Nearly one in five US adults experiences chronic pain. If you fall into this category, you’ve probably read articles like this before.
You’ve tried many things to get better — countless supplements, therapies, and medications — but have yet to find anything that works long term.
Maybe you feel like you’ve run out of options. Maybe you’ve given up on finding relief.
But I want you to know that chronic pain is manageable. Depending on your circumstances, it may even be reversible.
The root of chronic pain
When we think about the causes of chronic pain, we tend to think of broken bones, blunt-force impacts, or damaged nerves. But the truth is often far simpler than that. Much (but not all) chronic pain is directly tied to diet.
Let’s look at the science:
- Studies show that chronic pain is directly associated with poor metabolic health. This means if you’re not metabolically healthy, you’re more likely to have chronic pain. The strongest link between them is typically chronic inflammation.
- When your body is inflamed, it might swell up with fluid or produce inflammatory cells that attack pathogens, viruses, and foreign objects. For an acute injury, inflammation comes and goes quickly. For a long-lasting issue, inflammation doesn’t go away. Your body may start attacking itself or build up fluid around joints and bones.
- Many factors can trigger chronic inflammatory responses, including smoking, heavy metals, and radiation exposure. Interestingly, however, many of the causes are food-based. Inflammation is directly associated with excess sugar intake, high-carb diets, heavy alcohol consumption, and oxidized seed oil.
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Our broken food pyramid praised processed carbohydrates, sugar, and seed oil — and now, we’re paying the price.
The bad news is, the numbers are climbing. There are more and more people suffering from chronic pain.
The good news is, you’re not doomed to a lifetime of pain.
Because chronic pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis.
Everything my patients do to manage their chronic pain
Contrary to popular belief, chronic pain isn’t always permanent. Many of my patients learn to manage it with the right strategies. Some notice pain relief in two months or less.
Here’s how they’ve turned their health around:
Eat single-ingredient food
This means doing away with processed foods and focusing on whole, real foods instead. I’m talking about animal protein, eggs, and dairy, as well as low-carb vegetables like lettuce.
The vast majority of what you eat shouldn’t have an ingredients label. If it does, know how to read it — and aim for five ingredients or less.
None of these five ingredients should contain inflammatory ‘near-food objects,’ including:
- Seed and vegetable oil
- Large amounts of high-oxalate food (like spinach smoothies)
- Added sugar
If they do, they shouldn’t have a place in your pantry.
Speaking of processed sugar…
Cut sugar
Excess sugar is in everything these days, as much as 60% of the US food supply. This is particularly problematic for those suffering from chronic pain because excessive sugar intake is directly associated with increased pain and metabolic disorders.
It can be difficult, but not impossible, to cut sugar from your diet. What this looks like for you will depend on your needs. Just know that the more sugar you eat, the more insulin-resistant (and therefore inflamed) you may be.
A good place to start is by:
- Avoiding processed food. Single-ingredient foods like eggs, cheese, and meat have little to no sugar content.
- Cutting surgery beverages. If you miss the fizziness, carbonated water might be a good substitute.
- Weaning yourself off. Migrate to whole, real options such as fruit and yogurt. Stevia is a decent sweetener option, although be sure to consume in moderation.
Get ‘enough’ sleep
Studies show that poor sleep quality and short sleep duration significantly affect chronic pain development. It also makes it worse — those impacted may feel pain longer and more severely.
Interestingly, studies also show that getting more sleep is more effective than painkillers for managing chronic pain. It can also restore your metabolic health by keeping your blood sugar at a healthy baseline.
Again, what ‘enough’ sleep looks like should depend on the individual. Some people are comfortable with seven hours, while others require nine hours or more.
Regardless of your baseline, aim for better sleep hygiene. This means establishing a routine, avoiding food before bed, and giving yourself ample time to wind down.
Some people find value in getting a sleep-monitoring app. That way, you can monitor the quality and duration of your sleep and look for specific patterns or interruptions (like blood sugar spikes).
Build healthy muscle
If you’re suffering from chronic pain, I know the last place you want to visit is the gym. However, there’s a good chance that movement is exactly what you need. There have been dozens of studies over the years linking an increase in strength training with reduced symptoms of chronic pain.
Exercise not only reduces your perception of pain, but is a recommended treatment option for lower back pain and osteoarthritis. It can even treat autoimmune conditions like fibromyalgia — just by increasing muscle mass.
It may feel counterintuitive, but I recommend spending at least 30 minutes lifting weights three times per week. Start small at first — no need to go overboard. Each week, try upping the ante with a few more pounds or reps.
This is a very simple approach to progressive overload, which is proven to build and strengthen muscle (including your heart). Keep at it long enough, and you should see the effects quickly. Some studies show anti-pain effects in as little as six weeks.
Giving the gift of better metabolic health
The key to managing chronic pain isn’t necessarily a pill, supplement, or prescription. In many cases, all it takes is perseverance and changing lifestyle habits — all of which are free.
But I realize this is easier said than done. Healing takes time, especially when it comes to chronic pain. It could be months or even years until you feel a difference, and the hardest part will be staying the course.
I recommend getting involved in the community with like-minded people on a similar healthcare journey. You’re welcome to explore my Heart Health Hub and join dozens of people in reclaiming their metabolic health.
