Chronic pain can be so pervasive that drugs and even mind-body approaches may not be enough to give you a break. As many as four out of five people with chronic pain have tried 3 basic diet guidelines as alternative remedies to fight chronic pain which includes eating certain foods or ingredients that are thought to bring some relief from pain.
We can promote or shut down the inflammatory cycle and chronic pain by including healthy food in our diet plan. For example, cloves may help ease nausea and treat colds. They may also help relieve the pain associated with headaches, arthritic inflammation, and toothaches.
An anti-inflammatory diet is a powerful therapy for pain control with many beneficial side effects, so I always recommend to chronic pain patients to do regular exercise to control stress levels and eat healthy foods to reduce inflammation and chronic pain.
It is the diet and not the individual foods that control inflammation or chronic pain.
For a chronic pain patient who is suffering, I recommend three basic diet guidelines:
1) Eat the rainbow – Consume herbs and a lot of cruciferous vegetables each day in diets such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower.
2) Restrict dairy and grains: Eat dairy products in limited quantities. When choosing grains, stay away from simple carbohydrates with refined sugar. Opt for whole grains, including barley, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, brown rice, rye, spelled, and wheat.
3) Avoid red meat: Eat red meat the way most of us eat turkey right now — twice a year and have it on very special occasions very infrequently. Instead, include fish as the “meat” or eat vegetarian main dishes. Chicken is neutral — not harmful but not beneficial in the anti-inflammatory sense.
Ultimately, what you need to know is that inflammation comes from a biochemical reaction initiated by your immune system or wound-healing coagulation system. Some foods can promote or shut down the inflammatory cycle e.g., simple carbohydrates promote it while vegetables shut it down.
Say no to junk food – in other words most fast food such as lollies and vending-machine products are contributing to weight gain and these foods may irritate muscles, disrupt sleep, and compromise the immune system.
Watch my video explaining how to eat to ease the pain.
