Tag: Anti-inflammatory

Bottoms up: Tart Cherry Juice is a Potent Natural Treatment for Chronic Pain and Insomnia

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BOTTOMS UP: TART CHERRY JUICE IS A POTENT NATURAL TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC PAIN & INSOMNIA

Interested in natural treatments for fibromyalgia or chronic pain?Learn about how tart cherries, one of the top antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods, can reduce pain and alleviate insomnia.

Many people with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions are interested in effective natural treatments to relieve their pain. I am always on the lookout for promising supplements to try. Pharmaceutical drugs can absolutely provide pain relief and I don’t think there should be any stigma about taking prescription medications. I take pain killers and they improve my quality of life. However, drugs are often only partially effective and they can cause unwanted side effects. To me, it only makes sense to integrate helpful natural treatments with mainstream medical approaches. Supplements can reduce pain and often have fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals.

One promising natural treatment for relieving pain is tart cherry juice. Tart cherries are incredibly rich in in antioxidants – greater even than dark chocolate or red wine – and tart cherries can significantly reduce inflammation. Antioxidants are important for overall health, and specifically benefit people with chronic conditions associated with high rates of oxidation (damage caused to cells by oxidants). Antioxidants neutralize oxidants (also called free radicals),  preventing tissue damage and providing a host of other benefits including reduced inflammation.

Research shows that tart cherry juice is particularly effective for reducing muscle pain caused by overexertion. Tart cherry juice works to “protect muscles, lower pain, and accelerate muscle repair” (Life Extension). Not surprisingly, post-exercise pain is caused in part by oxidation and inflammation, which is where tart cherries come in. Studies on the impact of tart cherry juice on post-exercise recovery found that it accelerated muscle repair, reduced inflammation, and reduced pain compared to control groups (Life Extension). Tart cherry juice might therefore be helpful for people with illnesses that cause muscle pain like fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome. I have found that it help to drink it on days that I go for longer walks or do my physical therapy strengthening exercise, to reduce the soreness and ward off a flare.

The anti-inflammatory effect of tart cherry juice has potentially widespread benefits for many chronic conditions. I get pain relief from my endometriosis symptoms and fibromyalgia symptoms using pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen, but I often worry about taking too much, because of the damage non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen can cause to your stomach lining. There is dispute about the extent of inflammation in fibromyalgia, but one study found inflammation of the fascia (the connective tissue sheath that covers muscles).  “In 2012, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial found that…among those patients consuming tart cherry juice, there was a statistically significant decrease in inflammation, indicated by reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP)” (Life Extension). Tart cherries also inhibit the same inflammatory compounds, called COX enzymes, that NSAIDs do: “Tart cherries contain high levels of flavonoids and anthocyanins that have anti-inflammatory properties that also work through the inhibition of COX enzymes” (Runners Connect).

Amazingly, that’s not all tart cherries can do for us. Insomnia is a significant problem for people with fibromyalgia. Tart cherries contain melatonin, the hormone that tells your body it’s time to go to sleep. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed that drinking tart cherry juice in the morning and before bed helps improve sleep time and overall time in bed.  Maybe tart cherry juice will help with your insomnia too!

So how much should you drink? Studies of effective tart cherry juice action had participants drink 8-12 oz (236-354 mL) of juice twice daily (remember one cup is 8 oz or 236 mL).  I’m going to head out and get me some more tart cherry juice.  Bottoms up!

Reference:

‘Report – Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Tart Cherry’ Life Extension Magazine June 2013

‘Can Tart Cherry Juice Replace NSAIDs to Relieve Pain and Reduce Inflammation for Runners?’ Runners Connect 

fIG. 1 FROM lIFEeXTENSION.cOM
Guard Against Degenerative Disease and Inflammation with Tart Cherries

Guard Against Degenerative Disease and Inflammation with Tart Cherries

  • Physical exercise can induce muscle damage that generates inflammation and with it, burning, stiffness, and pain. The effect worsens with age.
  • Standard treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Advil®) involves potentially deadly adverse effects, such as stroke.
  • Evidence shows that the weave of complex anthocyanins and phenols in tart cherries provides superior protection against muscle injury—by safely inhibiting the pain and inflammatory effects.
  • The potent components in tart cherries have been demonstrated to deliver high-level protection against inflammatory and degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Evidence for New Fibro Drug Therapies: Options to Take to Your Doctor if Your Current Treatments aren’t Working

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Evidence for New Fibro Drug Therapies: Options to Take to Your Doctor if You Current Treatments aren't Working

New research into drug therapies helps people with fibromyalgia increase their treatment options. Learning about these new medication options can help you and your doctor you find the best treatment regimen for you.

If you live with fibromyalgia, you know firsthand that one of the primary features of this condition is a lower pain threshold compared to healthy people. There are a number of changes in the body caused by fibromyalgia that increase our sensitivity to pain. One set of changes affect how the spinal cord relays pain sensations from the body to the brain. Several drugs target specific receptors, called NMDA receptors, which are located in deep spinal neurons that carry sensory information to regions in the brain that relate to pain processing. NMDA receptors are activated by signals relayed to the spinal cord by peripheral neurons that sense pressure in muscles, tendons, etc. This type of receptor is activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Studies have shown elevated levels of glutamate in the brain and spinal cord of patients with fibromyalgia.[i] There is a strong correlation between elevated glutamate and increased pain in people with fibromyalgia. NMDA receptors can amplify pain signals in patients with fibromyalgia because they are activated to a greater degree by the presence of increased glutamate concentrations in the brain/spinal cord, which trigger pain signals sent to the brain by the deep spinal neurons.

NMDA receptors can be prevented from firing by certain compounds. Two drugs in particular seem effective at decreasing NDMDA receptor activation. One is called memantine. Memantine blocks NMDA receptors and decreases glutamate levels. “A randomised, double-blind study in 63 patients with fibromyalgia compared memantine… with placebo over a 6-month period. Compared to placebo there was a significant reduction in pain and pain threshold and improvement in global function, mood and quality of life”.[ii] Memantine was originally developed to treat diabetes, but has also been used to treat dementia; it has been found to also be effective in treating chronic regional pain syndrome.

Ketamine is another potent NMDA receptor blocker (yes, the illegal party drug). Studies have shown that it can effectively reduce pain for a subset of fibromyalgia patients “Thus, of 58 patients with fibromyalgia in the above 3 studies, 33 (57%) responded to low dose ketamine (0.3mg / kg) infusion, as defined by a reduction of pain by 50% or more.”[iii] However, studies have not adequately investigated long term use of ketamine. However, ketamine has been proven effective in treating chronic regional pain syndrome, which shares many similar characteristics to fibromyalgia.

Another interesting tip focuses on diet changes that can help lower pain levels. Glutamate is found in MSG (monosodium glutamate). Other related compounds, called excitotoxins, like aspartame, can cause harmful over-activity in the brain. “One study showed that 4 weeks of exclusion of monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, and other excitotoxins, resulted in over 30% improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms in 84% of those who completed the diet”.[iv]

What about inflammation and fibromyalgia? A number of studies have found increased levels of pro-inflammatory messengers (called cytokines) in blood collected from FM patients.[v]  A drug called low-dose naltrexone has been investigated for its potential benefits in treating fibromyalgia because of its anti-inflammatory properties.[vi] Naltrexone is primarily used to treat opioid overdoses, but when taken at a low dose before bed, studies have found a statistically significant reduction in FM pain compared to the placebo. A recent study found that “after eight weeks of LDN administration, plasma levels of a range of broadly pro-inflammatory cytokines were decreased. In addition, we found that participants reported less pain and symptoms following LDN. Combined, these results support the hypothesis that LDN may help chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, by acting as an atypical anti-inflammatory medication”.[vii] Pain reduction was found to be 15% and symptom reduction 18%. While these results are modest, for many FM patients desperate for options, low-dose naltrexone could be a valuable part of their treatment regimen.

Evidence for New Fibro Drug Therapies: Options to Take to Your Doctor if You Current Treatments aren't Working

Works Cited

Littlejohn, G., & Guymer, E. (2017). Modulation of NMDA Receptor Activity in Fibromyalgia. Biomedicines 5 (5), 15-27.

Parkitny, L., & Younger, J. (2017). Reduced Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines after Eight Weeks of Low-Dose Naltrexone for Fibromyalgia. Biomedicines 5 (2), 16.

Ross, R., Jones, K., Bennett, R., Ward, R., Druker, B., & Wood, L. (2010). Preliminary Evidence of Increased Pain and Elevated Cytokines in Fibromyalgia Patients with Defective Growth Hormone Response to Exercise. Open Immunol J, 3, 9-18.

Citations

[i] (Littlejohn & Guymer, 2017)

[ii] (Littlejohn & Guymer, 2017)

[iii] (Littlejohn & Guymer, 2017)

[iv] (Littlejohn & Guymer, 2017)

[v] (Ross, Jones, Bennett, Ward, Druker, & Wood, 2010)

[vi] (Parkitny & Younger, 2017)

[vii] (Parkitny & Younger, 2017)