Declare War on Inflammation

There's not a day that goes by in my physio practice when the word inflammation doesn't echo off the walls. We feel it flare with every injury, and we worry, but it's actually working to heal our tissues. Sometimes it binds us up a little too effectively, and that old injury remains slightly stiff forever after. (Manual therapy is great for this!) We feel inflammation more when we're cold or sick, even more during menopause, and more still when a joint is so worn out it just won't heal. Most of us expect a bit of that as we age. But what about when it becomes our go-to too soon? When every morning the fingers and feet need a little workout before we reach for the coffee? What should we do then?

It is important to understand what is driving your chronic inflammation. The possibilities are many. In partnership with your GP, I can help you sift through the candidates:

• Sleep issues, inadequate nutrition, and stress

• Genetic predisposition or blocked up detox pathways in your body

• Highly inflammatory diet

• Environmental toxins

• Food intolerances

• Auto-immunity
  

Even once the causes are understood and every element optimised, sometimes you just need to pour cold water on that fire. Here are some nutritional supplements I can prescribe that help in the fight:

• Palmitoylethylamide (PEA) is an endogenous (meaning our bodies make it) compound that works on our endocannabinoid pathway. This substance is WHY cannibis oil is an effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic. PEA is lower cost than cannibis oil and has no side effects or drug interactions. It is a natural anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-oxidant. When dosed correctly this stuff literally has no down side.

  
  

• Curcuminoids are an extract of tumeric and a very effective anti-inflammatory in high doses, provided they can get across your gut wall. They are COX and LOX inhibitors - these guys are involved in the inflammatory cascade that is triggered by our diet, toxins, exercise, stress, and disease. Supplements are frequently too low in dose, not in an absorbable form, or contain pepper extracts to irritate the gut wall allowing the tumeric to pass through. So at best you're inflaming the gut in order to deliver a suboptimal dose! There are exceptions to this, but then long term use at a sufficiently high dose is problematic for the digestive tract too. They should not be used at all in pregnancy, prior to surgery, or in combination with certain pharmaceuticals. Even though you can get them over the counter it is best to have a health professional prescribe these. A sufficient dose of the extract form of tumeric is a great alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatories in the short term (1-2 months).

  
  

• SPM fish oil. Unlike bog standard fish oil, SPMs contain a standardised portion of Specialised Pro-resolving Mediators, the potent anti-inflammatory component of fish oil. They can lower blood pressure an average of 4 points in the elderly, so they need to be prescribed carefully around other blood pressure lowering medications. Excess fish oil can also cause blood thinning and reduces clotting capacity, so care must be taken and supplements ceased prior to surgery. On the up side, fish oil is also super healthy for your heart, hormones, eyes, and mood. And given correct doses and patient selection SPM can deliver fabulous joint pain relief for up to 8 hours without any of the negative side effects of anti-inflammatory medications.

Ask me about how to access these and other natural supplements that can accelerate your return to great joint health.