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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