are just some of the common inflammatory conditions.
If the doctor’s diagnosis ends in the four letters “itis,”
which there are 178 diseases by definition, inflammation is involved.
By 2040, an estimated 78 million (26%) US adults aged 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Learn more about future arthritis burden HERE.
There are also numerous diseases or health challenges that are closely linked to inflammation. For example, heart disease, especially coronary artery disease, is thought to be directly associated with inflammation. Inflammation is now considered to be a more important risk factor for heart disease
than high cholesterol levels.
Laboratory tests showing elevated levels of ESR, hs-CRP, and fibrinogen indicate the presence of inflammation in the body and a higher risk for heart disease. Also noteworthy is that statin drugs such as Lipitor and Crestor routinely used by the medical profession to lower blood levels of cholesterol are anti-inflammatory
in their mechanism of action.
Numerous Diseases Involve Inflammation
Cancer spread is accelerated by inflammation, and many cancer therapies utilize anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids to keep the symptoms of inflammation (swelling and pain) under control. As well, obesity, dementia, migraine headaches, and Alzheimer’s disease involve inflammation. So do all infections, allergic conditions such as hives, and virtually all autoimmune diseases.
To this list you can add asthma, diabetes, psoriasis and other skin disorders, and irritable bowel syndrome.
The medical treatments for all these conditions use anti-inflammatory drugs as the main therapy.
Sports injuries (for example, tendonitis and bursitis) and any musculoskeletal injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident involve inflammation.
Treating Inflammation with Drugs & Surgery
Conventional doctors have always treated inflammation with drugs and surgery. In some cases, interventions such as surgery for an inflamed appendix are lifesaving. So are short-term antibiotics for some infections such as pneumonitis (pneumonia). But while modern medicine is wonderful in treating acute illnesses, it fails miserably when it comes to chronic disease or prevention. In the majority of cases of chronic illness or inflammation, current medical treatments serve only to suppress symptoms without making
any dent in the disease process itself.
For example, if you have osteoarthritis, doctors will prescribe NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Most people who suffer from osteoarthritis are on NSAIDs for life. NSAIDs include drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and numerous others. The trouble with all of these drugs is that they induce blood loss from the stomach or other areas of the gastrointestinal tract if taken for any extended period of time. One NSAID, Vioxx, was banned worldwide from the market a few years ago after it was proven to cause heart attacks and
death in hundreds of users.
The one common denominator of all the current medical and surgical treatments for chronic inflammatory conditions is that they do not address the underlying cause of the illness. Doctors say that the use of anti-inflammatory drugs addresses the cause but, if that were really true, why does the disease persist?
Other drugs prescribed for chronic illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus are even worse. Drugs such as Imuran and Remicade suppress the immune system dramatically; drugs that are chemotherapeutic agents (methotrexate) and antimalarial drugs (Plaquinyl) can damage the liver, the bone marrow, and other organs. The horrendous side effects of these drugs are sometimes worse than the disease itself.
Side-Effects of Drugs Prescribed for Chronic Illnesses
You do not make hives better by suppressing the immune system with steroids such as prednisone.
You don’t cure any form of arthritis by prescribing drugs that cause heart attacks, hemorrhage, and peptic ulcers. You do not reverse prostatitis with a year’s prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics that lead to chronic yeast infections. You can mask and suppress symptoms for years with powerful drugs,
but you will never reverse the disease process.
With symptom suppression, one pays a huge price in terms of side effects and, often, finances.
You cannot prevent inflammation in the body with any drug or surgical procedure. The fact that doctors and surgeons continue trying to do so without attempting a natural approach first is deplorable. Worse is the fact that many still tell their patients that diet has nothing to do with inflammation when there is overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
So Can “…itis” Diseases Be Healed?
There is a better way. You can prevent, control, reduce, and eliminate inflammation in the body by addressing the root causes of it in the first place. You do not need drugs in order to do this. Whether or not your doctor agrees, you can prevent or treat inflammation successfully through diet and lifestyle changes. This is not just folklore, herbalism, and old wives’ tales — every bit of information in this book [Meals That Heal Inflammation by Julie Daniluk] is backed up by scientific evidence, published studies, and clinical expertise.
Certainly, in Julie Daniluk’s good hands, one can be put well on the way to greater health naturally.
“Julie is a pioneer in the field of holistic nutrition, bringing her depth of knowledge and unparalleled passion to the world. Julie makes her evidence-based approach so very approachable through her books and online programs, inspiring her audience to get into the kitchen and transform their health.”
Though assessing people for deficiencies, toxins, and allergies and prescribing an anti-inflammatory diet and nutritional supplements has convinced me that anyone suffering from an “itis” can reverse the disease process naturally. There are numerous recipes and meals that truly do heal inflammation.
It is indeed possible to improve health conditions without drugs and surgery.
Meals That Heal Inflammation: Embrace Healthy Living and Eliminate Pain, One Meal at a Time — by Julie Daniluk R. H. N. So if you’re one of the millions of people who have been affected by allergies, diabetes, skin disorders, heart disease, arthritis, or other conditions ending in “-itis,” then you know firsthand what havoc inflammation can cause. In Meals That Heal Inflammation, television personality and registered holistic nutritionist Julie Daniluk shows you how to conquer these health conditions with foods
that will make you feel fantastic.
Although it comes in many forms, one of the most common forms of arthritis is called osteoarthritis.
As a condition, osteoarthritis usually first affects the cartilage lining of our joints that are supposed to be smooth, making pain and stiffness an issue since it makes our movement more difficult than normal.
And while it is unfortunate that there is no definitive cure of the condition, emerging bodies of work reveal
that one particular lifestyle intervention is known to help alleviate these painful symptoms,
especially when it affects our knees and hips.
That’s because, per a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging,
following the well-known and highly-regarded Mediterranean diet can significantly reduce the markers of inflammation while also improving knee flexion and hip rotation in people who are suffering from osteoarthritis.
Here is a simple guide to some of the vegetables that should color your plate every day.
Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
Energy production and other metabolic processes in the body produce harmful byproducts called free radicals. Not only do free radicals damage cells, but they also have been linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and inflammation. Green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, kale, Swiss chard and bok choy are packed with antioxidants like vitamins A, C and K, which protect cells from free-radical damage.
These foods are also high in bone-preserving calcium. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy and cauliflower) offer another benefit – a natural compound called sulforaphane. Research on mice shows sulforaphane blocks the inflammatory process and might slow cartilage damage in osteoarthritis (OA). And there’s some evidence diets high in cruciferous vegetables could prevent RA from developing in the first place.
Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Red Peppers and Squash
These brightly orange- and red-hued vegetables get their distinctive color from carotenoids like beta-cryptoxanthin. Plant pigments also supply sweet potatoes, carrots, squash and red peppers with antioxidants. Some research suggests eating more foods rich in beta-cryptoxanthin could reduce your risk of
developing RA and other inflammatory conditions.
Red and Green Peppers
Peppers – no matter what their color or whether they’re mild or hot – are an abundant source of vitamin C, which preserves bone, and may protect cartilage cells. Getting less than the recommended 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men daily may increase risk for OA of the knee.
Just a half-cup of red bell pepper gives you a full day’s supply.
Onions, Garlic, Leeks and Shallots
These pungent and flavorful vegetables are all members of the allium family, which are rich in a type of antioxidant called quercetin. Researchers are investigating quercetin’s potential ability to relieve inflammation in diseases like RA. Alliums also contain a compound called diallyl disulphine,
which may reduce the enzymes that damage cartilage.
Olives
Though technically a fruit and not found in the produce aisle, olives and olive oil can be potent inflammation fighters. Extra-virgin olive oil contains the compound oleocanthal, a natural anti-inflammatory agent
that has properties similar to the ibuprofen.
Nightshade Vegetables
Eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes are all members of the nightshade family. These vegetables contain the chemical solanine, which some people claim aggravates arthritis pain and inflammation. However, most reports are anecdotal, and while it certainly might be true for some people, there are no scientific studies done to prove that they actually cause inflammation or make symptoms worse, says Kim Larson, a Seattle-based dietitian and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Spokesperson. Nightshade vegetables are rich in nutrients, making them a worthy addition to your diet. Simply test it. Eliminate nightshades from your diet for a couple weeks and slowly reintroduce them back into your diet.
If you find that adding nightshades trigger arthritis pain, don’t eat them.
Cooking Your Vegetables
Almost as important as which vegetables you choose is how you cook them. Steaming is preferable to boiling because it preserves the nutrients in the vegetables. “Don’t use a lot of water, because vitamins and antioxidants might leach out in the water,” Larson says. Also, don’t overcook them – keep vegetables a little bit al dente to hold in the vitamins and minerals.
Skip the deep fryer, which adds a lot of extra fat and calories, but do sauté. Using oil releases the phytochemicals in vegetables and makes them more available, says Larson. Even better, use a tablespoon or two of olive oil to get an extra dose of anti-inflammatory oleocanthal.
DON’T MISS…
Arthritis pain – the cheap snack you should add to your shopping list [INFORMER]
Arthritis warning – the common vegetable you should avoid [INFORMER]
An Invisible Symptom
It wasn’t until 2007 that the international outcome measures in the Rheumatology Clinical Trials group added fatigue to the list of core rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms. Fatigue is invisible and different from normal tiredness, so people that haven’t experienced it have a hard time understanding the challenges it presents itself to those that have hard times with it. The nature of fatigue is completely different from the tiredness people get, and it sometimes seems worse because it’s less easy to manage.
Researchers have found that fatigue is more prevalent in certain arthritic related conditions. For example, 9 0ut 0f 10 people with RA and fibromyalgia tell their doctors they have fatigue severe enough to affect their daily lives and activities. But a much smaller proportion of people with osteoarthritis (OA) — about 40 to 47 percent – report that level of exhaustion. Furthermore, half of people with psoriatic arthritis state
“they feel tired whatever they do.”
A study in the Journal of Pain found that people with RA and OA are better able to predict when fatigue will strike than people with fibromyalgia, whose energy levels often vary more widely day to day. Little is known about the causes of arthritic related fatigue. People can experience it even when their condition is otherwise controlled. A mixture of often connected physical and emotional factors seem to influence fatigue.
Inflammation: inherent in many types of arthritis and autoimmune conditions, is itself a cause of fatigue. Comparing it to the flu is spot on. The body responds to the flu with an inflammatory response that includes the release of infection-fighting proteins called cytokines that makes one feel tired and unwell,
as does inflammation in RA and related conditions.
Pain: The No. 1 symptom of arthritis makes feeling fatigue worse. If you’re in pain you have less tolerance for your tiredness, and when you’re fatigued you can’t tolerate the pain you could have put up with [when you weren’t fatigued]. Remember also pain is an accurate predictor of fatigue, thus reducing pain and managing inflammation should be primary fatigue relieving strategies.
Stress: physical and emotional, can leave you flattened by fatigue. Stress from illness or physical overexertion is a surefire fatigue trigger and emotional stress can be just as draining. And another emotional drain and fatigue feed off of each other would be depression.
Depression: affects more people with RA or psoriatic arthritis that other people. In a survey of people with RA, more than 90 percent said fatigue caused them to be depressed in the last week. Depression can also lead to increases in pain perception, and all those factors interacting together create a vicious cycle of worsening symptoms and cause poor sleeping.
Poor Sleep: also worsens fatigue. Sleep problems are extremely common in people with chronic pain disorders, such as fibromyalgia and more than 60 percent of people with RA have poor or disturbed sleep. “Clinicians used to view this as a reaction to chronic pain, but research shows sleep problems are leading the way and causing pain, fatigue and depression. It’s also found that sleep disturbances increase inflammation, which can lead to a worsening of RA.
Fatigue Can Be Tough to Treat…
Treating fatigue is complicated because of the shifting mixture of factors that influence it. Drugs can help control inflammation that contribute to fatigue, however, medication alone can’t solve the problem of fatigue.
A 2013 Cochrane Database review of 24 studies of non-drug treatments for fatigue in RA looked at a variety
of therapies, but only two — exercise and psychosocial interventions — produced measurable interventions. Exercisers had the biggest reductions in fatigue — about 9 percent than before starting the activity.
Fatigue (tiredness) in elderly: Causes and how to treat it.
Foods Known To Dramatically Improve Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
4 Simple—but Powerful—Ways to Combat Adrenal Fatigue.
Pain & Your Brain
Stephanie Aleite, a Miami native, has waged a two-decade long war against rheumatoid arthritis. And just as she loves to accessorize the cane she uses to walk with her outfits, she has come to learn that her best accessory is her smile. Just by looking at her, most wouldn’t know that Stephanie battles an autoimmune disease because she shrouds it so well with her positivity and optimistic outlook on life with her illness.
Stephanie has had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis since she was 5 years old. Over the years she has learned that how she feels emotionally affects her pain and what she learned intuitively, physicians and researchers are verifying. Being in a good mood distracts my mind from pain and makes it more bearable, says Stephanie: “my flares are usually temporary so I always tell myself there is light at the end of the tunnel.’
How we feel about pain affects the experience of pain.
When you’re talking about physical pain, “it’s so important not to neglect the emotional influences on how we experience pain. A lot is based on our past experiences and emotions to pain.” Although researchers are still investigating how thought and emotions affect pain, numerous studies have shown their correlation. In a 2010 study published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, researchers interviewed 266 people with hip and or knee osteoarthritis over 12 weeks, using a pain index and a mental inventory.
And the researchers found that for people whose moods dipped lowest, the chance of a painful flare the following week was more than twice as likely as it was for people who had the greatest feelings of well being. Also in a study published in 2013 in the Journal Brain, researchers looked at brain activity in 153 people
with either acute or chronic back pain.
Those with back pain for two months or less showed brain activity in areas of the brain involved in acute pain. The researchers speculate that as pain persists, perception becomes less about the increasing emotion,
memory and experience of the pain’s persistence.
Emotions change the biology of pain as well, explains David Hanscom, M.D.. an orthopedic spine surgeon at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle Washington Out of Chronic Pain and author of Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon’s Roadmap. “Pain is interpreted by the brain,” he says, “if you are angry about and frustrated by your pain, for instance, your body has a fight or flight response, secreting cortisol and adrenalin, chemicals that amplify pain. Your blood supply to the brain shuts down but increases to the muscles, your airways dilate.
Essentially, your body’s driving down the highway amped in third gear.
Once you realize emotions can affect pain, you may have a whole arsenal of new approaches for reducing it. These approaches won’t make the arthritis go away, but it may help you deal with the pain better. Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485650/
Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature.
https://content.iospress.com/
articles/brain-plasticity/bpl190084
Now, a new study in which researchers treated 153 adults suffering from fibromyalgia (a chronic, incurable disorder) with nine 20-minute sessions of real or fake acupuncture has shown that regular treatments can lower the pain by about 41 percent, compared with just 27 percent for those given sham treatments.
The results were published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.
https://www.mensjournal.com/health-
fitness/5-reasons-fit-men-should-get-acupuncture/
The search for pain biomarkers in the human brain
https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/141/12/3290/5194498
A totally new paradigm for treating back pain….
Virtually every American will suffer from back pain at some point. Dr. Jack Stern,
a neurosurgeon and professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, brings relief to these millions
of sufferers (including himself) who literally ache for help. Based on the latest scientific data,
Dr. Stern developed a five-step solution with a multidisciplinary, holistic perspective that’s
been missing from conventional back pain wisdom:
Step One: Unlock your back’s unique pain code
Step Two: Prepare to work with health care professionals
Step Three: Ensure proper diagnosis
Step Four: Embrace various pathways to healing
Step Five: Live a life that supports a strong, healthy back
Engagingly written and chock-full of enlightening case studies, Ending Back Pain
finally shares the program that’s already helped more than 10,000 grateful patients.
The thalamus is the gateway to the cerebral cortex.
All cortical-bound somatosensory inputs relay through the thalamus. One major group of
these somatosensory inputs is the nociceptive input. Nociceptive inputs from the skin, deep structures, and visceral organs converge in the thalamus en route to the cerebral cortex.
A hundred years ago, Head and Holmes1 designated the thalamus the essential organ of the affective side of our sensation, especially pain. The objectives of the present review are to review the importance of the thalamus in pain function, posit main questions, and propose what needs to be done.
Here Are Some Approaches To Try…
Mind Your Pain: try mindful meditation exercises — focusing on slow breathing and calming thoughts.
Focus on the painful part with positive affirmation. In 2009, a study at Wake Forest University,
researchers did brain scans of 15 healthy volunteers in whom they induced pain.
An instructor then taught them mindful meditation over four days. In 20 minute sessions,
they focused on deep breathing and paying attention to their bodies’ sensations.
On day 5, the researchers again induced pain on those same volunteers and they experienced
40 percent pain reduction compared to the levels they had when they were not meditating.
Express Your Pain: for 10 minutes a day, write down exactly what you feel, including your pain inducing thoughts. Then tear up the writing unloading that negative thought from your brain. That simple writing exercise will cause your anxiety and pain to drop. The exercise may reduce inflammatory chemicals as well. In a 2009 study, published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, involving 68 people with rheumatoid arthritis, those who had four weekly sessions for expressing their emotions had significantly lower levels of inflammatory markers, such as cortisol, three months after the sessions.
Psychosomatic Medicine: Emerging Trends and Perspectives
https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/12393
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6878733/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2889497/
Monitor Pain-Related Thoughts: for instance, some people with knee arthritis may think that if they have any discomfort, they should stay in bed all day. To help change pain related thoughts cognitive behavioral therapy CBT examines negative thoughts and beliefs and offers ways to alter your attitude. In a University of Vermont study published in 2013 in The Journal of Pain, for example, researchers assessed changes in pain and in the brains of 13 patients with chronic back pain after 11 weeks of group CBT. Scans in their brains showed changes in the gray matter that correlated with less catastrophizing or exaggerated worry about their pain.
Dance Away Your Pain: if you’re looking for a fun way to work out with big benefits,
move to music! In a study published in the 2014 issue of Geriaric Nursing, older adults who took a 45 minute dance therapy class twice a week reported less knee and hip pain and were able to walk faster after three months. ” Dancing may help to prevent falls and keep people functional, independent and strengthens muscles while the music stirs happy thoughts. Dancing is great exercise at any age and arthritis patients should look for low impact with slow fluid movements that won’t tax your joints
(Zumba Gold, Ballroom Dancing, Healthy Steps, Jazzercise Life.)
A Good Belly Laugh: A good belly laugh can reduce pain, soften depression, increase oxygen supply to the brain, and even positively influence our food choices. Let’s take a look.
Cup of Coffee | Mr Bean Full Episodes | Mr Bean Official
1. Laughing reduces cortisol stress hormones. I believe there is a simple reason why Unplugging, our night-time nootropic, has been so popular: we’re all stressed.
2. increases the endorphins that are released by your brain, which activates and relieves your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure.
3. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and….
Extended periods of oxygen deprivation can produce acidosis, inflammation, energy failure, cell stress, or cell death. However, brief profound hypoxia (here defined as Sao2 50%–70% for approximately 10 minutes) is not associated with cardiovascular compromise and is tolerated by healthy humans without apparent ill effects.
In contrast, chronic hypoxia induces a suite of adaptations and stresses that can result in either increased tolerance of hypoxia or disease,
In healthy humans, brief profound hypoxia produces increased minute ventilation and increased cardiac output, but little or no alteration in blood chemistry. Central nervous system effects of acute profound hypoxia include transiently decreased cognitive performance, based on alterations in attention brought about by interruptions of frontal/central cerebral connectivity. However, provided there is no decrease in cardiac output or ischemia, brief profound hypoxemia in healthy humans is well tolerated without evidence of acidosis or lasting cognitive impairment.
Setting Higher Expectations: “you can affect the outcome and how you experience pain simple by preempting the emotional aspect.” Talk about your fears and how much pain you are experiencing. Much like Stephanie Aleite who is able to walk and climb steps, She realizes she may never be able to dunk a basketball. But she has her heart set on ice skating and bicycling. She is optimistic that someday she will be chasing
a two year old around and enjoying her life.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
About the Authors
Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, author of: Vitamin D, The Sunshine Vitamin!!
Dr. Zoltan P. Rona is a graduate of McGill University Medical School (1977) and has a Masters Degree in Biochemistry and Clinical Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut (1984). He is past president of The Canadian Holistic Medical Association (1987-88). He is the author of three Canadian bestsellers, The Joy of Health (1991), Return to the Joy of Health (1995) and Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection (1997). He is co-author with Jeanne Marie Martin of The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook (1996) and is the medical editor of the Benjamin Franklin Award winning Encyclopedia of Natural Healing (1998). He has had a private medical practice in Toronto for the past 32 years, has appeared on radio
and TV as well as lectured extensively in Canada and the U.S. Dr. Rona has just published his new book,
“Vitamin D, The Sunshine Vitamin”.
Julie Daniluk R.H.N., author of: Meals That Heal Inflammation–Embrace Healthy Living and Eliminate Pain, One Meal at at Time by Julie Daniluk, R. H. N. , is a leading nutritionist and the co-host of Healthy Gourmet, a reality cooking show that airs on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) in Canada.
Julie has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, The Right Fit, and The Marilyn Denis Show. For 12 years, she was the cooperative owner and the Chief In-Store Nutritionist for one of Canada’s largest health-food stores,
The Big Carrot Natural Food Market in Toronto.
https://www.progesteronetherapy.com/list-of-inflammatory-diseases.html