Drugs in the family of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used by hundreds of millions every day of people including athletes for reduce tendon joint pain or muscle and of course for reduce headaches , reduce symptoms of fever, pain and PMS cramps.
Paradoxically, however, anti-inflammatory drugs generate a lot of side effects that are regularly pointed out without changing consumption or prescription habits. However, there are natural anti-inflammatory drugs without side effects.
How can you solve your inflammatory problems quickly without compromising your long-term health? Which natural anti-inflammatory drugs to use?
Natural anti-inflammatory drugs via food
Before using any medication, be aware that there are natural anti-inflammatory drugs. It is possible to find it in our diet, in plants and in natural food supplements. On the other hand, a change in our behavior can lead to a reduction in chronic inflammation. This tackles the origin of the inflammatory problem.
Rich in vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices and balanced in proteins and essential fats. For your sources of carbohydrates, favor the use of rice, lentils or better sweet potato which is a root vegetable rich in carbohydrates but which does not acidify the body. Remember to hydrate yourself sufficiently by drinking water, herbal teas, tea, vegetable juices at mealtimes.
1. Fill your deficits in vitamins and minerals
Vitamins, minerals or antioxidant protective elements responsible for neutralizing free radicals produced or responsible for inflammation. Unfortunately, intensive crops, whether organic or conventional, have impoverished the soil and fruits and vegetables no longer have the same nutritional values as before. NUTRIPURE has designed a multivitamin that fulfills this mission. We will also mention the role of vitamin A provided by beta carotene and vitamin E on inflammation.
2. Balance the intake of essential fatty acids
Essential fatty acids are not synthesized by our body. It is therefore necessary to provide them in our diet. The omega 3 example speaks volumes. Consuming 100 to 200g of sardine and mackerel-type fish will provide you with the omega 3 needed for your health.
If you do not have the possibility or the desire to consume fish daily, it is also possible to choose omega 3 capsules, more economical and with a low impact on the fauna since they come from sustainable fishing.
3. Turmeric: a natural anti inflammatory
Turmeric is notoriously known for its anti oxidant and anti inflammatory effects. This spice is consumed as a powder or in juice. It is rich in vitamins B1, B2, C, E, K. Unfortunately, turmeric is very poorly assimilated by the body. Consumed in high doses, it causes intestinal discomfort and can cause pain or diarrhea. The extraction of its active principle, curcumin, responsible for the anti-inflammatory action is the solution to obtain its benefits without having the problem of its assimilation.
There are many turmeric extracts available in the market. Most commonly, turmeric is combined with pepper. We do not recommend this association which has 2 big flaws. Pepper will increase inflammation and intestinal porosity. It comes down to combining the poison and the remedy.
Many turmeric extracts are also associated with more or less miraculous ingredients. If they actually have the capacity to increase the assimilation of turmeric, they have the disadvantage of associating turmeric with chemical particles such as nanoparticles (Polysorbate), titanium dioxide or microcrystaline cellulose.
NUTRIPURE has chosen to combine curcumin with a chain of 8 molecules of different sugars. The 8 sugar molecules being water soluble, the encapsulated curcumin is assimilated with the water which contains it. This gives a water-soluble curcumin. Arrived in the intestine, the sugar chain undergoes digestion in the intestinal tract (amylase) which cuts the various bonds of the sugar chain (cyclodextrin). Curcumin is thus released.
This process does not generate any assimilation of chemical particles. Only 8 sugar molecules are assimilated by the body, which represents less than 1 gram per day!
Active Curcumin
- check 90 and 6×90 capsules of Active Curcumin extract of Curcuma Longa – 100% pure
- check Target: inflammation, joints and aging. Natural antioxidant
- check Cavacurmin® Curcumin Highly Bioavailable thanks to its solubility in water!
- check No additives or sweeteners – No nanoparticles. Dosage: 1 g / day.
4. Ginger
Like turmeric, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties. You can eat ginger preferably fresh in your dishes, as an infusion or as a spice.
5. Plants like nettle
Wrongly considered a weed, the benefits of nettle are manifold. Nettle is packed with vitamins, minerals and protein. With its high content of anti-inflammatory drugs (flavonoids), nettle will participate in joint well-being by providing strength and helping bone consolidation in particular.
Nettle leaf powder organic
- check 150g organic nettle leaf powder – 100% pure – non-stinging
- check Target: tonic, venous circulation, joints, acne-prone skin
- check Nettle is naturally rich in minerals and trace elements.
- check To use on your salads, in your smoothies or your soups. Dosage: 5g / day
How my food supplements calm inflammation
1. By boosting your microbiota
Inflammation is also part of our microbiota, the one that generates permanent inflammation to ensure our immunity. Indeed, a level of physiological inflammation is essential to control the microbiota and the reactions triggered by pathogenic species it contains.
The presence of inflammatory bacteria generates an immune reaction in the intestinal macrophage which then produces cytokines (pro-inflammatory mediators). This chain reaction triggers local inflammation and increases the permeability of the intestinal wall. The intestinal porosity then allows inflammatory bacteria to pass into the bloodstream, thus causing the spread of the inflammatory phenomenon.
Promoting the maintenance of the intestinal mucosa and helping our microbiota to maintain immunity will help limit the local level of inflammation. Reduced inflammation of the microbiota will cause inflammation to spread less throughout the body. The use of probiotic + curcumin + Glutamine will fulfill this action.
Pure biotics will feed the intestinal microbiota by providing organic strains that will help the microbiota via sufficient colonization of “good strains” so as not to allow foreign bacteria to develop.
Pure Biotics
- check Target: gut health, digestion, irritable bowel
- check Combined action of 2 families of prebiotics and 5 families of probiotics
- check Probiotics: 10 billion CFU adapted to our microbiota
- check Prebiotics: chicory inulin and Fructo-Oligosaccharides nourish the microbiota
- check Mixture protected by gastro-resistant DR Caps® capsules to pass the stomach
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in blood and tissues. The role of glutamine on the health of the intestinal wall has been proven. In a study of human subjects with irritable bowel syndrome, 79% of patients reported improvement in IBS-related symptoms. The permeability was notably improved.
L-Glutamine
- check Plant-based BioKyowa® L-Glutamine – 100% pure – excellent assimilation – neutral taste
- check Ideal for recovery: L-Glutamine is the amino acid most present in our muscles
- check Intestinal health: L-Glutamine nourishes the intestinal tract after intense effort
- check Packaging 150g and 750g. Neutral taste
2. By modulating and calming inflammation
By drastically reducing the activity of dozens of enzymes (COX and LOX). It is these enzymes that are blocked by anti-inflammatory drugs. Nutripure supplements only modulate them downwards by reducing their activity in parallel with the advice previously indicated.
Arthropurus is a food supplement that targets joint pain and osteoarthritis thanks to its unique composition. The presence of boswellia serrata, a resin from the tree species of the same name. Its active ingredient, boswellic acids will help relieve pain and chronic inflammation in the joints.
We recommend Arthropure for all people suffering from joint pain and osteoarthritis and to combine it with Active Curcumin.
Other tips to relieve pain
To do without anti-inflammatory drugs, it is also necessary to address the causes of its inflammation, particularly in cases of tendon or joint inflammation or muscle pain. Reducing inflammation-generating behaviors will relieve pain.
1. Better plan the volume and intensity of your sessions or your physical activities
In other words, do fewer sets and possibly fewer reps if you are weight training. Run, pedal or walk less. Gardening for a shorter period of time but more regularly. Often, it is a sudden increase in physical activity that is responsible for the sudden significant inflammation.
2. Pay attention to the execution of your movements
By respecting the rule of no pain: During your session or your activity no movement should hurt you during or the next day. Mild aches or muscle tension are normal, but not more.
3. Reduce your muscle imbalances
If some muscles around your joints are too stiff and too tight and others are too loose and stretched: your joints are not functioning properly and this causes unnecessary pain or stiffness. This is the theme that I am developing in my open MAC moving without pain available on my sports site
4. Take care of your overall hygiene
Sleep, mental, environmental hygiene so as not to over-stimulate the immune system.
Applying these tips will in the vast majority of cases allow you to do without anti-inflammatory drugs and only use them in exceptional and serious situations.
What is chronic inflammation?
During inflammation, 3 phases follow one another: initiation , amplification and resolution . The succession of these 3 phases lasts 3 to 7 days.
During these 3 phases, a large number of molecules are released:
- Immune cells,
- Free radicals
- Derivatives of certain omega 3 & omega 6 fatty acids of a hormonal nature which, according to the needs, exert an attenuating or amplifying effect of the inflammation.
When the inflammatory focus remains important or its resolution is insufficient, the body maintains the amplification phase: it is chronic inflammation .
Chronic inflammation develops or persists with:
- Deficiency in vitamins and minerals or in antioxidant protective elements responsible for neutralizing free radicals.
- Imbalances between our intake of omega 3 and omega 6.
- Imbalances of the microbiota and breach in the intestinal mucosa (hyperpermeability).
- Immune dysfunction .
This state of chronic inflammation and these immune dysfunctions consume a lot of energy, generate too many free radicals, deplete and damage our mitochondria (the cells that produce our energy). This disrupts hormonal functioning and slowly depletes the whole body.
So in case of chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction:
- Muscle building is done poorly or not at all (muscle mass is lost).
- The regeneration of tendons and joints, naturally long, takes even longer . The risk of tendonitis increases, or their chronicity worsens.
- Fat loss processes are limited or lock in.
- Drive control and therefore feeding control is less efficient.
- Depressive states set on more easily and durably. Motivation deteriorates, as does self-confidence.
- Water retention (water + lymph) sets in.
Understanding the action of anti-inflammatory drugs
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) help reduce pain and swelling associated with inflammatory processes, as they work by blocking the inflammatory process and the hormones that cause it. inflammation called prostaglandins.
They also change the way our nerves communicate “pain” sensations to the brains.
The problem is, these inflammatory processes are absolutely necessary for tissue regeneration. Inflammation is a fundamental physiological process in the body. It is inextricably linked with immunity. Without inflammation, no healing, no repair, no building (muscle, etc.).
Inflammation allows recycling or repair of the different structures of our body .
The danger of anti-inflammatory drugs
Taking too regular or too large an anti-inflammatory drug endangers the health of the athlete, but also that of sedentary people. Side effects can in turn cause more illness than the inflammation we are trying to reduce.
The most well-known side effects of ibuprofen and other commonly consumed anti-inflammatories are :
- High blood pressure.
- Stomach irritation or ulcers.
- Irritation followed by increased intestinal porosity.
- An increased risk of heart attack or stroke, even in people not at high risk to start with (if you take very high doses and use the medicine long-term for manage your pain).
- Problems with infertility in women and low testosterone in men after stopping use of Anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Paradox of paradoxes for an athlete: they decrease the speed and the quality of tendon repairs whereas they are conventionally prescribed or used to fight against tendon inflammation.
- Finally, taking anti-inflammatory drugs masks the overall problem, which can lead to much greater health problems through a domino effect .
Bottom Line: Keep in mind anti-inflammatory drugs calm inflammatory pain, but they absolutely do not resolve the cause or origin of your pain! Systematic use is dangerous for your health, as it can lead to other diseases!