Nutraceuticals for Chronic Pain Management
There are many layers to chronic pain management. Nutritional intervention is a pivotal tool that can catalyze long-term relief and is an integral part of an interdisciplinary approach. Even in the realm of nutrition there are different pillars to take into consideration when designing protocols for long term success.
Nutraceuticals can be utilized early on in pain management for two reasons. The first, utilizing specific supplements can provide short term relief, like an NSAID- without the side effects. Second, targeted nutraceutical’s trigger a cascade that facilitates long-term healing, while providing short term relief.
Nutraceuticals VS NSAIDs
When it comes to helping clients, the last thing we want to do is encourage ‘green allopathic medicine’ ie- recommending a supplement for relief without doing the necessary investigation into the root cause.
The attractiveness of using nutraceuticals for pain is that short term relief is often felt and is comparable to NSAIDs.
In practice, we like to use them to help our clients feel relief, as a tool to establish trust and most importantly as a bridge/gateway to the dietary and lifestyle changes that are going to change the course of their live.
The three most common nutraceuticals we use in our practices are curcumin, P.E.A. and Omega 3’s
Curcumin
Anti-inflammatory
Increases SOD levels
COX-2 Inhibitor
P.E.A.
Anti-inflammatory & analgesic
Progressive reduction in pain
Low back pain, pelvic pain, TMJ, osteoarthritis
Omega 3
Anti-inflammatory
Embed in damaged cells
EPA inflammatory pain, DHA for neurogenic pain
If you work with clients who experience chronic pain, we have a free continuing education seminar that you can watch on YouTube with our friends over at Pro Health Systems!
Author: Lisa Kowalyk, Co-Founder Fiore