Pain and inflammation are a problem. Whether your pain is a result of arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, fibromyalgia, injuries, sprain/strains, muscle imbalance (sitting to long, head down holding your phone), fitness training, or trip and fall. Inflammation triggers pain! Reduce your inflammation – Reduce your Pain.
Aspirin, ibuprofen and other Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s) reduce pain and inflammation by breaking the chemical pathway. Unfortunately, these approaches also irritate your intestinal lining, which creates a vicious cycle, because an irritated intestinal tract only further exaggerates inflammation.
Your Own Little Natural Pharmacy
Drug manufacturers recognize the whole principle of reducing inflammation to reduce arthritis, fibromyalgia and joint pain. Unfortunately, they can’t reduce the inflammation without the potential negative side effects. This is where diet comes into play, because the good Lord designed our body with the ability to make the same little drugs we spend money on at the local pharmacy.
The food you eat has a tremendous effect on how your body responds to inflammation, because the foods you eat will either trigger MORE or LESS inflammation.
- Saturated fats trigger the bio-chemical pathway for more inflammation!
- Monounsaturated fats, the omega-3’s, the fish oils trigger more of the anti-inflammatory molecules.
The only question is which foods do you eat more of?
About 100 years ago, the ratio of saturated to monounsaturated fats was about four to one (4 to 1). Today, that ratio is about 20 to 1 due to all the processed, packaged, and refined foods we consume.
Saturated fats aren’t really the bad villain drug makers like to claim. They have a definite function within our body, but it’s the RATIO… The Imbalance of saturated to monounsaturated fats that puts us in a weaker position regarding Inflammation, Pain, as well as heart disease.
It is when we eat more nuts, seeds, fish and cook with olive oil, avocado oil, sesame oil that we produce more of our own natural anti-inflammatory molecules that reduce inflammation. This is why our Diet can be very helpful or exacerbating for those suffering with arthritis, fibromyalgia, joint pain, muscle imbalance, injuries and back pain.
If you eat too much saturated and not enough monounsaturated fats, it would be wise to supplement your diet with a good fish oil (omega-3) to help improve that ratio of saturated to monounsaturated fats. This will help decrease the inflammation and thus the pain in your body – Naturally. Typically 1-2 grams of EPA/DHA should be taken daily. The big benefit of fish oils (omega-3) is that they also help with hormonal imbalance, PMS, hot flashes, heart disease, depression, ADD/ADHD and the list goes on.
Sources of Inflammation
Inflammation can come from other sources besides your joints or the wrong diet. Obesity and excess adipose tissue will also trigger the release of additional inflammatory molecules into your body. But the greatest source of inflammation that’s never talked about comes from an inflamed digestive system.
Over the years, I’ve learned, it’s OK to openly talk about your allergies, hormones, blood pressure… BUT no-one ever openly admits how GASSY they are.
Millions of people who struggle with bloating, indigestion, heartburn and other irritable bowel problems may not realize all that inflammation in their gut is creating one more point of inflammation. The question again is, can your body handle All the Inflammation? There’s the inflammation in your gut plus your inflammed joints; excess bodyweight; bad dietary choices which makes it hard for your body to effectively handle. At least not without the aid of a prescription or over-the-counter medications. This is why repairing your inflamed GI tract can be a welcome surprise in pain relief..
Inflammation comes from many areas. The question is can your body produce enough natural anti-inflammatory molecules to counteract all the inflammation in the body.
The Ratio of Saturated to Monounsaturated FATS
Now that you know your pain could be adjusted by the ratio of saturated to monounsaturated fats. You can attack your pain problem from both ends. Increase your intake of Omega-3 fats, (fish oils) and decrease the intake of your saturated fats. This helps your body’s natural pharmacy deal with pain and inflammation. It’s like expenses, you need enough income every month to cover all your expenses to keep you from going into debt. And you need enough of the good fats (omega 3) to help balance out the ratio of saturated to monounsaturated fats to keep your inflammation to a minimum.
So, address your digestive system if it’s inflamed. A good digestive enzyme is a good place to start. Learn how to Sit, Eat, and Relax is another.
