Can Your Diet Help Reduce Your Chronic Pain?
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Your diet can help to reduce your chronic pain!
In the past chronic pain sufferers have had few options to help reduce their pain. Some have had good results with physical therapy or alternative healing methods such as acupuncture. Most fall into a daily schedule of using medication to combat chronic pain. If you are a chronic pain sufferer there’s a good chance that you too use a variety of medications to help with the pain. These might include anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, narcotics and even anti-depressants.
We now have another option to include in our arsenal for treating chronic pain….THC and CBD. Check out this post for more indepth information on using cannabis and CBD to help with your pain.
But did you know that you can also improve your pain relief through diet?
It’s true!
What Is Chronic Pain?
How Does The Keto Diet Help To Reduce Chronic Pain?
The keto or even a low carb diet can help to reduce chronic pain in two ways:
First it helps to reduce the inflammation that leads to chronic pain. Less inflammation means less pain. For those who are just starting down the path to experiencing chronic pain it can help keep the pain that they are currently experiencing from getting worse.
Second it helps to reduce the pain levels you are currently feeling.
For those eating what is known as the Standard American Diet or SAD they typically include foods that are high in carbs including highly refined grains and added sugars, high in pre-packaged foods and low in vitamin and mineral rich vegetables, fruits and minimally processed foods. Type 2 diabetes is on the rise and many people are suffering from various metabolic illnesses that can affect their pain levels.
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What Is A Metabolic Illness?
Metabolic Illness or Metabolic Syndrome is a group of conditions that often occur together and can include high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess weight and high blood lipid levels such as high cholesterol and triglycerides. People with metabolic syndrome have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
They also often have chronic pain issues from arthritis, diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia. Excess weight can cause more wear and tear on joints leading to pain. But metabolic syndrome also contributes to high levels of inflammation in the body which in turn affects the small nerves in the skin. This is a common side effect found in diabetics and is called diabetic neuropathy. Metabolic syndrome also appears to be associated with experiencing increased pain sensations like those found in fibromyalgia.
By following a keto or low carb diet you can help reduce the excitability of nerves which in turn helps to decrease the pain you are feeling.
How Does The Keto Diet Help To Reduce Pain Caused By Inflammation?
What you eat affects your body and, in turn, can create a cyclic that causes or increases pain.
When you eat carbohydrates (which turn into glucose/sugar so the body can use it as energy) insulin is created to help get all that sugar into your cells so it can be used as energy. But if you eat frequently or eat high amounts of carbs then you will constantly have increased levels of insulin to deal with this excess sugar. Insulin raises inflammation markers.
These inflammation markers are an indication that the blood vessels that line your body are being damaged. When these small vessels are damaged it contributes to chronic disease and pain.
There are other sources that can contribute to inflammation in the body such as high stress levels, smoking and having a sedentary lifestyle. Some people even have a family history of chronic inflammatory diseases. But diet plays a big role in inflammation in the body. Thankfully there are things you can do to help decrease inflammation such as reduce stress, stop smoking and get more exercise. You can also change the way you eat!
During the keto diet your body uses fat instead of sugar (carbohydrates) for energy. Having high amounts of sugar in the body causes a cascading effect. If you follow the keto diet you will be using fat for energy which will lower insulin levels and stop causing inflammation.
How Does The Keto Diet Help To Reduce Pain Perception?
Pain signals are transmitted by the nerves. The keto diet does several things that helps to decrease the amount of pain you perceive. It was discovered that being in ketosis (a state in which the body burns fat instead of sugar for energy) helps to lower the activity of neurons. Have you heard of people with uncontrolled epilepsy being put on the keto diet to help them? They follow this type of diet because it decreases the activity of the neurons which then leads to them having fewer seizures. Pain signals also pass through these neurons and when the activity level is lowered people feel less pain.
If you are suffering from chronic pain then having more than one method to decrease the pain can be a huge benefit. Microdosing with CBD, THC or a combination of the two can provide pain relief. Changing your diet can also provide pain relief as well as decrease the amount of pain you perceive. A keto diet can be very beneficial to those suffering from chronic pain.
If you would like more information about the keto diet please stop by and check out these posts on our sister site:
Can the keto diet help with chronic pain? This is a more indepth post on the topic.
How to create healthy habits – If you are looking to make dietary changes then you may want to read this post about how to create long term health habits.
Everything you wanted to know about carbs when you are on the keto diet – Learn more about carbs here.
Delicious Keto Recipes – check out some of these recipes for the keto diet.
Sign up for the newsletter and receive a password to the resources library where you will find a menu planner, the ultimate carb count list and other great downloads.
Also check out some of these posts on creating your own CBD/THC edibles:
Everything you wanted to know about cannabis and CBD edibles
Cannabis and CBD edible recipes
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Disclaimer: This is information is not intended as medical advice. The information in this post is intended for those 21 and older who live in a state or country where medical or recreational use of cannabis is legal. If you plan to use a form of cannabis that intoxicates you please do not operate heavy machinery or drive a car. Please follow all local laws concerning cannabis. This website is informational and cannot diagnose or treat illness or disease. Medical marijuana should be used under the direction of a licensed healthcare provider. This site contains advertisements. If you click a link and make a purchase, CannabisNurseMA.com may receive a commission.
The post Can Your Diet Help Reduce Your Chronic Pain? appeared first on Cannabis Nurse MA.
Your diet can help to reduce your chronic pain! In the past chronic pain sufferers have had few options to help reduce their pain. Some have had good results with physical therapy or alternative healing methods such as acupuncture. Most fall into a daily schedule of using medication to combat chronic pain. If you are … Read more
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