Bromelain: Inflammation Relief from Pineapple

Search Amazon.com for natural anti-inflammatoryBromelain is an all natural extract (enzyme) that is taken from the stem and fruit of the pineapple. Pineapple has a long tradition as a medicinal plant among the native peoples of South America and Central America used to treat indigestion and inflammation.

Properties of Bromelain

1. Natural anti-inflammatory. Bromelain has anti-inflammatory properties similar to anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen.
2. Alleviate post-surgical pain and muscle strains and pains.. Bromelain helps to speed the healing of wounds and bruises, reduces swelling and healing time, and decreases pain following soft-tissue injury.
3. Relieves arthritis pain. One study showed Bromelain was as effective as some commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications for reducing pain associated with osteoarthritis.
4. Aids in digestion. Bromelain may help relieve stomach upset or heartburn, may help control diarrhea caused by bacteria, and may be a novel therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.
5. Relieves sinus congestion. bromelain has been shown to suppress cough, ease congestion, reduce nasal mucus associated with sinusitis, and relieve the swelling and inflammation caused by hay fever. The German Commission E approved bromelain for the treatment of sinus and nasal swelling following ear, nose, and throat surgery or trauma.
6. Infection. Bromelain can kill some viruses and bacteria and may be effective as a treatment for bronchitis and urinary tract infections.

Sources of Bromelain

The bromelain you get from eating fresh pineapple can help with digestion, but will probably not been in a high enough amount to reduce inflammation significantly. That is where a supplement comes in handy. As with all supplements, the quality of the supplement is of utmost importance. I use Douglas Lab’s Bromelain-5000. I have tried many Bromelain supplements and this is by far the most effective. It works wonders for me for relieving post-exercise muscle soreness and speeds recovery. I take 2 capsules post-workout and feel no soreness the next day!

A note on reading the label: The units of measure for Bromelain are different than other supplements. You will see either GDU (gelatin dissolving units) or MCU (milk clotting units). Douglas Lab’s Bromelain-5000 has 5000 mcu per capsule.

The Anti-Inflammatory Diet - You Are What You Eat

When we hear the term, "anti-inflammatory," many Americans thing of drugs, pills, and injections. What is a pro-inflammatory substance? What might we unwittingly be doing that's compromising our health? Can we reduce inflammation, naturally? Here are some facts and tips, courtesy of the Unified Virginia Chiropractic Association.

Excessive inflammation can cause a number of problems, including (1) pain, (2) disuse and related mis-patterning that can predispose to future injury, and (3) risk of chronic inflammation. Normal people do not enjoy pain for pain's sake, so we commonly seek out ways to reduce pain. Cold therapy (cryotherapy) is a natural choice; yet many seek out pain-killing drugs such as aspirin, Ibuprofen, Cox-II inhibitors, and steroids. The risks of commonly-used anti-inflammatory and pain medications are considerable.2 Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) are trained in natural methods to address inflammation while balancing inflammation's inherent value to healing; and DCs will help tissues recover, fast, using hands-on methods designed to maximize short-term and long-term function. But what if your own dietary choices are working against you?

Just like anti-inflammatory drugs combat the inflammatory cycle, pro-inflammatory substances in our diet can predispose our bodies towards inflammation.3 Historically, our (human) diet favored a relatively even balance of fats (fatty acids) called Omega 3s and Omega 6s. We can tolerate a 4:1 Omega-6:Omega-3 ratio, but the modern diet tends towards 10:1 or even far worse. These Omega-3 fatty acids are very easily converted to something called prostaglandin E2, which is one of the very same substances certain anti-inflammatory drugs tries to combat, i.e., prostaglanding E2 is pro-(promoting) inflammation. Inflammation plays a role not only in pain and injury, but also in heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Doesn't it seem futile to eat fats that ramp up inflammation, only to take drugs to combat the effects of our diet -- and then have to take other drugs to combat the short-term and long-term effects and diseases those anti-inflammatory drugs cause?

The tables below will help you and your family to make healthy, informed choices. Also, remember to limit raw sugar and high glycemic-index foods4 that can ramp up inflammation and disease all on their own. A diet must be healthy and balanced, not consisting exclusively of fats (regardless of how healthy they might otherwise be), protein, carbohydrate, or any other substance. Please consider what foods you choose for yourself (and your family) at the dinner table, at the restaurant, and at the grocery store. Your body will thank you... and reward you, amply.

Sources of Omega-6 Fatty Acids ("Bad Fat"):
• All grains
• Cereals
• Flour products
• Most processed packaged foods
• Soybean oil, peanut oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and cottonseed oil
• Grain- and corn-fed domestic meat and eggs from unfit and/or obese animals

Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids ("Healthy Fat"):
• Most fruits and vegetables
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Chicory
• Collard Greens
• Most oily fish
• Omega-3 eggs
• Meat, chicken, and eggs from grass-fed, fit animals

1 Conservative Management of Sports Injuries. Hyde, Thomas E. DC; Gengenbach, Marianne S., DC, Editors. Williams & Wilkins, 1997. Pg. 701.
2 See Celebrate Wellness!, Vol I, number 1.
3 See resources and references at www.deflame.com. Special thanks to Dr. David Seaman for his contributions to the field of anti-inflammatory nutrition.
4 High glycemic index: White bread, Pasta, Rice, Low-fiber cereals, Baked goods. Low glycemic index foods: Fruits, Vegetables, Whole and minimally processed grains, Legumes. SO: http://diabetes.webmd.com/glycemic-index-good-versus-bad-carbs.

Do You Take Anti-inflammatory medications before your workouts?

STOP IMMEDIATELY!

A study published in the August 2009 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine states,

"the prolonged prophylactic use of NSAIDs [anti-inflammatory medication like Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen)] by athletes is unsafe."

"there is no clilnical evidence to suggest that regular use of NSAIDs reduces injury risk or improves function in the typical athlete."

"a paradoxical consequence of the prophylactic use of NSAIDs by athletes is that these agents can compromise the musculoskeletal system. NSAIDs taken before activity may mask pain and thus cause athletes to inadvertently allow pathology to progress."

"Athlese who regularly take NSAIDs before exercise may have reduced tissue adaptations to prevailing loads potentially predisposing them to future injury."

NSAID use delays fracture healing and also delays "healing of acute ligament, muscle and tendon injuries." They prevent bones, muscles, tendon and ligaments from thickening and becoming stronger.

Athletes taking NSAIDs during competition are at increased risk for bleeding into their kidneys, and for intestinal bacteria to enter their bloodstreams.

from Warden, S. Prophylactic misuse and recommended use on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs by athletes, August 2009 (Vol 43, No 8) British Journal of Sports Medicine, pp. 548-549.