Anti-Inflammatory Diet

[livingtwisted]

Has anyone changed their diet for pain relief? I've been reading about foods that can cause inflammation or reduce it. Most of the information out there is specific to arthritis but I assume it applies. Would love to hear any experiences of what worked or didn't work for you.

[mamamax]

I have. I stay as far away from processed food as possible, and actually take raw organic garlic daily. I feel a difference. If it is the placebo affect - i'll take it! Hopefully some others with more knowledge of nutrition will chime in. Very much enjoyed your blog bty.

[foofer]

Hi Mehera,

Welcome to the forum! I read your first post and have been meaning to respond.

I've been slowly working into an anti-inflammatory diet..trying to add things in, and subtract. Right now, I'm doing the 30 day challenge on the non-surgical area, so I picked no coffee, no sugar, no alcohol. The reason I picked those is because...I don't bother with green or white tea which is on anti-inflam lists when I can have a latte , if I drink red wine- which is supposed to be a-i, then I evolve back into white wine which is more delicious to me, and sugar is inflammatory. So for now it's easy to add-in when I'm cold turkeying other fun foods. So right now, lots of veggies, less red meat (I eat more bison and always try to get organic), fish, fruits, careful with grains. Mind you, this severity has only been my religion for two weeks, but I can feel a big difference- and I did eat well prior to this- just ate too much and get a glass of wine in me, and all foods are now healthy! I can feel a big difference. My Advil intake has dropped dramatically, and I have more energy. I feel clear.

I was told at the age of 31 that I could have surgery but it was not recommended at that time, as my "curves would never change". Wrong. My curves were 43/46 at that time. They are now 57ish for both. That's another thing- My curves supposedly worsened by 9 degrees in a year, and I was mentally preparing for surgery...A year later (now) they were measured back at 57, so apparently right now they are stable. I am ready for anything. I won't give advice....okay, I will. The only thing I will say is do your homework now, stay calm, enjoy your life in the interim, find a great doctor-a scoli expert, and keep up with it. I've had three kids just fine, but after reading some of the young moms struggling with having the operation with young kids, well- it sounds tough.

All the best to you- enjoyed your blog. Keep posting...

[Elisa]

I don't really know all that much about the subject but recently my sixteen-year-old daughter has become a vegetarian and has actually inspired our family to eat healthier all around. I've never been much for junk food and I don't like anything sweet so I naturally tend to stay away from all that stuff and do have a pretty basic diet.

My husband totally quit drinking alcohol a while back as well as has gotten on a health kick with eliminating all junk food, processed foods and foods with a fructose/glucose (I think that's the combo he's on about) combination. He also has been drinking pots of green day all day and all evening long and he keeps saying how fantastic he feels.

I believe in some way this has helped my scolio boy as well b/c he no longer craves junk food, refuses to drink pop anymore and consumes a lot of green tea. I'm not saying his spine has changed, I'm meaning that his energy level is a bit higher and his all around mood seems better.

I still love my coffee in the morning, generally don't look at labels like I should and LOVE my red wine. I am stubborn.

[livingtwisted]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

mamamx - Interesting! I know raw garlic has lots of healing properties, but hadn't heard of it specifically for back/joint pain. I grew up with my dad eating it every time he felt a cold coming. I'm not sure I'm brave enough -- maybe I'll work up to it.

foofer & elise - Love the dedication! I would love to try this, even as a short term experiment, but I'm not sure I'm willing to give up the joy of eating yet. I love to eat out, try new foods, etc and it's tough to do it on a restricted diet.

I grew up in a no sugar or meat, all whole grains and veggies household so I know it can be done and you feel good. But for now I'm setting some achievable goals -- replacing coffee and soda with green tea, drinking lots of water, and I've added an omega-3 fatty acid supplement. Plus thinking twice before eating sugars and carbs. If I could decrease my advil in take (like foofer!) that would make it worth it -- I can't imagine what it's doing to my stomach.

[livingtwisted]

Foofer - I wanted to respond to your other comment, although a bit off topic
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the doc assumed your curves developed years before and were just left undiagnosed, but maybe they actually were still developing at the time it was diagnosed which is why it continued to progress so dramatically? Regardless, it's great that they are stable now, but it does make the surgery decision tough. I think I've decided that I'm not done trying all the possible alternatives first and hopefully I'll be able to make it through until my hypothetical kids are old enough to help me recover

[mamamax]

mamamx - Interesting! I know raw garlic has lots of healing properties, but hadn't heard of it specifically for back/joint pain. I grew up with my dad eating it every time he felt a cold coming. I'm not sure I'm brave enough -- maybe I'll work up to it.

Yeah - the Garlic Thing is interesting :-) Some say if it had been invented in the laboratory vs by Mother Nature, that it would be a very high priced prescription drug by now. I don't know, but there does seem to be merit in it.

Taking it raw is tricky - but I have found a way that is easy and odor free.

Some info - out of Oregon State University:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...micals/garlic/
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/inflammation.html

Anyone considering using it therapeutically, should of course consult their doctor as there are possible unwanted interactions with prescription drugs and/or some medical conditions. Bty - kudos to you in remembering the water! Very important :-)

[livingtwisted]

Great links! Thanks. How do you take the garlic?

[Dingo]

anti-inflammatory

The #1 proven way to reduce inflammation through diet is calorie restriction. Low energy diets literally drain the inflammation out of your brain and body.

NYTimes Graphic: Calorie restriction monkeys

Here is an article about the monkeys in the study.
20 year primate study: Calorie restriction means longer life and better health

"...Like the study at UW, all necessary nutrients are provided while reducing calorie consumption by 30%."

Here is a link to some studies that investigated the effect of calorie restriction on a variety of autoimmune diseases. In many ways calorie restriction is more powerful than any supplement or medicine that mankind has discovered.

I'm not saying it's pleasant, but scientists know that it works.

[foofer]

Foofer - I wanted to respond to your other comment, although a bit off topic
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the doc assumed your curves developed years before and were just left undiagnosed, but maybe they actually were still developing at the time it was diagnosed which is why it continued to progress so dramatically? Regardless, it's great that they are stable now, but it does make the surgery decision tough. I think I've decided that I'm not done trying all the possible alternatives first and hopefully I'll be able to make it through until my hypothetical kids are old enough to help me recover

Hi Mehera,

I just reread my msg to you...I must have been tired I was formally diagnosed at age 31 but knew I had scoli from a routine chest x-ray at about the age of 18. No curves measured until 31, and to go from 43/46 at that age to 56/57 at the age of 53 is actually slow progression, considering that most curves progress 1-2 degrees per year. But then a year ago, my doctor measured 8 degrees higher, setting my mind reeling with notions for how to plan for surgery. And now it's back to 57's, same doctor doing the calculations who is a top notch NY surgeon. I have to say, it does mess with you having such confusing fluctuation-not sure what happened there, but now I'm adjusting from the notion that my curves were progressing rapidly to the reality that they are relatively stable. I have other degenerative changes that will probably take me out, I'm told,and I will need the surgery. Last appt I was warned to plan for surgery since I would not get better, only worse.

So getting back on topic, , diets and such....Since I am waiting - at least until spring to make any large decisions, I'm separating my world into What do I have control of, what do I not? My belief after much speculation and reading is that I have very little control over progression, but more control over the general health of my spine and my body. I think your dietary changes sound great- just a few manageable things at a time and enjoy eating and all. I hope you stay solid with yearly check-ups for progression and keep talking to us here....

[livingtwisted]

Dingo - the monkey study is fascinating. Thanks for posting. It's really great to be able to see the long term affects since typically we look at over-eating only in relation to being overweight, not necessarily all the less immediate or less visual affects that go along with that. I am not overweight, but could certainly get away with eating a lot less. And surprisingly I think that would be a lot more manageable for me than cutting out entire food groups.

Foofer - Thanks for clarifying, that makes a lot more sense. And totally agree about focusing on what you can control. Progression really doesn't matter if you are otherwise healthy and feel good.

[mamamax]

Great links! Thanks. How do you take the garlic?

I take it in the evening before bed with a fairly large glass of water. Chop it to activate the good stuff, let it sit about 30 seconds and then chew it (with a full mouth of water, adding water as needed). Oddly enough I do not smell like garlic :-)

[mamamax]

Dingo - do you think that perhaps a greater focus on nutrient dense foods, and few processed foods would do the same trick?

[Dingo]

food types

Mamamax

Nope, it's not the nutrient density or food type that appears to matter. The monkeys ate identical, healthy diets. Only the monkey on the low calorie diet experienced the incredible health improvement.

You may have recently seen the story about the nutrition professor who lost 27 pounds by eating nothing but junk food. The only special thing he did was cut his calories to 1800 per day.

Lose weight by eating junk food: Nutrition professor drops 27 pounds on 'Twinkie Diet' in two months

Not only did he lose weight but...

his "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, dropped 30 points from 153 to 123, while his "good" cholesterol, or HDL, went up from 37 to 46 points. His triglyceride level, another measure of fat, dropped 39 percent.

Here is another longterm animal study on calorie restriction.

Dogs Lived 1.8 Years Longer On Low Calorie Diet: Gut Flora May Explain It

Today's research, published in the Journal of Proteome Research, was based on a study in which 24 dogs were paired, with one dog in each pair given 25% less food than the other. Those with a restricted intake of calories lived, on average, about 1.8 years longer than those with a greater intake and they had fewer problems with diseases such as diabetes and osteoarthritis, plus an older median age for onset of late-life diseases.

Here is a human study on calorie restriction and Asthma.
Alternate day calorie restriction improves clinical findings and reduces markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in overweight adults with moderate asthma.

By merely reducing calories by 20% every other day patients experienced a significant reduction in symptoms.

Their asthma-related symptoms, control, and QOL improved significantly, and PEF increased significantly, within 2 weeks of diet initiation; these changes persisted for the duration of the study.

[mamamax]

RC & Nutrition

An interesting topic which looks to have some merit. There is something to consider in all this of course - nutrition. Oddly (or maybe not so oddly), there does seem to be a connection between RC and nutrient dense foods in order to avoid malnutrition.

Here's an interesting article - not the best referenced, but still a fairly decent starting place:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._lengthen.html

While weight loss can be achieved with RC and junk food, I don't think that this would contribute to long and healthy life. Long term under nutrition has its own consequences.