Food Allergies and Joint Pain
By Dr. Justin Marchegiani
Food allergies and intolerances are common culprits of inflammation, which is considered to be the root of modern diseases. The body can be allergic to any food, therefore any food is capable of causing inflammation, potentially leading to joint pain and arthritis.
Most doctors who are specialized in treating arthritis and many other joint issues tend to rely on medications that only address symptoms of the conditions and totally ignore the underlying cause. Many patients who go to a rheumatologist for joint pain are prescribed medications that may provide temporary relief, but have a dangerous side effects in the long term.
In the last five years of seeing patients with joint pain, I have found that many patients respond positively to simple nutritional and dietary changes. By removing inflammatory foods that aggravate the immune system, my patients’ joints see great improvements thanks to these dietary changes alone.
Medications do nothing more than mask the symptoms of pain, all the while aggravating other issues, such as gastrointestinal and liver problems. These medications also cause mineral deficiencies (folic acid, vitamin C, and other nutrients) which continues to worsen the problem the drugs were originally prescribed for. Proper nutrient levels are very important for helping joints, ligaments, and tendons to heal properly.
While you’re on a medication in hopes of it fixing your joint pain, you are actually setting yourself up for more long-term severe joint pain in the future. Addressing the underlying cause (the source of your inflammation) is the best way to solve the problem- for good.
The vicious cycle in summary:
Click here for help determining the cause of your joint pain.
Autoimmunity is an underpinning:
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Lupus
Spondylitic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
reactive arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Scleroderma
Common inflammatory foods:
All grains, including: wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn, rice, millet, sorghum, etc.
Lectins
Night shades (potato, eggplant, tomato, peppers, tobacco).
Sugar
Legumes (peanuts, soy, beans)
Anti-inflammatory foods:
Wild-caught fish and/or fish oil
Grass-fed Meat
Coconut oil
Lower glycemic fruits, such as berries
Non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and asparagus
Herbs such as turmeric, garlic, and ginger
Green tea
Experiencing Joint Pain? Click here to ask a functional medicine doctor about it.
Top Anti-Aging Foods
By Dr. Justin Marchegiani
Everyone ages, the question, therefore, is not will you age, but how will you age? Will you suffer from chronic pain and inflammation, develop diseases such as dementia, diabetes, and cancer, lose your mental capacities or your ability to walk and run? Or will you remain in good health with good posture, retain a great state of mind and mental clarity, keep balanced hormones and healthy relationships?
The truth is, the choice is yours, and it is exactly that: a choice. If you are determined to live a long life with your body and energy at their fullest potential, you can do so! However, there are no magic creams or pills that will prevent you from showing signs of aging. The secret to aging gracefully and successfully lies in a series of healthy diet and lifestyle choices which we will outline below.
What is Aging?
Disease, dementia, cancer, loose saggy skin, slowed brain function, slow and weakened body: these are NOT predetermined signs of aging! These are the consequences of the Standard American diet (SAD) and lifestyle that have been normalized by our society. Recent discoveries have shown that inflammation, the shortening of your telomeres, and mitochondrial deterioration are what control the aging process.
What Causes Aging?
Inflammation causes the diseases and health decline that are hallmark symptoms of aging, which can eventually lead to autoimmune disease and cancer. This can be combated by finding the root cause of inflammation (commonly diet-related) and taking steps to prevent it.
Telomeres sit at the end of our DNA, and their length is related to our biological age (different from our chronological age, which counts birthdays, your biological age is how old your body is in relationship to your health). Telomeres are shortened by unhealthy habits such as smoking, and eating inflammatory foods.
Our mitochondria produce 95% of our energy, in the form of ATP, but the byproduct of the energy production is harmful free radicals which cause damage to the mitochondria. Science has shown certain foods, as well as the enzyme CoQ10, to be powerful in defending against free radical damage.
How to Age Successfully
We are able to curtail disease, wrinkles, and a general decline in health through taking proper care of our bodies. A big part of preventing disease and deterioration as you age is dependent on your diet. The following foods are just some of the many healthy options we have that are full of the nutrients and minerals vital for good health and longevity:
Bright colored fruits and veggies provide beta-carotene and vitamin A, which protect against cellular damage and premature aging. They are also great for your skin and eyes, meaning less wrinkles and better vision. These include: bell peppers, carrots, sweet potato, and broccoli.
Leafy greens, such as spinach, collard greens, lettuce, and kale, contain several top antioxidants. Lutein and zeaxanthin have been shown to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Beta-carotene, vitamin C, and sulforaphane are cancer-fighting antioxidants present in leafy greens. The folate in spinach improves your short-term memory and might even lower the risk of developing heart disease and cancer. Vitamin K1 is found in collard and salad greens, which is linked to vascular health, strong bones, prevention of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and can treat certain cancers.
Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, making them an unexpected friend of your eyes. They are a natural source of vitamin D, as well as choline, which protects your brain, nervous system, and heart. Be sure to buy organic, pastured eggs for all the benefits they have to offer!
Blueberries are chock-full of antioxidant power. By fighting oxidative stress, blueberries can help neutralize the damage caused by free radicals. They help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and arthritis while boosting your vision and immune system!
Citrus contains vitamin C, which helps your body produce collagen. Collagen is responsible for healthy joints as well as tight, healthy skin. The quercetin in citrus has anti-aging properties and also helps fight inflammation.
Takeaway
You are what you eat, so if your goal is to be healthy and thriving in old age, the food choices you make today need to be healthy ones. Luckily, these foods are not only dense in important nutrients, they are also delicious!
Click here for a consultation with a functional medicine doctor and a personalized health plan!
REFERENCES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3370421/
http://www.cell.com/molecular-cell/pdf/S1097-2765(16)00081-2.pdf
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/64125
http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/101399BlueberriesMayImproveMemory.htm
Food Allergies and Joint Pain | Linkage
By Dr. Justin Marchegiani
Food Allergies and Joint Pains
The body can be allergic to any food, therefore any food allergy is capable of causing inflammation and arthritis
Most doctors who are specialized in treating arthritis and many other joint conditions tend to rely on medications that only address the symptoms and not the underlying cause of the actual problem. Many patients who go to a rheumatologist for joint pain are prescribed medications that have dangerous side effects where in the short term may help but in the long term provide more harm than benefit.
In the last five years of seeing patients with joint pain, I find many patients respond to simple nutritional and dietary changes. As a foundation, removing certain inflammatory foods that aggravate the immune system as well as the joints can make a big difference.
Medications do nothing more than mask the symptoms of pain and at the time contribute to other issues such as gastrointestinal and liver problems. These medications also cause mineral deficiencies such as folic acid, vitamin C, and other nutrients which aggravate the problem the drugs were prescribed for originally. These nutrients are very important for helping joints, ligaments, tendons to heal properly.
While you’re on a medication in hopes of it fixing your joint pain, you are actually setting yourself up for more long-term severe joint pain in the future. Addressing the underlying cause of where the inflammation is coming from is the best way to get to the root of the problem.
The vicious cycle in summary:
Click here to find out about the cause of your joint pain.
Autoimmunity is an underpinning:
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Lupus
Spondylitic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
reactive arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Scleroderma
Common inflammatory foods:
All grains including wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn, rice, millet, sorghum etc.
Lectins
Night shades (potato, eggplant, tomato, peppers, tobacco).
Sugar
Legumes (peanuts, soy, beans)
Anti-inflammatory foods:
Wild caught fish and or fish oil
Grass fed meat
Coconut oil
Lower glycemic fruits such as berries
Non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and asparagus
Filtered water
Herbs like turmeric, garlic, ginger
Green tea
Experiencing Joint Pain? Click here and ask a functional medicine doctor about it.