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S PECIAL P AIN I SSUE
July
In this issue:

Fatigue and body pain
linked to sinusitis

Cherries for pain?

Vitamin D and back pain

Enzymes for pain?

Back pain

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Pain: Is Your Pain Medication Making it
Worse?
According to research appearing in
the American Journal of Medicine
(July 27, 1998) “Conservative
calculations
estimate
that
approximately 107,000 patients are
hospitalized
annually
for
nosteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
(NSAID)-related
gastrointestinal
(GI) complications and at least
16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur
each year among arthritis patients
alone. The figures for all NSAID
users would be overwhelming, yet
the scope of this problem is
generally under appreciated”.
Other
research
links
pain
medications to high blood pressure,
kidney failure, heart failure,
ulceration of the GI tract, and some
drugs even interfere with bone
repair. One study found that in
2,000 arthritic patients, NSAID use
increased ulcer risk 10-fold. Almost
25% of NSAID users have ulcers,
most of which are without
symptoms. NSAIDs perpetuate the
very problem that they are
designed to treat. They actually
increase the body’s oxidative
stress—leading
to
further
inflammation and pain.
Research has demonstrated that
NSAIDs
interfere
with
the
formation of cartilage (Journal of
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the
American
Medical
Association (2000; 283(11):146975)
and
(March
15,
2000;283:1469-1475,
14831484). This is amazing, since so
many patients with arthritis take
pain medication. Temporary
relief is being paid for by
increasing the destruction of the
joint. Clearly, the drugs interfere
with healing. While it may be
necessary to take medication to
ensure quality of life, in the long
term it is a good idea to seek out
natural methods to relieve pain
and inflammation.
Special Pain Issue - Page 1
S PECIAL P AIN I SSUE
Body Pain and Fatigue Linked to Sinusitis
Research published in Archives of
Internal Medicine (2003;163:1832-1836.) and
performed by scientists at Georgetown University
Medical Center, shows a link between fatigue,
unexplained pain and chronic sinusitis. A study
conducted at Harvard had shown that fatigue and
pain scores of sinusitis patients were similar or
worse than a group 20 years older with lung
disease, congestive heart failure, or back pain.
According to the CDC, 32 million Americans
suffer from sinus problems.
On
average, sinus symptoms were nine times more
common in patients with unexplained chronic
fatigue, and six times more common in patients
Cherries for Pain?
with unexplained chronic pain than in the control
group. Sinus symptoms were also more common
in patients with unexplained fatigue than in
patients with fatigue explained by illness.
Unexplained fatigue can therefore be more closely
associated with sinusitis than are other types of
fatigue.
More than 20% of the
subjects in the study met the criteria for a
diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. Most of the
chronic fatigue syndrome patients had sinus
symptoms. Many noted a sudden onset of their
illness, something they have in common with
patients suffering with sinusitis.
According to research submitted to
the 2009 annual meeting of the
American
College
of
Sports
Medicine (abstracts 851 and 852),
consuming tart cherry juice can
reduce pain from exercise. Healthy
runners between the ages of 18 and
50 were randomly selected to
receive either tart cherry juice or a
placebo to drink one week before
the race. The group with the cherry
reported less pain. Another study
had 14 women with fibromyalgia
drinking either tart cherry juice or a
placebo for 10 days to see its effect
on muscle pain and strength after
exercise. Once again, the group
receiving the cherry juice had less
pain and more strength.
Vitamin D and Back Pain
Research appearing in the Journal of the
American Geriatrics Society (Volume 56 Issue 5,
Pages 785 – 791) examined whether the
association between pain and vitamin D status
differed by sex. The subjects of the study were 958
men and women over the age of 65. Of the group,
58% of the women and 27% of the men had at
least moderate pain in either the low back or
lower extremity. Serum vitamin D levels were
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measured in the subjects. Low vitamin D levels
were associated with low back pain in the
women; in fact, low vitamin D levels represented
a 96% increase in the risk of back pain. The low
levels were not associated with accompanying
lower extremity pain and this relationship was
not present in the men participating in the study.
Special Pain Issue - Page 2
Enzymes for Pain?
There is some evidence that taking enzymes can
reduce pain and inflammation, and improve healing.
Usually enzymes are taken to aid digestion. When
they are taken on an empty stomach, they act to clean
up the debris left over from the chemical warfare of
inflammation. One study, appearing in the Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research (2007
Aug;21(3):661-7), showed that taking enzymes
reduced muscle damage loss of strength after
exercise1. Another study
In Clinical Experimental Rheumatology (JanFeb;24(1):25-30) compared enzyme supplementation
to NSAID use in patients with osteoarthritis of the
hip. The double-blind, placebo controlled study lasted
six weeks and involved 90 subjects and found that
enzyme to be comparable to the drug in relieving
pain, joint stiffness and improving function.
A study appearing in the Journal of Dental Disease
(1964;19(2):73-77) evaluated the plant enzyme
bromelain and its effect on pain and healing after
dental surgery. One group of 22 patients took two 20
mg of a bromelain concentrate four times each day for
2-3 days prior to surgery and continued for 3 days
after surgery. In the second phase 33 subjects took 2
tablets 4 times a day on the day of surgery with the
first dose being administered prior to surgery. The
use of the enzymes produced a marked reduction in
inflammation and the amount of time the
inflammation persisted post operatively. There was
also a reduction in pain. Another study, appearing in
the Journal of the American Dental Association (June
1966;72:1420-1425), subjects who underwent dental
surgery received a proteolytic enzyme from Carica
papaya (1 tablet per hour), or a placebo from the time
of surgery until the following morning; for the next
four days, they were given 1 tablet four times each
day. The subjects taking the enzyme experienced less
inflammation and pain, and had enhanced wound
healing.
Bromelain (a plant based enzyme), or a placebo was
given to 160 women following episiotomy in research
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appearing in the journal Obstetrics and
Gynecology (February 1967;29(2):275-278). The
women were given two tablets, 4x/day for three
days beginning within four hours after delivery.
One person in the treatment group and four in the
placebo group had an episiotomy infection. The
amount of medication, especially narcotics, was
reduced in patients taking the bromelain therapy.
The incidence of episiotomy infections was also
lower in the group treated with the enzymes.
Another study on episiotomy patients appearing
in
Current
Therapeutic
Research
(May
1962;4(5):229-237), showed another vegetable
enzyme (from papaya) to reduce inflammation
and swelling after the surgery. In general,
treatment with enzymes has little or no sideeffects.
A study on mice performed by scientists at Emory
University School of Medicine showed damaged
peripheral nerves had improved regeneration
when the mice were treated with enzymes.
Peripheral nerves are the nerves that go from the
spine to the muscle and skin. A nerve cell has a
nucleus and a long process, called the axon. The
nerve signal (which is responsible for feeling and
muscle movement) travels along the axon. When
the nerve is damaged, the axon is damaged and
function is lost.
The axon can regenerate after injury, but such
repair generally does not proceed well. There is no
treatment to enhance nerve repair. Peripheral
nerves do not regenerate well because of the
presence of growth inhibitory substances, called
proteoglycans, near of the damaged nerve.
In the study, the scientists treated the peripheral
portion of severed nerves with enzymes that
degrade specific types of proteoglycans. For two
weeks after the injury, axons regenerated through
enzyme-treated tissues much more effectively
than through untreated tissues. Not only did the
axons regenerate, those that did extended more
than twice as far.
Special Pain Issue - Page 3
Low Back Pain? You are Not Alone
Low back pain is one of the most significant
health problems. Consider these statistics from
the National Institutes of Health (NIH):

Sixty-five to 80 percent of all people
have back pain at some time in their
life.

Back pain is the most frequent cause of
activity limitation in people younger
than 45 years old.

One-half of all working Americans
admit to having back pain symptoms
each year.2

Back pain is one of the most common
reasons for missed work, it is the
second most common reason for visits
to the doctor’s office (upperrespiratory infection is first).

Most cases of back pain are
mechanical. They are not caused by
serious conditions, such as
inflammatory arthritis, infection,
fracture or cancer. This means that
gentle, natural health care is the best
way to treat most back pain.

Americans spend at least $50 billion
each year on back pain (not counting
costs for missed work and lost
productivity).

Experts estimate that as many as 80%
of the population will experience a
back problem at least once.
Can Your Pain be Treated Safely and Naturally? Schedule a FREE
Consultation and Find Out
Call us today and schedule your FREE consultation. Face it, pain lowers the quality of your life. Pain medication is not
a good long-term solution. Let us help you to create a plan that is designed for your unique biochemistry.
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Special Pain Issue - Page 4