I have been suffering with hip osteoarthritis for a while now and I am always on the hunt for the right foods and compounds to reduce INFLAmAtioN – because that’s really the problem.
Now-I am not foolish enough to say that it is BAD every time. It’s required to bring healing in the body – it’s a natural immune response – however left unchecked, to get out of control, that’s an entirely different problem – and that’s what we are talking about here.
In Fact, there’s three problems – The I. M. F. Problem:
- Inflammation
- Muscle Tension
- Fibrosis.
So, what do these have to do with the foods for hip, knee, and joint pain? EVERYTHING, I would venture to say. Let’s start by elaborating on the details of these 6 foods and in the process, I will help you understand how I.M.F is the root cause of all our joint pain issues.
Turmeric
Firstly nutrient #- 1 is Turmeric. but not just any old Turmeric – the thing is, there’s a compound in it – and that is where the gold is.
It’s called Curcumin. One only gets 2% of it from that entire jar standing in your pantry. The amazing thing about it is that it has the same effects on pain as opioids – YES – I will say it again… it has the same effects on pain as opioids and the best part is it does so with. NO SIDE EFFECTS! Curcumin is the only compound that inhibits the inflammatory action of NF-kB.
In order to get this powerhouse compound extracted and usable to the body, it needs to be in an extremely bioavailable form, called BCM95 – which is Very difficult to come by, unless you are a well-resourced naturopath.
Boswellia
Have you ever heard of Frankincense? Yes? because somewhere along the line you heard the Christmas story of three kings who brought gifts to Baby Jesus.
Boswellia is derived from the Indian Frankincense tree traditionally known as an effective pain reliever but more importantly to us, used to prevent the loss of cartilage in the joints.
It has the unique ability to act on over 6 inflammation enzymes while pharmaceutical drugs can only deal with a single enzyme at a time- (with added side effects those drugs bring with them)
So, in acting on these enzymes including 5LOX it minimises the effects of inflammation and allows for regeneration of joint cartilage, lubricating them keeping them smooth and free of friction.
This is for people suffering from chronic pain or a condition with inflammation at its core.
Now let’s quickly touch on the M in the I.M.F acronym.
M is for Muscle Tension.
Muscle tension is so often overlooked because many surgeons are too keen to operate too soon.
The tension and stiffness in the muscles surrounding the joints is too often overlooked and a major contributor to pain flare ups. A minor injury around joints can set off muscle tension causing stiffness and pain in the joint.
Quercetin
This is powerhouse of a bioflavonoid found in red wine, onions and tea with a very interesting history.
When early American settlers went west in their wagons across the country, they would carry vats of oil for cooking with them. In order to prevent the oil from going rancid they would throw a couple of yellow onions in and that would do the job nicely- as well as prevent oxidation and add some flavour.
This compound has been studied and it’s benefits amplified as a result of its ability to reduce inflammation caused by free radical damage thus preventing joints from damage.
Free radicals are unstable and reactive compounds that can cause cellular damage – even to our joints, muscles, and nerves. Usually, our bodies built-in defence system uses antioxidant power to reduce their dominance and wipe them out – but insufficient antioxidants make this difficult for the immune response to take on this task effectively, causing a lot of problems.
Here’s where Quercetin steps in – it’s like the supervisor in an internal clean-up crew. It tips the scales dramatically from a losing battle to an indefinite winning streak! We all know that a pound of prevention is better than an ounce of cure.
Quercetin is found in vegetables, and we know to eat them because we stay healthy – and here’s why – because quercetin mops up all the free radical action taking place in the body.
- Repairing damaged DNA.
- Preventing abnormal cellular growth.
- Slowing down the aging process.
Fibrosis
It’s important now to understand the F, In that I.M. F acronym. Fibrosis – in short it is really scar tissue.
It’s not rocket science to understand that once we have inflammation and muscle tension it won’t be long before its favourite cohort comes to the party… Fibrosis – especially when inflammation and Muscle tension have had quite the shindig’ at the joint🤣🤣.
Fibrosis now leaves his indelible mark exacerbating motion limitations and even entrapping nerves contributing to stiffness and pain. …. uh Hem….. enter… (drum roll please…)
Bromelain
Bromelain breaks down scar fibrous tissue – it’s also the active ingredient in meat tenderiser… it digests and breaks down the protein on that grizzly tough piece of steak leaving you with a smooth tenderised steak.
It has the same effect on the body and is absorbed quickly into the blood stream going straight to work.
- Breaks up scar tissue reducing joint mobility.
- Thins the blood safely.
- Increases blood circulation in the inflamed joint, or area.
- Blocks compounds that increase pain
- Supporting your immune system
Best of all it’s a FOOD DERIVED nutrient that completely safe with no side effects essential in any scar tissue treatment and pain relief protocol.
Magnesium
It’s long been known about how great one sleeps when enough magnesium is in the diet.
Did you know that it is one of the most available and versatile minerals in the body. Magnesium is responsible for cellular energy, breaking down protein and the manufacture and metabolising of hormones, it regulates gene expression and muscle contraction.
When magnesium is low, muscles go into spasm. Thats when we have, an Epsom salt bath or ingest additional bioavailable magnesium, suddenly spasms are a thing of the past.
Now for all these ingredients to work together we need a compound that will get past the GI guards and accelerate all the aforementioned nutrients.
Piperine
An insanely powerful compound that, when in the presence of anything accelerates it’s properties to obscenely high levels that promote accelerated relief from pain inflammation and stiffness.
It increases the bioavailability of the nutrients it is applied with by interacting and enhancing the absorption of and metabolism of these nutrients.
These are some incredible Ingredients that if we put them together just right will bring you real relief from your aches and pains… Our team here at Made To Thrive can assist you in your journey to healing… contact us here on connect@madetothrive.co.za to arrange a bespoke treatment plan and start the journey to your pain free life where you age slowly and live freely!
