Back pain and neck pain affect millions of people worldwide and it is estimated that 85% of all people will suffer from low back pain or neck pain in they’re lifetime. You would be surprised how much of an affect proper nutrition will help decrease any body pain whether its from a herniated disc or from a systemic problem such as lupus.
Pain can manifest itself in many different ways, some of the most common descriptions of pain include: Sharp, dull achey, numbness/tingling, pins & needles, and even extreme debilitating pain that prevents one from walking or moving. Obviously the most important thing to do first and foremost is to get examined by a qualified health practitioner to find out hat the root cause of your problem is. Please remember that even though massages, heart, and electric muscle stimulation feel really good they often do not address the key factor in body pain. Generally speaking, body pain is a consequence of bad bio mechanics, repetitive stress/injury, and/or congenital defects such as scoliosis. Your practitioner should have concrete goals for you to be trying to achieve and re-evaluating you after a set period of time.
Chiropractors should be one of the first stops with these types of spinal and body pain disorders. In the event you’re not a chiropractic candidate resorting to drugs or other minimally invasive procedures may be a reasonable second option. Remember, though, it’s always best to take the least invasive route first. If you don’t and you use up your options prematurely you may be left with none – other then spinal surgery which in most cases is only around 50% successful long term. I recommend getting examined by more then one practitioner so you can be sure that 2 separate people have looked at your complaint and given you matching and hopefully not conflicting reports. I usually do not send out for diagnostic imaging (X-ray, MRI’s) right away unless there is trauma involved, severe neurological problems, or the patient is over the age of 50.
The reason why nutrition plays an integral role in pain management is because in order to heal properly your body needs the proper nutrients and the only way to achieve this is by eating correctly. It is also commonly overlooked that just losing weight will help decrease any pain from a joint that relies on the weight of your body (ex.. Hip joint, ankle or foot). Any weight a person can loose during the acute or chronic stage of a musculoskeletal injury is beneficial for the patient in decreasing pain. It’s very simple, less weight on the joint equals less pressure and stress being placed on that joint therefore helping speed up the healing process and causing less physical pain.
Another main reason why your eating habits play an important role in treating your pain is because your goal with all pain management treatment is to decrease inflammation. I put all patients on an anti-inflammatory nutritional protocol to decrease inflammation systemically through smart food choices. Decreasing your intake of refined white sugar, white flour, processed foods, high fructose corn syrup, Mono-sodium glutamate, hydrogenated fats, artificial colorings, red meat, caffeine, dairy, and artificial sweeteners are all part of a list of ingredients to avoid while you are in pain.
Good fruit choices include pineapples, mango’s, papayas, peaches, pears, prunes, apples, bananas, and other sub-acid fruits. Pineappes, and papaya’s contain a natural anti-inflammatory called Bromelain and can help decrease inflammation naturally. Use discretion if you have blood sugar problems although fruit often does not cause a problem if the diet is low saturated/trans fat and high fiber. Good vegetables include asparagus, spinach, zucchini, parsley, artichoke (without the butter), kelp and other sea-veggies, okra, snow peas and many more. Cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower as well as onions, chives, and peppers are very nutritious but may create digestive difficulties for some people. The solution is often simply chewing the food better, cooking the food, and possibly adding supplemental digestive enzymes such as proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes. Spices such as garlic, tumeric, etc. are also very healthy and should be used regularly if well tolerated.
For snacks, consider raw vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds (Please ensure you are not allergic to peanuts and other nutrs). The fruits and veggies contain many helpful enzymes, bioflavonoids, and other phytochemicals, while the raw nuts and seeds are rich in essential fatty acids (Omega 6 and omega 3), especially grounded up flax seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seed, walnuts and almonds. Raw seeds like sesame and flax need to be ground for proper digestion (chew very thoroughly). I also make avocado’s and organic, free range chicken eggs a weekly staple to buy at the supermarket. An electric coffee grinder also works well to pre-grind you food (Ground up flax seeds). I run a hands-on supermarket class once a month to teach you how to properly shop and decipher all the marketing jargon that is focused around the US food nation. I teach you everything from how to read food ingredient labels, counting calories quickly, or how to plan to go to the supermarket. The Spa and Wellness Center helps schedule all my appointments for this monthly, hands-on class. Learn everything hands-on an in a perfect environment, the supermarket. Feel free to call the Spa to set up a time to discuss your health goals.
When you start to watch your nutritional lifestyle change you will start to feel better and have more energy. In order to heal properly your body needs the energy to direct toward the healing process and enough nutrients to ensure an optimal recovery. Most of my comprehensive pain management programs include basic nutritional counseling, especially if the patient already has BMI of over 25. Your insurance can cover your services, and even if I can’t help you I promise I will help you find someone that can.
Dr. Gordon C.S.C.S.
Filed under: Nutrition & Pain Management, Brooklyn Nutrition, Dr. Gordoin Kuang C.S.C.S., Exercise and Nutrition, New York, Nutrition, Nutrition and the Healing Process, Nutrition and Wellness, Obesity, Optimum Helathcare NY
