The first question you may ask; is there a relationship between food and pain. The answer is definitely yes. Some foods you eat can actually trigger pain, while others may actually suppress the pain.
Headaches


  • The first type of pain that we will talk about is the most common pain reported to any physician. The headache may seem very simple in definition, but the correct diagnosis of the type of headache is extremely complicated. For our purposes we will categorize headaches into one of two types, migraine and non-migraine.
    The majority of headaches present as non-migraine, and the fact is something is triggering them. Many factors such as hormones, physical exertion (heavy exercise or strenuous labor), lack of carbohydrates, and drug-related factors are all to blame for the common headache.




  • Non-migraine headaches can often lead to migraine complaints. There are as many causes of headaches, as there is many causes of fluctuating gas prices. Environmental factors often play an additional role in causing headaches, and cause triggers pain when mixed with certain foods.
    The average patient is likely to experience a minimum of one headache per week. This factor can be devastating when you consider the amount of money lost with all of those headache patients missing work. The statistics are quite staggering and reach up into the billions of dollars in association with this problem.




  • It is estimated that approximately one quarter of the population has difficulty with digesting any particular given food. That number may seem conservative with reports relative to lactose intolerance alone. Some of the best headache clinics in the world look at common food allergies as a major trigger for headaches.
    The most common are dairy products, seafood, wheat gluten, coffee and chocolate. Many times an allergy test will prove false negative results with respect to any particular food. Removal of the suspected food from the diet is the only way to tell for sure.




  • The truth is, certain foods like chocolate will stimulate the brain to produce peptides and those chemicals can result in an increased blood supply to the brain, which results in a pressure headache. Other addictions to various chemicals such as caffeine are likely to produce a headache during withdrawal.
    Many individuals may be aware of Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, that is brought on after consuming high amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG). These headaches can be quite devastating and sometimes are accompanied by chest pain.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=401 align=center><TBODY><TR vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#666666><TD vAlign=top align=left width=401 colSpan=3></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#666666><TD width=10></TD><TD width=381>Monosodium Glutamate
Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate and MSG, is a sodium salt of the non-essential amino acid glutamic acid. It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavour enhancer. </TD><TD width=10></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#666666><TD colSpan=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


  • Another type of headache is known is the "hotdog headache." This is commonly associated with the excessive nitrates added to some prepared meats. Other individuals may be hypersensitive to cold liquids and solids and commonly experience, "brain freeze." Far too many individuals are associated with an alcohol induced headache that usually occurs when you red wine and hard liquor.
    When trying to decipher which types of food may be causing your headache, try and consider that it may be a combination of food's that is getting you your problem.




  • My father specifically has headaches that force him into bed for several days whenever he mixes chocolate and soda/pop or chocolate and coffee. It certainly cannot be an allergy to caffeine since he drinks about a gallon of homemade iced tea per day. He does this and has not had a headache of any significance for as long as I can remember.
    It is to your best benefit to keep a food log and include anything you drink with respect to your headache onset. Keep this journal for approximately 2 weeks prior to seeing any neurologist.

Back Pain & Arthritis


  • While headaches may be the primary diagnosis submitted to all insurance companies in the US, running a close second is back pain. There are many causes of back pain, just like there are headaches. One of the most common causes of back pain is associated with arthritis.
    When you eat any starch or process sugar, it begins a cascade of hormones and inflammatory responses that attack your joints with an intense vengeance. Some simple spices can alter this attack, such as ginger.




  • Millions of individuals suffer from arthritis and aggravate the condition on a daily basis. Most individuals in United States eat an extremely high consumption of omega-6 fats.
    There is some evidence that shows that a diet rich in omega-3 fats provides some relief for arthritic pain. Other researches found that chemicals are produced with foods by frying or grilling meat and often react with various inflammatory diseases. It should be noted that this is very weak research, but some tendencies and hypersensitivity's towards foods that were prepared this way may be applicable.




  • For most individuals who are not on kidney dialysis, consuming more protein on a daily basis will offer benefits that are geared towards healing. Many individuals with nervous problems, digestive problems and other related connective tissue disorders will benefit from an increase of dietary protein.
    Utilizing protein offers an increase enzyme response associated with a normal metabolism that produces sugars and results in new tissue formation.
    Typically eating foods in a more raw and natural state provides natural enzymes, which allows any food to digest easier. The obvious exception to this rule is raw eggs and meat. Other specific foods to eat when you are in pain include fresh fruits that are high in citrus content, due to their high antioxidant values. When you hurt, eat colorful foods.
    One of the best things you can ingest when you are in pain is water. The osteopathic profession was based upon the theory that whenever something in the body slowed down it led to an increase of disease.




  • Drinking approximately 1 gallon of water a day offers an increase of filtration that is sure to remove unwanted toxins from your system. The majority of the pain in our body is associated with toxic chemical neurotransmitters and a significant amount of water is required to remove them from our body.
    Eating approximately 8 raw asparagus spears a day will assist with the removal of water from our system and with it out go a tremendous amount of toxins.




  • The aspartatic acid associated with asparagus - is a powerful toxic chemical attractant in the efficiency of this chemical - will be obvious the next time you use the restroom. The strange smell associated with urination is proof that the aspartatic acid is being removed from your system and with it are many of the toxins from your body.


Conclusion

To summarize, when you are in pain, avoid fatty meats, eat more fish, drink more water and avoid process sugars. Try to eat approximately 8 raw asparagus spears at day. Attempt to eat more raw foods and be sure to add some vitamin supplementation.
Finally, eating smaller meals in approximately every two or three hours, allows your body to maximize the absorption of nutrients. All of this lowers the overall pain level of the individual and helps you recover.