Chronic pain affects 116 million
American adults. That’s more than a third of the US population. And
while pain pills reduce suffering, they can be addictive and produce
side effects. Worse, they often fail to eliminate the true cause of the
pain.
“No matter how well you prescribe
medication, chronic sufferers don’t get complete relief,” says James N.
Dillard, MD, author of The Chronic Pain Solution. “It’s an enormous
problem, and the medical community is doing a bad job solving it.” But
there is an alternative, and it’s right in your kitchen. Certain foods
ease aches by fighting inflammation, blocking pain signals, and even
healing underlying disease.
“Almost always, if we find
pharmaceuticals doing the trick, we’ll find a plant doing the same
trick—and doing it more safely,” says botanist James A. Duke, PhD,
author of The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods. But before you can
reap these rewards, you have to quit the junk food that riles up your
body’s pain system. The typical Western-style diet is heavy on foods
that promote inflammation, including highly processed foods and refined
carbs. No fruit, vegetable, or herb by itself can alleviate your pain if
you don’t change the pattern of your diet to reduce processed food and
increase whole foods.
This may not be easy, says Peter Abaci,
MD, medical director of the Bay Area Pain and Wellness Center in Los
Gatos, CA. “But if you stay committed to a good nutrition plan, you may
be able to say good-bye to pain.” Click through these 10 pain-fighting
foods.
Find more all-natural healing foods in Foods That Fight Pain by Dr. Neal Barnard.
Cherries
Compounds in cherries called
anthocyanins—the same phytonutrients that give cherries their rich ruby
hue—are powerful antioxidants that work in two ways to tamp down pain.
“They block inflammation and they inhibit pain enzymes, just like
aspirin, naproxen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories,” says
Muraleedharan Nair, PhD, natural products chemist at Michigan State
University’s College of Agricultural and Natural Resources. One study in
theJournal of Nutrition showed that people who ate a bowl of cherries
for breakfast reduced a major marker of inflammation by 25%. Other
researchers found less muscle pain in runners who drank 12 ounces of
tart cherry juice twice daily for 7 days before a distance run.
Ginger
This spicy root is a traditional stomach
soother, easing seasickness and nausea. It’s believed to work by
breaking up intestinal gas and possibly blocking a receptor in the gut
that induces vomiting. But there are good reasons to eat ginger even
when you’re not doubled over. Another natural aspirin impersonator and
anti-inflammatory, it can offer relief from migraines, arthritis pain,
and muscle aches.
There are plenty of ways to include
ginger in your diet. Add it grated into Asian dishes, smoothies, and
juice. Or make ginger tea by placing sliced, peeled gingerroot in
boiling water and letting it steep for 15 minutes. For ginger lemonade,
combine grated gingerroot, lemon juice, and honey with ice water.
Cranberry juice
Ulcers are the result of a pathogen
called H. pylori, which attacks the protective lining of the stomach or
small intestine. Antibiotics are the usual cure, but you can help
prevent ulcers in the first place by drinking cranberry juice, thanks to
its ability to block H. pylori from adhering to the stomach lining. One
study found that just under a cup a day for 3 weeks eliminated almost
20% of all cases of H. pylori infection—without drugs. But the juice
becomes inflammatory when it’s loaded with sugar, so grab a bottle of
100% natural cranberry juice. If it’s too bitter, add water or a natural
sweetener such as stevia.
Prevention.com
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