Healthy Eating and Our Joints

July 27, 2015 / Thomas Cohn, MD

What we eat does make a difference in how we feel. The diet most of us eat is probably not healthy. The most common problem is we eat too much food, and that can make us obese. Extra weight does stress the body, especially the joints. From the lumbar, through the hips, knees, ankles and feet, the body does feel extra pounds and may wear out early. The types of food we eat also make a difference. Taking care of ourselves better may reduce the need for costly medical intervention.

Chronic Joint Pain and Food

Chronic pain is a huge problem in the United States, as an estimated 63 million people suffer from chronic joint pain according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Injury and wear and tear over time leads to inflammation in the joints. Inflammation then leads to bone and cartilage damage, which causes the pain we feel. If we can reduce or prevent inflammation in our joints, we can reduce the damage. Some of the foods we eat tend to stimulate inflammation; others are known to reduce it. Vitamins and supplements have not been conclusively shown when in pill form to be helpful.

The compounds in our food do make a difference. For our bones and joints, the helpful compounds include:

Omega-3 fatty acids

Sulfur

Calcium

Vitamin D

Fiber

Anthocyanin

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential in cells and they help control inflammatory cytokines. There are many sources of these fatty acids, especially in fish like salmon, herring and other cold-water fish. Eggs and flaxseed are also high in Omega-3 fatty acid. Calcium is an essential mineral necessary for bone health and is necessary in electrical signal transmissions in muscles and nerves. Diary sources like milk, yogurt and cheese as well as many green vegetables have large amounts of calcium. Vitamin D best comes from exposure to sun. Sulfur is a mineral used in connective tissue including cartilage, ligaments and tendons. It is found in many foods, including eggs, fish, and many green vegetables. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant compound found in fruits that have pits like plums, cherries and peaches, and many berries including blueberries and raspberries. Anthocyanin works to stop production of cytokines that lead to inflammation.

Foods to avoid that affect our bones and joints include: refined sugars, simple carbohydrates, unhealthy fats and food sensitivities. Glucose, or simple sugars, in higher levels are considered pro-inflammatory and can stimulate cytokines production. Simple carbohydrates are found in food like cake, white bread, cookies, many cereals and crackers and are easily digested to simple sugars and then become pro-inflammatory like glucose. Unhealthy fats are Omega-6 fatty acids, like corn oil, and are found frequently in fried foods. Omega 6 fatty acids tend to trigger release of cytokines. Food sensitivities are individual foods that trigger problems for some people like gluten or MSG.

So if you’re dealing with chronic pain, the first thing you’ll want to look at is what you’re putting in your body. Change your eating habits, and you may notice a reduction in your chronic pain!

Could Alcohol Help Ease Chronic Pain?

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015 / Thomas Cohn, MD

People who regularly reported having a beer or two appear to be less likely to experience chronic pain, according to researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

According to researchers, adding a beer or two to your regular routine could help ease pain and lessen the handicap caused by chronic pain. For their study, researchers examined 2,239 individuals who suffered from chronic pain caused by fibromyalgia. After taking a closer look at their alcohol consumption habits, researchers discovered that individuals who regularly reported having a beer or two experienced lower levels of disability than chronic pain sufferers who never drank.

“Although we cannot say that alcohol consumption causes less disability among people with chronic widespread pain, the observed link warrants further investigation,” said Gary Macfarlane of the University of Aberdeen.

Alcohol and Chronic Pain

The study asked patients to estimate their weekly alcohol consumption in an effort to see what role alcohol played in the chronic pain equation. Researchers uncovered that individuals who drank between 21 and 35 drinks a week were 67 percent less likely to experience inability to perform certain daily tasks. For reference, one drink was classified as an 8-oz beverage, or about the size of a small glass of win.

Although the findings are interesting, it doesn’t mean you should start pounding beers after dinner. The Arthritis Foundation wrote that moderation is key.

“The important part of that message is that “alcohol in moderation” means one or two glasses of wine, beer or spirits. Not three,” the Arthritis Foundation wrote on their website.

Related source: Mirror.Uk

Could A Pinched Nerve Be Causing My Pain?

July 20, 2015 / Thomas Cohn, MD

A pinched nerve is one of the more common reasons people experience back pain. Because your back is such a complex structure, it doesn’t take much for it to get out of whack. When there’s too much pressure on the nerve – be it from bones, cartilage, muscles or tendons – it can get compressed and cause pain. Although your back is one of the more common places for a pinched nerve to occur, compressed nerves aren’t isolated in your back. You can also suffer pinched nerves in your neck, legs and arms.

Symptoms of Pinched Nerve Pain

Common symptoms of a pinched nerve include:

Numbness or decreased sensation in the affected area.

Sharp, tingling or burning pain in the area.

A tingling or a “pins and needles sensation” in the area.

Muscle weakness.

Shooting pain or sensation in the back, neck, arm or leg.

Worsening pain while sleeping.

Movement can exacerbate or alleviate symptoms, but exercise and activity is almost always recommended. Movement will usually help loosen the tissues that are pressing on the affected nerve. As we’ve mentioned before, exercise and physical activity is great for combating pain-related conditions.

Treating Pinched Nerves

Unless pain is severely debilitating, most people try to let the condition heal on its own. As you might have guessed based on the above paragraph, physical therapy is one way people try to correct their pinched nerve. A PT can teach you specific exercises to strengthen and stretch muscles to relieve pressure on the nerve.

In additional to physical therapy/activity, a common treatment option for those suffering from a pinched nerve is anti-inflammatory medications. If inflammation is the root cause of the pressure, NSAIDs can be the perfect remedy. More often than not, though, anti-inflammatory medications need to be paired with other treatment options to fully fix the issue.

One final non-surgical treatment option for pinched nerves is a corticosteroid injection. The injection can minimize pain and discomfort as well as reduce inflammation in the area. If you have a fear of needles, the steroid can be taken orally as well.

Pinched Nerve Surgery

If your pinched nerve doesn’t improve after several weeks of conservative treatment, surgery may be your best bet. Surgery will free the nerve from its compressed state, and your doctor can remove scar tissue or problematic bones spurs that might be causing the condition.

As you might have guessed, the type of operation depends on where the nerve is located and what’s causing the compression. For example, a pinched nerve in the arm could be relieved by removing bone spurs, a compressed nerve in the back could be alleviated by removing a herniated disc, while a nerve issue in the wrist could be treated by cutting ligaments to give nerves more room to “breathe.”

If you have pain in your back, or you are experiencing similar symptoms in another part of your body, swing into a physical medicine specialist right away!

What It’s Like To Be Young And Have Chronic Pain

July 17, 2015 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition at any age, but we naturally slow down a bit as we get older, so dealing with constant pain at a young age isn’t something most can relate to very easily. People in their 20’s and 30’s often feel misunderstood or that they have to hide their condition from friends.

Recently, the Huffington Post ran an article titled “15 Things No One Tells You About Chronic Pain As A 20-Something.” The article makes some good points, and we decided to take the five most relevant points and expand on them in today’s blog.

5 Things They Don’t Tell You

Here’s a look at five things most people don’t know about dealing with chronic pain in your 20’s and 30’s.

1. The idea of going out and maintaining a “normal” 20-something social life is laughable.

Chronic pain takes a lot out of you, so some people just won’t understand why you don’t want to paint the town for hours or go hiking on a Saturday afternoon. You want to go out and hang with friends, but sometimes your body just isn’t up for it, or you’re afraid of a flare up in a group setting. Sometimes people take your decision not to attend a function as a personal slight, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You’d love to join, but your pain makes it nearly impossible.

2. Some people are really open and kind about your chronic pain. Some are just the worst.

You likely have a close circle of family and friends who truly understand your condition and how it affects you, but you also probably know some people who are less than empathetic about your condition. They say things like “Oh you’re just faking it,” “You’re lazy” or worse “You’re just doing it for attention.” It’s best to just ignore these people and distance yourself from them if possible. They simply can’t comprehend what you’re going through, and their negativity only makes things worse.

3. There are good days and bad days.

Some days you feel like you can conquer the world, other days it’s an accomplishment if you can just get out of bed. You’ll have good days and bad days, just like everyone else, but what a lot of people don’t understand is that you never know what type of day it’s going to be. You can’t plan around chronic pain. Sometimes it flares up at the worst time, while other times your pain subsides at the perfect time.

4. Chronic pain is a full-time job.

Chronic pain fills up your daily and monthly calendars. Between seeing doctors and specialists, refilling your medications and getting in your daily exercise and physical therapy, chronic pain is a full-time job. When you throw in other activities, like work and social activities, you can start to feel overwhelmed by the condition. Be sure to make time for yourself, even if that just means marking off an hour to watch a few episodes of your favorite TV show on Netflix.

5. Get a Pain Guru.

Lastly, it’s important to find a professional who understands your condition and who helps you TREAT the symptoms, not just manage them. Any old doctor can prescribe painkillers and call it a day, but you need to find a specialist who believes in you, takes time to understand the condition and who works to help you get better.

The Benefits Of Changing Your Diet

July 13, 2015August 25, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Most people struggle with their diets. Eating healthy is always a challenge. With the typical American diet, the food is tasty, quick, and unfortunately, not the best for our bodies. The typical diet is high in carbohydrates, the wrong fats and not enough protein. The diet leads to obesity, anxiety, depression, heart disease, stroke, cancer and mental decline. If we could change our diet slightly, we may be much more healthy. Our diet only became bad over the last 100 years when switched from whole grains, vegetables, and meats to highly processed food.

Diet Options

The Mediterranean diet has been one of the better choices recently. The diet is high in fish oils, nuts and grains. Vegetable proteins are also a large part of the diet. It has been shown to be good for weight loss and to reduce cardiovascular disease. Recently it has also found to be beneficial for depression and anxiety control.

The paleo diet is another diet that earned praise of late. This diet was said to mimic the food choices of our hominid ancestors. The diet concentrates on nuts, berries, and meat. The protein may be red meat or seafood. A lot of the seafood is high in Omega 3 fats that are also good for the brain.

Healthy brain food includes seafood, greens, nuts, and beans, with some dark chocolate and wine. The healthier diets improve brain focus, energy and often lead to weight loss. Seafood is packed with protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, the latter is beneficial to maintain neuronal membrane structure. Seafood also has vitamin D and trace nutrients including iodine and chromium. Leafy greens are sources of fiber, folate, and multiple vitamins. Nuts provide protein, fiber, minerals, and healthy fats, and legumes can provide a healthy alternative source of protein.

Eating a healthier diet has many benefits. Combine a good diet with exercise, and one will move toward a better life with less disease, controlled weight and a brighter outlook with more energy. Change is difficult, but has many benefits.