PAIN - Unusual Causes & Unusual Remedies

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"Although I pointed out a long time ago the antithyroid effects of excessive cysteine and tryptophan from eating only the muscle meats, and have been recommending gelatinous broth at bedtime to stop nocturnal stress, it took me many years to begin to experiment with large amounts of gelatin in my diet. Focusing on the various toxic effects of tryptophan and cysteine, I decided that using commercial gelatin, instead of broth, would be helpful for the experiment. For years I hadn't slept through a whole night without waking, and I was in the habit of having some juice or a little thyroid to help me go back to sleep. The first time I had several grams of gelatin just before bedtime, I slept without interruption for about 9 hours. I mentioned this effect to some friends, and later they told me that friends and relatives of theirs had recovered from long-standing pain problems (arthritic and rheumatic and possibly neurological) in just a few days after taking 10 or 15 grams of gelatin each day." -Ray Peat

 

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“But admit it, most of us have personally experienced the miraculous effect coffee has on pain management. When you’re anxious, the intoxicating aroma of roasted coffee works as an instant calming agent. Mind you, it’s just coffee we’re talking about. Other caffeinated beverages like tea might not have the same effect.

Dr Ray Peat, PhD physiologist and health expert said, “Our scientific community talks about coffee like it’s a drug, when actually it’s an adaptogenic nutrient. The caffeine in coffee mimics anti-stress hormones like progresterone, scavenges free radicals, and increases the efficiency of fuel consumption in the body.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.deccanchronicle.com/amp/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/120919/coffee-can-cure-pain-science-says.html

 

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“(IBS) is a condition that affects your digestive system and can cause stomach pain, cramping, diarrhea, bloating, constipation, and flatulence.

In one study in people with IBS, consuming artichoke leaf extract daily for six weeks helped ease symptoms. What’s more, 96% of participants rated the extract equally as effective as — if not better than — other IBS treatments, such as antidiarrheals and laxatives.

Another study in 208 people with IBS discovered that 1-2 capsules of artichoke leaf extract, consumed daily for two months, reduced symptoms by 26% and improved quality of life by 20%.”

Artichoke extract may relieve symptoms in several ways.

Certain compounds in artichokes have antispasmodic properties. This means that they can help stop muscle spasms common in IBS, balance gut bacteria, and reduce inflammation.

Top 8 Health Benefits of Artichokes and Artichoke Extract

Artichokes are an edible thistle that may provide numerous benefits. Here are the top 8 health benefits of artichokes and artichoke extract.

www.healthline.com

 

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“Orange peels have similar properties to the anti-inflammatory drug, indomethacin.”

9 Health Benefits of Eating Orange Peels

Eat a peel for a perk!

spoonuniversity.com

 

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My white mulberry trees are packed with fruit right now. I wondered what health properties they might have and among the many benefits they are an anti-inflammatory…


“White mulberry (Morus alba) is a small tree native to northern China. During ancient times its primary uses were to feed silkworms and treat various illnesses.

White mulberry contains many unique active compounds and flavonoids that confer a broad range of potential benefits.

Its leaves and roots can be prepared in a tea, while its berries can be eaten whole or made into wine.“


“Oxyresveratrol is an active component of white mulberry. It exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing various compounds and pathways (iNOS/nitric oxide production, PGE2 synthesis, and NFkB activation) [39].

It also inhibits MEK/ERK pathway activation, which stops white blood cells from building up in the tissues and causing inflammation.

Moracin M inhibits PDE4 enzyme activity, which increases cAMP levels and lowers the inflammatory response.

A combination of white mulberry leaf and fruit extracts improved obesity-related inflammation in mice. It also lowered inflammatory marker levels (TNF-a, CRP, IL-1, and iNOS).

Additionally, white mulberry root bark lowered inflammation in mouse cells.”

13 Benefits of White Mulberry (Morus Alba) - SelfDecode Supplements

White mulberry, or Morus alba, has potential benefits such as being antidiabetic, fat-lowering, and anti-inflammatory. Read on for how its active compounds "talk" to your genes.

supplements.selfdecode.com

 

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Forage for Your Fruit: Mulberries and 9 Ways to Use Them

There might be free fruit just waiting for you to find it.

food52.com

 

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“A simple protein deficiency has many surprising effects. It lowers body temperature, and suppresses the thyroid, but it increases inflammation and the tendency of blood to clot.” -Ray Peat

 

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“Since thyroid and progesterone decrease the formation of estrogen in inflamed tissue, while cortisol stimulates its formation, it would seem wise to use thyroid and progesterone for their immediate antiinflammatory effects, which include the inhibition of NO formation (Drew and Chavez, 2000), and their lack of the excitotoxic, estrogen-stimulating effects of the glucocorticoids. While the glucocorticoids are catabolic and liberate cysteine and tryptophan from muscles, thyroid and progesterone are not catabolic, and protect against the toxic consequences of those amino acids.” -Ray Peat

 

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“Reduction of the mediators of inflammation is better than augmenting a single antiinflammatory agent such as cortisol. Although immunosuppressive drugs, including the "essential fatty acids," do alleviate inflammatory symptoms temporarily, they probably contribute to the underlying pathology.” -Ray Peat

 

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“MSM (3g twice a day) improved symptoms of pain and physical function during the short intervention without major adverse events.”

Efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in osteoarthritis pain of the knee: a pilot clinical trial - PubMed

MSM (3g twice a day) improved symptoms of pain and physical function during the short intervention without major adverse events. The benefits and safety of MSM in managing OA and long-term use cannot be confirmed from this pilot trial, but its potential clinical application is examined...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

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“The absence of cancer on a diet lacking unsaturated fats, the increased rate of metabolism, decreased free radical production, resistance to stress and poisoning by iron, alcohol, endotoxin, alloxan and streptozotocin, etc., improvement of brain structure and function, decreased susceptibility to blood clots, and lack of obesity and age pigment on a diet using coconut oil rather than unsaturated fats, indicates that something very simple can be done to reduce the suffering from the major degenerative diseases, and that it is very likely acting by reducing the aging process itself at its physiological core.” -Ray Peat

 

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This RP statement below suggests lowering tryptophan in one’s diet may be a good strategy towards reducing chronic pain….


“When an inflammatory disease (eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome) was noticed in people using tryptophan tablets (1989-90), there was an intense campaign to exonerate the tryptophan itself by blaming the reaction on an impurity in one company's product. But the syndrome didn't occur only in the people who used that company's product, and similar changes can be produced by a high-tryptophan diet (Gross, et al., 1999).

There are people who advocate the use of tryptophan supplementation or other means to increase serotonin in the tissues as a treatment for the fibromyalgia syndrome, but the evidence increasingly suggests that excessive serotonin, interfering with muscle mitochondria, is a major factor in the development of that syndrome.” -Ray Peat

 

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“Serotonin's contribution to high blood pressure is well established. It activates the adrenal cortex both directly and through activation of the pituitary. It stimulates the production of both cortisol and aldosterone. It also activates aldosterone secretion by way of the renin-angiotensin system. Angiotensin is an important promoter of inflammation, and contributes to the degeneration of blood vessels with aging and stress. It can also promote estrogen production.” -Ray Peat

 

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“Serotonin excess produces a broad range of harmful effects: Cancer, inflammation, fibrosis, neurological damage, shock, bronchoconstriction, and hypertension, for example. Increased serotonin impairs learning, serotonin antagonists improve it.

The simplest, nonessential, amino acid, glycine, has been found to protect against carcinogenesis, inflammation, fibrosis, neurological damage, shock, asthma, and hypertension. Increased glycine improves learning (Handlemann, et al., 1989; File, et al., 1999), glycine antagonists usually impair it. Its antitoxic and cytoprotective actions are remarkable. Collagen, besides being free of tryptophan, contains a large amount of glycine--32% of its amino acid units, 22% of its weight.

The varied antiinflammatory and protective effects of glycine can be thought of as an antiserotonin action. For example, serotonin increases the formation of TNF (tumor necrosis factor, also called cachectin), glycine inhibits it. In some situations, glycine is known to suppress the formation of serotonin. Antagonists of serotonin can potentiate glycine's effects (Chesnoy-Marchais, et al., 2000). People who ate traditional diets, besides getting a lower concentration of tryptophan, were getting a large amount of glycine in their gelatin-rich diet.

Gelatin, besides being a good source of glycine, also contains a large amount of proline, which has some antiexcitatory properties similar to glycine.” -Ray Peat

 

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“Stress, exercise, and darkness, increase the release of free fatty acids, and so promote the liberation of tryptophan and formation of serotonin. Increased serum linoleic acid is specifically associated with serotonin-dependent disorders such as migraine.” -Ray Peat

 

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“Carbon dioxide, high altitude, thyroid, progesterone, caffeine, aspirin, and decreased tryptophan consumption protect against excessive serotonin release. When sodium intake is restricted, there is a sharp increase in serotonin secretion. This accounts for some of the antiinflammatory and diuretic effects of increased sodium consumption--increasing sodium lowers both serotonin and adrenalin.” -Ray Peat

 

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“In specific fibrotic conditions, such as cirrhosis of the liver, it is known that glycine and saturated fats can reverse the fibrosis. In fibrosis of the heart, thyroid hormone is sometimes able to reverse the condition.” -Ray Peat

 

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“Substances that inhibit inflammation are likely to also inhibit excessive collagen synthesis, serotonin secretion, and the formation of estrogen. Besides aspirin, some effective substances are apigenin and naringenin, found in oranges and guavas. These flavonoids also inhibit the formation of nitric oxide and prostaglandins, which are important for inflammation and carcinogenesis (Liang, et al., 1999).”
-Ray Peat

naringenin: inhibiting inflammation with marmalade | The Nutrition Coach

 

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About asparagus and edema…..

“It contains high levels of the amino acid asparagine, which serves as a natural diuretic, and increased urination not only releases fluid but helps rid the body of excess salts. This is especially beneficial for people who suffer from edema (an accumulation of fluids in the body's tissues) and those who have high blood pressure or other heart-related diseases.“

5 Powerful Health Benefits of Asparagus You Probably Didn't Know

Asparagus may help fight cancer, slim you down and potentially benefit your brain. Read more to uncover the benefits of eating asparagus.

www.eatingwell.com

 

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I like this e-mail exchange, below, between Mauritio and Ray peat….


Q: A while ago you said a very interested thing:


"The holistic aspect of the organism has almost always been neglected as a component of inflammation.
And why healthy people can avoid getting inflammatory conditions. A lot of it is simply a matter of their attention, how their brain is organized in daily work. If you're scattered and distracted constantly by meaningless tasks, I think that seriously affects your inflammation processes and immunity."

I was wondering what people could do to stop those scattered thoughts, outside of nutrition and supplements.
And the best thing I could come up with is finding a purpose in life. A purpose will make it easier for them to focus on something meaningful and not engage in useless, instant gratification things.

What do you think about that?


A: Yes, a meaningful, purposeful life is essential. The present culture and economy, the fact that most work is producing either harmful or useless things, is a great health problem.

Q: Thanks. Do you have any advice on how to find one's purpose ?

Do you think building a family could be a good purpose ?


A: Yes, combining your efforts with others in a project is effective.