We have all heard the stories: The friend who notices more knee pain when she puts sugar in her coffee, or the neighbor who can pull weeds all Saturday morning without the usual low back pain if he takes a spoonful of fish oil the night before.
Are we missing something here? Is pain relief as close as the pantry? Or are a lot of people simply propagating flavorful-and sometimes not so flavorful-myths?
I recently wrote a blog about some foods that appear to at least have the potential to provide pain relief. In the interest of equal air time, it is worthwhile to explore some of the tales told in the waiting rooms of health care providers who treat chronic pain patients:
• "Gin-soaked raisins reduce arthritis pain and inflammation." Perhaps this belief has its roots in the Middle Ages, when juniper berries-from which gin is made-were consumed for their assumed anti-inflammatory effects. In a more modern vein, raisins are often processed with sulfur dioxide gas, and some animal studies have suggested sulfur compounds are helpful in certain types of arthritis. Alas, studies have never proven benefit in humans.
• "Cider vinegar provides pain relief." It is assumed that the beta-carotene from apples prevents the destructive effects of oxidation in the immune system. However, the amount of beta-carotene contained in apple cider vinegar is quite small; there are much better sources of this vitamin, but one never hears anyone touting those other sources.
• "Red wine is the key to fighting inflammatory joint disease." Well, maybe if a person really likes his red wine. Still, a compound in red wine, resveratrol, has been shown to suppress pro-inflammatory biochemicals in humans; but it also should be remembered that too much alcohol can actually increase those biochemicals. And of course, there is cirrhosis and head and neck cancer to consider whenever someone drinks too much. So, moderation in all things, and wait for more studies to be done to fully flesh out the risk-benefit ratio of drinking alcohol for the sake of health.
• "Citrus fruits cause inflammatory joint disease." In this case, it may be the opposite is true. Citrus is of course rich in vitamin C, and one study showed that the progression of degenerative joint disease is reduced by more than 50% in individuals who consumed, on average, about 150 mg of vitamin C each day; and vitamin C appeared to protect against future knee pain in those with a diagnosis of early degenerative disease. So, squeeze that orange juice and suck that lemon, because vitamin C appears to have a protective effect in the arthritis caused by the wear and tear of life's many years.
• "Raw foods relieve the symptoms of arthritis." A Finnish study published over ten years ago compared a traditional diet to a raw vegan diet. Subjects on the raw diet felt better, and when they did return to the usual diet that included cooked meat, they felt worse. However, objective measures of arthritis symptoms, such as pain at rest and with movement, and duration of morning stiffness, were not dependent on the raw food diet. In other words, no one is going to fault you if you fire up the barbecue.
So, there you have it. You can eat a healthful diet, but it won't necessarily reduce knee pain. At least for many of us there is still the option of taking a couple of aspirin and going to bed when we hurt. And the calorie count is not so bad either.
