Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Lyme Disease part 1 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Lyme disease is considered a complex topic for many reasons. To start off it can be difficult to accurately diagnosis the condition. This can be due to the fact Lyme disease can have many symptoms that mimic …
TMJ Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND No conversation about oral health would be complete without talking about TMJ disease or temporomandibular joint disorder. In simple terms, this is TMJ pain. While you may have heard people say that they have TMJ pain do you really know …
back and neck pain
Written by Melissa Bistricer, RDN
For further questions or concerns email me at mbistricer@invitehealth.com
Did you know that the spine has over 120 muscles, about 220 ligaments, and 100 joints. That is just the spine alone. Imagine if it is damaged or you’re in pain how many muscles, ligaments, and joints are affected too. We don’t want to continuously be in discomfort and pain. Let us go into some details about clinically-studied nutrients that have been shown to fend off discomfort throughout the body.†
We can simply define pain as “physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury” but does everyone feel the same type of pain? No, because back and neck pain can vary from mild aches to persistent severe pain where it can be disabling. This can occur from overuse, strenuous activity, fractures, trauma, infection, obesity, osteoporosis, muscle tension, poor bone density, and joint problems.†
According to Hopkins Medicine, factors that contribute to back and neck pain can be aging, lack of exercise, medical conditions, smoking, physiological conditions, or obesity. Some symptoms to be aware of if you feel you are experiencing back and neck pain are leg numbness, persistent pain, sharp/shooting pain, loss of bladder and bowel control, and weakness in the legs.†
Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Will help to relieve some of the back and neck pain. The diet will help to reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation is bound to happen to most individuals, whether you know or not. Our immune systems create inflammation to help protect the body from infection, injury or diseases. We want to make sure we are not causing any harmful inflammation from consuming a diet rich in processed foods, sugary foods, or pre-packed items. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats are part of practicing an anti-inflammatory diet to help reduce inflammation. The best foods to start to consume are tomatoes, avocado, olive oil, green leafy vegetables; spinach, kale, collards, fatty fish; salmon, tuna, mackerel, and fruits; strawberries, blueberries, cherries, oranges.†
Nutrition is where it starts to improve and get rid of inflammation in the body. Given the proper recommendations for vitamins and minerals the body has the optimal potential to regenerate. These nutrients will help to play a critical role in helping reduce inflammation, discomfort, back, and neck pain.†
Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant, also commonly known as turmeric. The effects of curcumin are limited due to its low bioavailability. Research has suggested the use of bio-curcumin rather than curcumin due to the relatively higher bioavailability and absorption rates. In a clinical study published in the Indian Journal to study the bioavailability of curcuminoids, the bioavailability of BMC-95 was approximately 6.93 fold compared to just curcumin and about 6.3 fold compared to curcumin-lecithin-piperine formula.† 1
5-loxin is derived from Boswellia serrata extract enriched with “30% 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA).” This has anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme.2 A double blind, randomized placebo-controlled study was completed to assess the efficacy and safety of 5-loxin for treatments of osteoarthritis of the knee. 2 At the end of the study, results showed significant improvements in discomfort in osteoarthritis patients. 5-loxin has been shown to help reduce discomfort, reduce inflammatory modulators, improve physical function and joint health.† 2
Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the body’s fluids in the eyes and joints. Hyaluronic acid acts as a protective cushion to the joints and other tissues. It helps the body respond to injury or decrease swelling. When the body is lacking hyaluronic acid, this can cause joint pain and inflammation. Recent research suggests the benefits of hyaluronic acid therapy for osteoarthritis patients.† 3
Devil’s claw was introduced to Europe in the early 1900s, where the dried root was used to restore appetite, relieve heartburn, and reduce pain and inflammation. Evidence suggests that devils claw is beneficial to fend off back and neck discomfort. In a large research study of 197 men and women with chronic back pain, taking devils claw daily for a month had significant results with less discomfort and taking fewer painkillers than those of the placebo group.† 4
Strontium is a metal and the same group of periodic elements as calcium. It has been recognized that strontium in high concentrations may be displaced and replaced by calcium in the bones. 5 There is evidence that states a low dose of strontium can increase bone formation rate and trabecular bone density related to strontium-induced stimulation of osteoblastic activity.† 5
Bio-Curcumin 5-Loxin is highly absorbable that supports the body’s inflammatory response and helps with discomfort in the joint, back and neck†
Hyaluronic Acid with Devils Claw supports joint lubrication and overall connective tissue needs†
Strontium is a mineral that offers support for bone and back health, as 99% of strontium’s supply is stored in the bones†
For further questions or concerns related to dietary and nutritional supplement recommendations email me at mbistricer@invitehealth.com
Sources
1) Antony B, Merina B, Iyer VS, Judy N, Lennertz K, Joyal S. A Pilot Cross-Over Study to Evaluate Human Oral Bioavailability of BCM-95CG (Biocurcumax), A Novel Bioenhanced Preparation of Curcumin. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2008;70(4):445-449. doi:10.4103/0250-474X.44591
2) Sengupta, Krishanu & Alluri, Kr & Satish, Andey & Mishra, Simanchala & Golakoti, Trimurtulu & Sarma, Kadainti & Dey, Dipak & Raychaudhuri, Siba. (2008). A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study of the efficacy and safety of 5-Loxin (R) for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. Arthritis research & therapy. 10. 10.1186/ar2461.
3) Bowman S, Awad ME, Hamrick MW, Hunter M, Fulzele S. Recent advances in hyaluronic acid based therapy for osteoarthritis. Clin Transl Med. 2018;7(1):6. Published 2018 Feb 16. doi:10.1186/s40169-017-0180-3
4) Devil’s Claw. Mount Sinai Health System. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/devils-claw. Accessed March 18, 2022.
5) Genuis SJ, Bouchard TP. Combination of Micronutrients for Bone (COMB) Study: bone density after micronutrient intervention. J Environ Public Health. 2012;2012:354151. doi:10.1155/2012/354151
Are you taking NSAID drugs like ibuprofen to help with your arthritis pain? These drugs can be toxic to your body and negatively impact your health. Turn to nutrients that have been clinically studied for their ability to promote joint health and comfort.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects over 5 million Americans. These people deal with pain throughout their body that can impact their sleep, energy and overall wellness. Studies have shown that there are some nutrients that can help people with this issue.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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The most common cause of chronic pain (persistent pain) is lower back pain. In addition to a disc problem, arthritis of the spine, or spinal degeneration many of the causes of low back pain have to do with nerve damage or nerve compression including sciatica and also a pinched-compressed nerve.
The second common cause is arthritis – the second most common cause of chronic pain; we cover common forms of arthritis in other episodes.
Then there’s nerve pain. Nerve pain is a catchall term including but not limited to peripheral neuropathy; you often see this in diabetics. It is a shingles-related nerve pain which occurs more commonly in stressed out older people, and sciatica which seems to happen to so many people at some point in their life. We will cover each of these, there causes, customary treatment, and supplements that can help.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Neuropathy is damage to the nerve that causes pain – numbness, tingling, that crawling feeling on your skin. Peripheral means outside of the brain or spine – the peripheral nerves. The most common cause is diabetes. Others include, autoimmune diseases, HIV or abusing alcohol.
If damage is happening to the nerves in your hands and feet, it is also happening to the nerves in your digestive tract and your heart. This is important to note.
-Jerry Hickey, Ph.
Common treatments include anti-depressants, which reduce nerve pain by about 15%. Others include convulsion medications and opioid medications. I strongly recommend you avoid those.
Nerve Health Supporting Nutrients
ALCAR is a supplement often used for mental focus, brain energy, and memory. It may even help a common hearing issue called tinnitus (ringing in the ears).†
ALCAR – which is the abbreviation for Acetyl L-Carnitine – is an amino acid-related supplement. It easily crosses over the brains protective blood brain barrier to improve brain health. However, it works really well for nerve health, especially if you mix it with a second supplement Alpha-Lipoic Acid or ALA. Both ALCAR and ALA are involved with converting calories to energy and some research shows that combining them gives much greater levels of benefit for the brain or nerve health.†
One meta-analysis published in PLOS One, reported four randomized controlled, human clinical studies with ALCAR (523 patients) significantly improved nerve pain according to the patients. It worked best for diabetic nerve pain.
Another review from the Integrative Medical Center in Oklahoma City from the Department of Neurology reports that exercise, a better diet, vitamin B-12, ALCAR, ALA and vitamin D all help with nerve pain.
In the journal Diabetes Care, from the University Hospital Dusseldorf in Germany, 460 diabetic patients with mild to mod diabetic nerve pain. With just ALA, they found that ALA helped support nerve health – leg function and leg health improved. Nerve pain declined.
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