Spine and Back Pain and Depression and Cognition Helped by Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Inflammation is effective and normal…in certain circumstances like defending a part of the body that is injured or infected. Inflammation is damaging...like when it persists too long. Inflammation is a cellular level event and may contribute to a multitude of chronic diseases: cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, lung, mental, metabolic, neurodegenerative, and more. (1) Pure Chiropractic works to reduce inflammation’s impact on the health of our Concord, NC chiropractic patients dealing with issues like back pain, headache/migraine, depression and even cognitive issues related to Alzheimer’s. An anti-inflammatory diet has a role in this effort.
INFLAMMATION LINKED TO BACK PAIN, DEPRESSION, ALZHEIMER’S…
A systematic review and meta-analysis of existing medical studies concerning the role of inflammation and depression discovered that a pro-inflammatory diet was associated with a greater risk of depression symptoms and diagnosis contrasted with those who chose an anti-inflammatory diet. (2) Another study recommended a link between low back pain and pro-inflammatory diets as well. A study of 7346 people described that those who said they followed a highest inflammatory diet had higher risk of saying they have low back pain, too. (3) Connections between diet, nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease have been reported. The good news is that nutrition was described as being able to modulate the immune system and even alter the neuroinflammatory processes related to Alzheimer’s and age-related cognition issues. (4) These descriptions demonstrate just how extensive inflammation can be.
…EVEN MIGRAINE
Migraine as primary headache is projected to impact 14.4% of people and rated as the largest contributor to disability in people over 50 years of age. Migraine is studied a great deal as to what causes it but still remains a bit of a mystery. Researchers summarized that many factors play a role: vascular function, trigeminovascular pathway activation, pro-inflammatory and oxidative stats may impact migraine pain. Studies related to the role of dietary interventions are few, but a recent data search found that Ketogenic diet, modified Atkins diets, and low glycemic diets may better mitochondrial function and energy metabolism, decrease CGRP (calcitonin gene related peptide) level, balance serotonin, and suppress neuroinflammation. Via inflammation and irregular hypothalamic function, obesity and headaches (migraines too) may be related. The inflammatory link emerged in the published papers. Dietary interventions like supplementing with essential fatty acids (reducing omega-6 and boosting omega-3 which were documented to affect inflammation) were discussed as helpful. (5) Pure Chiropractic understands the power diet and nutrition may have in disease processes like migraine, back pain, depression, and cognition.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET
Pure Chiropractic also knows many of us do not like the word diet. It often brings to mind what we can’t have. A good diet allows a lot of good food though. Basic guidelines for an anti-inflammatory diet design consist of eating lean meat, eggs, fish, fruit, legumes, coffee, tea, honey, vegetables and plain dairy like milk, yogurt, hard cheeses, kefir with limited consumption of red meat and other dairy and sugar while avoiding canned/processed food, sweetened drinks, and alcohol. (6) We are sure our chiropractic patients can handle this kind of diet!
CONTACT Pure Chiropractic
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares how inflammation and the immune system interact and how chiropractic care and the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management may well help.
Make your next Concord, NC chiropractic visit with Pure Chiropractic. If inflammation has hung around past its good and normal welcome, let’s talk about taking some steps toward a better anti-inflammatory diet.
