Chronic disease causes daily pain. The pain of inflammatory arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer may at times be unbearable. The very good news is that real pain relief may be available to many people who suffer from the pain associated with chronic disease.
It’s important to distinguish between acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain most often results from an injury or an acute inflammatory response. Acute pain is best managed medically, often with anti-inflammatory medication and rest. Such pain usually resolves within four to seven days.
Chronic pain, on the other hand, occurs on a daily basis. It is neither sudden nor acute, but rather ongoing and persistent. Chronic pain is the result of diseases and conditions that have been developing for a long time.
Most often, medication is not an optimal solution for chronic pain. A person with chronic pain would need to take pain medication every day. Eventually, the person develops tolerance to the drug and stronger medication is needed.
Healthier, holistic solutions are available which address the needs of the whole person. As a complement to regular medical treatment, here are 10 powerful, easy-to-do tools and techniques for helping us achieve real reductions in our daily levels of chronic pain.
A pain-free life is not just a dream, but within reach for many of us!
Here are the Restorative Remedies Top 10 Secrets for a Pain-Free Life – Part 1 –
1. Five To Stay Alive
The old adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, turns out to be remarkably accurate. Research has proven that apples contain large quantities of phytonutrients – biologically active, naturally occurring biochemicals that have many wide-ranging health-promoting actions.1,2
Phytonutrients are powerful anti-oxidants, destroying free radicals which attack your cells and DNA.3 Anti-oxidants reduce cellular damage and reduce inflammation. Both these actions result in markedly reduced pain levels over time.
So, if one apple a day is good for you, five servings of phytonutrient-containing fruits and vegetables will be five times as good. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least five servings of fruits and vegetables (F&V) every day. The most colorful F&V are packed with inflammation-fighting phytonutrients.
2. Eat Six Small Meals Per Day
Overeating builds fat cells – everybody knows this. If you take in more than your body needs, the excess will be stored as fat. But not everyone understands how this fat poses health risks. Recent scientific research shows that fat cells are metabolic furnaces, spewing out inflammation-causing chemicals that negatively impact the rest of your body.
The surprising facts reveal that excess fat cells are part of the chain of events leading to high cholesterol, heart disease, inflammatory arthritis, and even cancer. Fight fat by eating six small meals each day.4,5 You will lose weight steadily, reaching your body’s natural weight after several months.6
And, importantly, by eating six small meals each day your hour-by-hour levels of insulin will stabilize, lowering the risk of developing diabetes and many other inflammatory diseases.
3. Food Combining
Make sure you combine protein and carbohydrates at every small meal. This is a key step in long-term stabilization of insulin levels and pain reduction.7,8
Digesting protein is a slow process. Food combining slows the digestion of carbohydrate, as well. Your blood sugar levels no longer swing up and down, and insulin release slows considerably. One of the key long-term benefits of food combining is reduced body fat, as too much glucose and too much insulin directly result in storing energy as fat.
An additional benefit is mood stabilization. Wild swings in blood glucose throughout the day often cause serious mood changes. Food combining makes you more alert, focused, and centered.9
4. Drink Water Throughout the Day
Everyone knows this Secret, yet most of us forget how important drinking water really is. In fact, drinking sufficient water is the most important nutritional advice that anybody could give to anybody.
The standard is 8 glasses of water each day. But it’s important to build up to this amount. Start with 2 or 3 glasses, building up to 6 or 8 glasses per day over the next 4 weeks.
Yes, you’ll be going to the bathroom more. That’s the whole idea. 
If you’re not drinking enough water, your body chemistry is toxic.10 Water helps flush away the toxic chemicals that build-up from normal metabolic activity.11 What’s not normal is allowing those toxins to stick around. Drinking enough water makes sure this doesn’t happen.
Chronic pain improves due to reduced metabolic triggers of inflammation. Dry skin gets moisturized, digestion improves, and your sleep is more restful. All from drinking more water!
5. Food Supplements
Even though we’re eating a healthy diet, including all food groups and plenty of fruits and vegetables, we still live in the 21st century. The atmosphere is polluted, the soils are depleted, and ecosystems are out of balance.
It would take a lot of effort, for example, to be certain your diet contained enough nutrients. How can you be really sure you’re getting your daily requirements of iodine, magnesium, selenium, chromium, and folate, as well as sufficient quantities of vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and all the B-complex vitamins? That could be a lot of work.
High-quality, high-potency food supplements – containing vitamins, minerals, and additional anti-oxidants – help ensure we’re getting all the raw materials we need to be healthy and we’re equipped to fight inflammation and chronic disease.12-15
References
1de Kok TM, et al: Mechanisms of combined action of different chemopreventive dietary compounds: a review. Eur J Nutr 47(Suppl 2):59-59, 2008
2Ware WR: Nutrition and the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: Association of Cytochrome P450 CYP1B1 with the Role of Fruit and Fruit Extracts. Integr Cancer Ther December 2008
3Liu RH: Potential synergy of phytochemicals in cancer prevention: mechanism of action. J Nutr 134(Suppl 12):3479S-3485S, 2004
4Fischer K, et al: “Carbohydrate to protein ratio in food and cognitive performance in the morning.” Physiol Behav 75(3):411-423, 2002
5Jenkins JD, et al: “Nibbling vs. gorging: metabolic advantages of increased meal frequency.” NEJM 321(14):929-934, 1989
6Verboeket WP, et al: “Influence of feeding frequency on nutrient utilization in man: consequences for energy metabolism.” Eur J Clin Nutr 43(3):161-169, 1991
7Lindstrom J, et al: Sustained reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle intervention: follow-up of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study. Lancet 368(9548):1673-1679, 2006.
8Orchard TJ, et al: The effect of metformin and intensive lifestyle intervention on the metabolic syndrome: the Diabetes Prevention Program randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 142(8):611-619, 2005
9Claessens M, et al: Glucagon and insulin responses after ingestion of different amounts of intact and hydrolysed proteins. Br J Nutr 100(1):61-69, 2008
10Maughan RJ, Shirreffs SM: Development of individual hydration strategies for athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 18(5):457-472, 2008
11Manz F, Wentz A: The importance of good hydration for the prevention of chronic diseases. Nutr Rev 63(6):S2-S5, 2005
12Rosen CJ: Clinical practice. Postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 353(6):595-603, 2005
13Holick Me, Chen TC: Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences. Am J Clin Nutr 87(4):10805-10865, 2008
14Cavalier E, et al:Vitamin D: current status and perspectives.Clin Chem Lab Med 47:1, 2009
15Klein EA: Selenium and vitamin E cancer prevention trial. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1031:234-241, 2004
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Wow. I like the conciseness of this article. Thanks very much — some common sense stuff and some really good tips.