Avoid salad dressings that have hydrogenated oil. I have found some salad dressings that are additive-free and fat-free. Rising Sun Farm makes a fresh pesto, dried tomato dressing; Montserrati makes organic basil dressing. Both dressings are fat-free.

Frozen dinners
Frozen foods are generally better than canned foods, but not an ideal food selection. Often the foods are cooked before they are frozen. This means the food gets heated, frozen, then reheated when you eat it. This destroys many vitamins. Some researchers tested a frozen dinner for vitamin C and found none. They added vitamin C and refroze the dinner. When they thawed it out again, 25% of the added vitamin C had been destroyed. While additives are usually not a problem in frozen foods, some nutrients are destroyed when the food is precooked and frozen. You can make casseroles that don’t take much more preparation time than a frozen dinner, and they contain fresh food. In the winter time, frozen vegetables are an acceptable substitute for fresh ones.

Changing your lifestyle can almost always guarantee an increase in energy. Unfortunately, when most people hear what is necessary to have health and energy, they become a little discouraged. You can make a few, very easy changes that will improve your health immeasurably. Better yet, these improvements will make future self discipline easier. Sugar: Of course everyone knows that you should give up refined sugar in order to enjoy good health and energy. Sugar is addictive. If you must eat it, you can minimize the negative effect of sugar and reduce your craving for it.

1. Eat a good sized breakfast and make sure that it contains protein. Eat it slowly. Eating protein in the morning will drastically cut sugar cravings throughout the day (don’t skip any meals)

2. If you must have something sweet, make sure that it is after a meal. Do not eat sweets first thing in the morning or between meals on an empty stomach.

3. If you must have something sweet, have cane sugar. Absolutely do not consume products with high fructose corn syrup—they undermine your ability to control your appetite.

4. Avoid artificial sweeteners—they will actually create problems with controlling your appetite.

Baked goods: Of course you should eat whole grains and avoid white, refined flour. This is hard for some people, but some minor discipline is easy and will pay big health dividends.

5. If you eat baked goods, eat them without additives. Bromine is in dough conditioners; these suppress the thyroid and create weight gain, depression and fatigue. Absolutely avoid bleached flour. If you read the label on a loaf of bread and there are things that you cannot pronounce, don’t buy it.

6. Eat good junk. Look at ice cream; it is a sweet snack and not totally good for you. You can buy ice cream (like Bryers) that does not have a lot of additives. You crave the sugar—not the stabilizers and additives.

Change your oil: The kind of oil you consume can affect both your appetite and energy.

7. Absolutely avoid hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats. These undermine your endocrine system, your energy and your immune system. Taking an omega-3 essential fatty acid, like flax oil is also very good for you. Get some flax seeds and add them to salads.

It’s not what you don’t eat that is important: What you do eat is even more important.

8. Eat as much fresh, raw produce as you possibly can. This will improve your digestion, reduce pain, increase energy, and reduce your appetite.