Linsterchiropractic.com

There’s a Better Solution to Pain than Ibuprofen… An informed consumer is the best consumer. You want to be out of pain, I want you to be out of pain…but at what price? Understanding the process of trauma, pain and inflammation will give you real choices in your healing and, more importantly, in your health. Inflammation is actually the process of protection and repair. So we really don’t want to eliminate it, we want it to pick up its pace through efficient and refined use of the body’s resources. So let’s look at how the body handles the various sources of pain. Acute Injury- An injury, such as a strain, strain or contusion, is a localized area of
damaged tissue in your body. The damaged cells release chemicals that signal the
body’s need to send its various sources to basically digest and remove these damaged
cells, to activate your immune system locally to prevent infection and to begin repair
by laying down a new tissue matrix in as little as 4 hours! Sounds like a decent plan
wouldn’t you agree? Do we really want to interfere with this process?
Infection- Foreign entities enter your body and one of your body’s sentinels in the im-
mune system spots them and sends out an alert. Your body speeds up metabolism
systemically (a fever) to make it an uninviting environment for the invaders, your
white blood cells activate to contain and eliminate, and your body gets stiff and achy
from the resulting clean-up process. This also sounds like an effective plan!
Chronic Injury- Repetitive motion in daily living challenges your body’s innate design,
leaving you prone to injury that develops over time from overuse. Think of the guide-
lines for healthy workouts and muscle building. Generally, a muscle group is given 48
hours off in between major workouts for ‘recovery time’; the amount of time it takes
for the metabolic processes of tissue clean up, repair and rebuilding. In the day-to-
day scenario of repetitive motion, toxins from muscle processes can’t get cleared out
fast enough. The body never gets to finish the cycle and so inflammation never ends,
creating the chronic injury scenario.
Know what you are putting into your body and why.
In this millennium of ‘instant messaging’ and ‘media streaming’, I understand the tug-
of-war between caring for your body and having to function. The fact that a sprain/
strain takes at least 4-6 weeks of healing in the healthy individual is an eternity to
each of us. The key, as in all things, is moderation and balance. Know what you’re
asking your body to do, know what you’re putting into your body and why, and
finally, know the possible results of your choices. As your doctor and your guide, I
will help you make the most informed choices. Using a multi-path approach will give
you the most effective healing and recovery time.
Linster Chiropractic 252 W Swamp Rd, Ste 56, PO Box 1743, Doylestown PA 18901 215-230-0111 www.MyDrRobin.com
Common Sources of Pain Relief
Unwanted Side Effects
Heartburn, nausea, stomach upset,
gastrointestinal bleeding, confusion,
diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness,
hearing loss, ringing in ears, severe or
persistent stomach pain, vomiting and,
for some, severe allergic reactions
While I view the healing inhibition to
Ibuprofen,
agents that inhibit the cox enzyme be their most damaging effects, review
Naproxen
the list of other unwanted effects:
Edema, fluid retention, dizziness,
headache, nervousness, rash, ear
ringing, nausea, heartburn, abdominal
cramps or pain, indigestion, vomiting,
vitamin C and sulphate depletion, and
an estimated annual death rate of
16,500 people in the US alone!
Acetaminophen An antipyretic and an analgesic,
Hemolytic anemia, leucopenia,
however not an anti-inflammatory. neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, liver
It reduces your ability to sense
pain and it reduces fever by direct interference with your body’s hypothalamic heat-regulating center. Enzyme Therapy and Diet- Proteolytic enzymes and natural metabolism-accelerating foods
enhance the body’s own healing process and reduce the negative effects of the inflammatory
cascade without disrupting this innate process so crucial to healing. Enzyme therapy:
*Inhibits pain-causing irritants and therefore reduces pain.
*Reduces thickness of extracellular fluid and therefore reduces swelling.
*Inhibition and reduction of bruising through fibrin control.
*Improvement in the blood supply, increasing healing of wound and reduction of scarring.
*Increased molecular debridement and clean up in area of concern reducing swelling.
*Breaks down and clears platelet aggregation accelerating wound healing.
It is used by Olympic teams, the NFL, national Soccer teams and universities because of its accelerated healing times: i.e. returning to training after a strain in 9.4 days vs. 15.9 days. It has also been used pre- and post- meniscus surgery improving recovery time- 7 days for 90 degree knee flexion vs. 9 days; and 17 days for swelling reduction vs. 24 days. Linster Chiropractic 252 W Swamp Rd, Ste 56, PO Box 1743, Doylestown PA 18901 215-230-0111 www.MyDrRobin.com
Your Diet – There are dietary shifts you can make that also contribute to your
quality of healing.
*EFA Balance-There are 3 Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) components to the inflammatory
cascade that, together, signal a need for caution (pain), activate the immune system to
prevent and/or fight infection, and repair and rebuild tissue. These three pathways
are competitive in nature. Your body decides which one to use by looking at the
quantity of each and choosing the most abundant. As you can probably already
guess, the typical American diet favors the highest concentration of Arachidonic Acid,
the prominent pain producing pathway, i.e. (red meats, fats, peanuts, process foods,
alcohol, coffee, black tea.) So, of three possible pathways, Americans are generally
getting more pain production than tissue healing or immune protection. By shifting
your diet to promote the EPA pathway and/or the GLA pathway, you alter the body’s
ability to promote healing and reduce pain. These would be fish oils, flax oils, seed
and sprouts.
*Anti-oxidants-Acting upon the enzyme pathways, they slow down the rate of
‘oxidative stress’ associated with the inflammatory process. These are foods like
Vitamin C, Vitamin E, garlic.
*Anti-inflammatory foods-Foods in our diet essentially work to help promote healing
and health in your body or cause irritation and inflammation. Some well known anti-
inflammatory foods are ginger, pineapple, blueberries, garlic, salmon, avocado and
cayenne pepper, and tumeric.
Therapeutic Laser-Therapeutic Laser is an FDA cleared procedure. Over 2000 studies,
including a GM study on carpal tunnel, have proven the success of therapeutic lasers
in the healing of musculo-skeletal conditions. Focused light stimulates cellular
activity to:
*Reduce swelling and bruising
*Reduce tissue damage
*Stimulate fibroblast activity speeding up recovery time
*Increase vascular activity promoting improved circulation
*Increase metabolic activity promoting a more effective immune response
*Stimulate nerve cell activity for improved nerve and tissue function.
Using the multi-pronged approach, a combination of therapeutic agents, diet and
the appropriate exercise routine, you will create the highest quality healing and
reduce the length of your recovery.
Linster Chiropractic 252 W Swamp Rd, Ste 56, PO Box 1743, Doylestown PA 18901 215-230-0111 www.MyDrRobin.com

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