Week 3 of my pain reducing experiment is finished and I am not keeling over yet, Yippee :D
The two last weeks of gradually building stamina with micro cardio workouts have had a good effect on my pain levels, but what my new physiotherapist told me last week seems to be a key topic... Chronic pain and inflammation go hand in hand (or nerve fiber in nerve fiber?).
There are gradually more studies being done pointing in this direction, and though medical science hasn't found all the answers or explanations yet, there seems to be potential for some real breakthroughs in treatment of chronic pain in this area.
Due to my RA (which these days is not active, and is acting a lot like fibromyalgia) I seem to be especially prone to out of control inflammatory responses in muscles, tendons and joints. And it hurts.
Now instead of bombarding my body with immunosuppressant or anti-inflammatory drugs I want to try to take small steps in the direction of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. I'm not ready to go all out and start on a full anti-inflammatory diet yet. I'm already gluten-free and that's quite a lot of hassle the way it is.
But I figured I could start with taking anti-inflammatory omega-3 supplements and let that be my incremental pain-reducing activity this week.
Omega 3 helps decrease inflammation by suppressing the production of cytokines - small secreted proteins which help regulate the immune system and inflammatory reactions.
I have an inflammatory autoimmune disease that of course is part of the connective tissue disease series along with Osteo arthriti, fibromyaligia etc. I have started drinking Rooibos tea, which is suppose to help with inflammation... and what I can say is that i can wake up with really swollen hands along with other things, and i notice a decrease in the inflammation as soon as I drink too cups! Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteHi Average Girl:) Welcome to the blog, and thank you for your input! Wow, I had no idea that Rooibos tea had anti inflammatory properties... maybe that should be my next experiment!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your insights and experience :)
Have you tried cutting out nightshade veggies yet? So far, I havent as I am not too disciplined when it comes to food...but a friend of mine swears by it.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna have to try the Rooibos tea too..I am a tea junkie! =)
Hi Jessica:) Welcome to this blog and thank you for your input! Actually, I tried cutting nightshades for a month or so last year but didn't do very thorough research and probably wasn't entirely consistent... ehem... and so I didn't really notice any dramatic effect, either, and quickly got lazy... I should probably try it again, slightly more organized and with better discipline :)
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