Spine and Back Pain and Depression and Cognition Helped by Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Inflammation is good and normal…in certain circumstances like defending a part of the body that is injured or infected. Inflammation is bad...like when it hangs around too long. Inflammation is a cellular level event and may be a factor in a multitude of chronic diseases: cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, lung, mental, metabolic, neurodegenerative, and more. (1) Aurora Chiropractic Center works to reduce inflammation’s effect on the health of our Juneau chiropractic patients suffering with issues like back pain, headache/migraine, depression and even cognitive issues associated with Alzheimer’s. An anti-inflammatory diet has a role in this effort.
INFLAMMATION LINKED TO BACK PAIN, DEPRESSION, ALZHEIMER’S…
A systematic review and meta-analysis of current medical studies regarding the role of inflammation and depression found that a pro-inflammatory diet was related to a bigger risk of depression symptoms and diagnosis compared to those who chose an anti-inflammatory diet. (2) Another study recommended a link between low back pain and pro-inflammatory diets as well. A study of 7346 people described that those reporting the highest inflammatory diet had higher risk of saying they have low back pain, too. (3) Links between diet, nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease have been published. The good news is that nutrition was described as being able to modulate the immune system and even alter the neuroinflammatory processes related to Alzheimer’s and age-related cognition issues. (4) These descriptions demonstrate just how far-reaching inflammation can be.
…EVEN MIGRAINE
Migraine as primary headache is estimated to affect 14.4% of people and rated as the largest contributor to disability in people over 50 years of age. Migraine is studied a great deal as to what causes it but still remains somewhat of a mystery. Researchers summarized that many factors play a role: vascular function, trigeminovascular pathway activation, pro-inflammatory and oxidative stats may impact migraine pain. Studies associating migraine to the role of dietary interventions are few, but a recent data search found that Ketogenic diet, modified Atkins diets, and low glycemic diets may improve mitochondrial function and energy metabolism, reduce CGRP (calcitonin gene related peptide) level, stabilize serotonin, and suppress neuroinflammation. Through inflammation and irregular hypothalamic function, obesity and headaches (including migraines) may be linked. The inflammatory link appeared in the published papers. Dietary interventions like the intake of essential fatty acids (decreasing omega-6 and boosting omega-3 which were documented to affect inflammation) were described as helpful. (5) Aurora Chiropractic Center understands the power diet and nutrition may have in disease processes like migraine, back pain, depression, and cognition.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET
Aurora Chiropractic Center also knows many of us don’t like the word diet. It often reminds us of things what we can’t eat. A good diet allows a lot of good food though. Basic guidelines for an anti-inflammatory diet design consist of eating lean meat, eggs, fish, fruit, legumes, coffee, tea, honey, vegetables and plain dairy like milk, yogurt, hard cheeses, kefir with limited consumption of red meat and other dairy and sugar while avoiding canned/processed food, sweetened drinks, and alcohol. (6) We are sure our chiropractic patients can handle this type of diet!
CONTACT Aurora Chiropractic Center
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains how inflammation and the immune system work and how chiropractic care and the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management may well help.
Make your next Juneau chiropractic visit with Aurora Chiropractic Center. If inflammation has overstayed its good and normal welcome, we can set up a path toward a more beneficial anti-inflammatory diet.
