Nutricion

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Nutrition and Supplements for Pain Management
Maria Sulindro-Ma, Charise L. Ivy, and Amber C. Isenhart
CONTENTS
Introduction Dietary Guidelines for Managing Pain Nutritional Supplements in the Management of Pain Nutrition and Supplements for Specific Pain-Related Conditions Conclusions

Summary
This chapter discusses dietary guidelines and nutritional supplements that have been provento be beneficial in the treatment of pain. First, a strong foundational diet is presented, including antiinflammatory ingredients. Next, several key supplements that are helpful for pain conditions are discussed. The chapter is completed with a discussion of some of the most common chronic pain conditions, with specific dietary guidelines and nutritional supplement selections for each condition.Key Words: pain, nutrition, diet, supplements, vitamins, inflammation, osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), premenstrual syndrome (PMS), osteoporosis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), migraine, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

1. INTRODUCTION
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) covers a wide range of treatment options including diet and nutrition (1). Manyindividuals living with chronic pain seek CAM treatments in addition to or instead of allopathic medicine. The healthcare costs associated with unsuccessfully treated pain total $61.2 billion per year (2). The foundation of good nutrition along with exercise and stress reduction can greatly contribute to improving a chronic pain sufferer’s quality of life (3). This chapter will focus on nutritionas a treatment modality, and will look at how the foods we eat play a powerful role in pain management. The cellular membrane theory teaches us that the absorption of necessary molecules into a cell and its mitochondria depends on the bioavailability of nutrients from food
From: Contemporary Pain Medicine: Integrative Pain Medicine: The Science and Practice of Complementary and AlternativeMedicine in Pain Management Edited by: J. F. Audette and A. Bailey © Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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Part III / Therapeutic Techniques

and supplements in the diet. Each cell, tissue, organ, and system of our bodies depends on the nutritional signals we send. Although it has been practically ignored by allopathic medicine for many decades, nutrition is truly the foundation of medicine andhealing. Without a proper foundation, any structure will be weak and ultimately ineffective. Food is medicine! Pain is the common denominator in many of the most common disabling conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, premenstrual syndrome, and pelvic inflammatory disease. But even when the paindescribed by different people arises from the same underlying condition, or the same body region, nutritional management needs to be personalized to the individual. No two patients are the same in the field of nutritional medicine. Each individual’s body is different in its chemistry and nutritional needs. Each is therefore unique in its sensitivities and susceptibilities to various deficiencies andclinical conditions, and each individual requires different nutrients to maintain proper balance. Before prescribing dietary changes or supplements, it is especially important to consider objective laboratory findings that may indicate a nutritional deficiency or give other helpful information. The philosophy of care is then fairly simple. If a nutritional deficiency is found, replenish it. If atoxin is found, remove it. The ultimate goal is to provide positive balance and health. Nutritional medicine for pain also requires an understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease process. The practitioner can then prescribe ingredients with specific roles in mitigating the disease process, such as reduction of inflammation, or with specific effects on other factors contributing to pain, such as...