2828: Q&A - How To Reduce Chronic Inflammation on How To Enhance Quality of Life and Manage Pain

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[00:00:30] It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, and I'm Dr. Neal Malik.

[00:00:34] Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another special Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and more. You send in the questions and I answer them for you. Oh, and if you do send in a question, we'll give you a copy of our Optimal Living Daily workbook for free. And I'll tell you how to send in a question right after the Q&A.

[00:00:57] Now quickly, before I get to the Q&A, once a month, usually during the first Q&A episode of the month, I mention a bit about my background and credentials so you can better understand where my perspectives come from. And given this is the first Q&A of the month, it's time.

[00:01:12] Now, while I've always been obsessed with Batman, I wasn't always interested in the things I talk about on this podcast. Nutrition, exercise, health, and wellness. But being diagnosed with a chronic disease at the age of 19 definitely changed my life's purpose.

[00:01:28] It was then I decided to focus my attention on helping others so that no one else had to experience a chronic disease diagnosis like I did. But to do that, I wanted to be sure I had some credibility. This is not meant to be a humble brag, but instead, gain your trust and again help you understand my perspectives.

[00:01:46] I received both my master's and doctoral degrees in public health. And to really cover all of my bases, I also became a registered dietitian nutritionist, a certified health education specialist, and a certified exercise physiologist to the American College of Sports Medicine.

[00:02:03] I've been teaching in higher education for a long time now, and I'm currently faculty within the California State University System. I published peer-reviewed studies, presented at national and international conferences, and I've been interviewed by over 70 different media outlets for my expertise on basically all the things I talk about on this podcast.

[00:02:23] So all of this to say, that when I provide my commentary after each episode and answer the questions you send in like today, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place of truth.

[00:02:35] My only intention is to help you feel your best.

[00:02:38] Alright, and with that, let's finally hear today's question as we optimize your life.

[00:02:48] Hi, my name is Shelly, and I'm 33 years old.

[00:02:52] I currently deal with a lot of inflammation in my body, and I feel a great deal of pain a good amount of time.

[00:03:00] How do I reduce inflammation in my body?

[00:03:03] What ways can I either work out or eat to reduce inflammation?

[00:03:10] Thank you for your question, Shelly.

[00:03:12] First, I'm very sorry to hear that you're experiencing chronic pain.

[00:03:16] I can relate somewhat.

[00:03:18] A family member of mine has an autoimmune condition that leads to chronic pain.

[00:03:22] So this is something that hits close to home with me.

[00:03:25] Now, chronic pain can significantly impact a person's quality of life.

[00:03:29] What often happens is, for some reason, the pain will come and go or flare up.

[00:03:34] Again, sometimes the cause is known, but often it's a complete mystery.

[00:03:38] It's the latter that can make it so maddening.

[00:03:41] Sometimes the pain seems to be triggered for no reason at all.

[00:03:44] Maybe it's caused by the environment, like pollution or food or water supply,

[00:03:48] or maybe our lifestyle, like diet and exercise,

[00:03:51] or the genes we inherit from our parents, or a combination of all of those things.

[00:03:56] Now, besides taking pain medications, unfortunately there are very few long-lasting treatments.

[00:04:01] But some practitioners do recommend alternative therapies,

[00:04:04] like Reiki, acupuncture, and therapeutic massage,

[00:04:08] to help reduce some of that chronic pain.

[00:04:10] So just to be sure we're all on the same page,

[00:04:12] I want to explain what Reiki is all about.

[00:04:15] Reiki is often associated with Eastern traditions,

[00:04:17] and has been used for over 2,000 years as a treatment for a number of conditions.

[00:04:22] The person practicing Reiki usually has the individual lie down in front of them,

[00:04:26] and using a very soft touch, or no touch at all.

[00:04:29] Instead, the hands are held just above the body.

[00:04:32] The practitioner uses vibrational energy to help relieve the patient's symptoms,

[00:04:36] or try and heal them completely.

[00:04:38] And lucky for us, Reiki has been studied as a treatment for anxiety, depression, and pain relief.

[00:04:44] After looking at some of the data,

[00:04:46] it appears Reiki can be beneficial for those suffering from all of those conditions,

[00:04:51] including chronic pain.

[00:04:52] The evidence isn't very strong,

[00:04:54] but I'm willing to be more lenient with the data here,

[00:04:56] because Reiki is unlikely to cause harm.

[00:05:00] So why am I okay with recommending something that hasn't been studied all that much, you may ask?

[00:05:04] In other episodes, I've been much more of a stickler about having well-designed studies to back up my recommendations.

[00:05:10] So what gives?

[00:05:11] Well here, because there's a very low risk for harm, I can be more lenient.

[00:05:16] But say you listen to an episode where I talk about working out on an empty stomach.

[00:05:22] I talk about how we don't have quality research to support this behavior.

[00:05:25] This is because the consequences of working out on an empty stomach can be pretty severe.

[00:05:31] Someone could develop low blood sugar and pass out during their workout.

[00:05:35] Pretty serious indeed.

[00:05:36] So here, with a therapy like Reiki, it's unlikely to cause any harm, so I can be more flexible.

[00:05:42] Now with regards to acupuncture,

[00:05:44] luckily the majority of the research looks at whether acupuncture can help reduce chronic pain.

[00:05:49] So it directly applies.

[00:05:52] Acupuncture is the insertion of needles at specific points on the body to promote optimal health.

[00:05:57] And often again, it's used to relieve pain.

[00:06:00] A meta-analysis was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,

[00:06:04] which is considered one of the best journals out there,

[00:06:06] and found that acupuncture was an effective treatment for chronic pain.

[00:06:10] I like looking at meta-analyses,

[00:06:12] because these types of studies basically collect a bunch of other published research

[00:06:16] and look at them as a whole.

[00:06:18] We often hear how one study found a particular treatment to be helpful,

[00:06:22] and then another one says the complete opposite.

[00:06:24] Meta-analyses can help us make sense of these conflicting results.

[00:06:28] And sure enough, it was discovered that acupuncture can help relieve chronic pain.

[00:06:32] The authors even went so far as to say this was not due to just a placebo effect.

[00:06:37] There have been some meta-analyses published for massage therapy

[00:06:40] and its effectiveness for chronic pain as well.

[00:06:43] Since there are different forms of massage,

[00:06:44] like deep tissue, Swedish, lymph drainage, and so on,

[00:06:48] it can be a bit trickier to determine which is truly most effective.

[00:06:52] There have been cases where deep tissue massage

[00:06:55] or lymph drainage massage can actually cause more pain.

[00:06:59] Well, why might this be?

[00:07:01] Have you ever had a massage and then after the therapist says to you,

[00:07:03] okay, I want you to take it easy afterwards.

[00:07:06] It's normal to feel like you're coming down with something,

[00:07:09] so hydrate and rest.

[00:07:11] Well, this is because the body's immune system

[00:07:13] may begin to wake up after this type of massage.

[00:07:16] And if the immune system wakes up,

[00:07:18] it may lead to more inflammation and increased pain.

[00:07:22] So it may be worthwhile to consider getting a relaxation massage

[00:07:25] as opposed to a deep tissue or lymph drainage massage.

[00:07:29] Now, when it comes to other lifestyle choices,

[00:07:31] here are the ones that are supported by quite a bit of well-designed studies.

[00:07:36] One, exercise.

[00:07:38] Moderate intensity cardiovascular activity,

[00:07:41] like walking at a moderate pace for 30 to 60 minutes at a time

[00:07:44] most days of the week,

[00:07:46] has been shown to help reduce inflammation in the body

[00:07:48] and therefore reduce chronic pain.

[00:07:51] If you want to incorporate weight-bearing exercises like weightlifting,

[00:07:55] just try not to overdo it.

[00:07:56] This is because if you begin to experience muscle soreness,

[00:07:59] well, that will lead to more pain.

[00:08:01] Plus, the immune system will wake up to heal those muscles.

[00:08:04] And again, waking up the immune system

[00:08:06] is not what we want in this situation.

[00:08:09] I'm not saying you should never perform weight-bearing exercises,

[00:08:12] just no need to overdo it.

[00:08:14] Two, your diet.

[00:08:16] When it comes to diet,

[00:08:17] there are a number of foods that have been shown

[00:08:18] to reduce chronic inflammation.

[00:08:21] Chronic inflammation, like I said,

[00:08:22] may be a trigger for chronic pain.

[00:08:24] So, believe it or not,

[00:08:25] there are a number of well-designed studies

[00:08:27] that have found whole grains

[00:08:28] to have anti-inflammatory properties.

[00:08:31] Other foods that have anti-inflammatory properties

[00:08:34] would be beans and lentils,

[00:08:35] green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale,

[00:08:38] omega-3 fatty acids.

[00:08:40] Now, marine sources of omega-3s

[00:08:42] tend to be best for helping reduce chronic inflammation.

[00:08:46] So, fatty fish like salmon,

[00:08:48] mackerel,

[00:08:49] trout,

[00:08:50] herring,

[00:08:51] and halibut are great.

[00:08:52] And we're also learning certain spices,

[00:08:54] like turmeric,

[00:08:55] can be anti-inflammatory.

[00:08:57] There have actually been a number of studies

[00:08:59] on the effects of turmeric

[00:09:00] and its role in preventing systemic inflammation.

[00:09:03] Turmeric is that bright yellow spice

[00:09:05] that's often used in Eastern dishes.

[00:09:07] You could actually supplement with turmeric as well,

[00:09:09] but just be sure you do your research

[00:09:11] before buying a specific product.

[00:09:14] Remember, the supplement industry

[00:09:15] is kind of like the Wild West right now.

[00:09:17] We don't really know what's in everything.

[00:09:19] So, do your research,

[00:09:20] do your homework,

[00:09:21] and find a quality product.

[00:09:22] So, luckily, there are a number of options

[00:09:25] to help reduce chronic pain.

[00:09:26] Just know that Reiki, acupuncture,

[00:09:28] and massage should be considered complementary therapies,

[00:09:32] meaning you should still follow your doctor's orders,

[00:09:35] take your prescribed medications, etc.,

[00:09:37] but adding one or more of these modalities

[00:09:40] to your care plan may help you feel even better.

[00:09:47] Thank you again for the question, Shelley.

[00:09:49] All right, now, if you want your question answered

[00:09:51] right here on the show

[00:09:53] and get a copy of our Optimal Living Daily Workbook,

[00:09:56] you can email your question to health at oldpodcast.com.

[00:10:00] Or, if you want your voice played and heard in an episode,

[00:10:04] come by oldpodcast.com slash ask.

[00:10:08] Right on that page,

[00:10:09] you can record straight from your computer's microphone.

[00:10:11] It's really easy.

[00:10:12] You can even play back your message and do retakes

[00:10:15] before sending it in.

[00:10:16] Or, you can do it the old-fashioned way

[00:10:19] and call in your question.

[00:10:20] The number is 161-ILOVE-OHD.

[00:10:25] That's 1-614-568-3643.

[00:10:31] Thank you so much for sending in your questions.

[00:10:33] Answering them is my favorite part of the show.

[00:10:36] All right, that'll do it for another Q&A edition

[00:10:38] of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:10:40] Thank you for listening every day and all the way through.

[00:10:42] I hope you have a great start to your weekend

[00:10:44] and I'll see you back here tomorrow

[00:10:46] where your optimal life awaits.