Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh. Three gifts talked
about throughout the holidays often are overlooked the rest
of the year…except gold. We do hear a lot about gold! Well, frankincense is among several nutrients and phytonutrients getting
more attention for its anti-inflammatory factors. Patients
at Vancouver Disc Centers hear us converse
about inflammation and its role in Vancouver
back pain and neck pain very often, so anti-inflammatory
supplements with anti-inflammatory nutrients are well received!
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY NUTRIENTS
A recent narrative review of medical literature about
the effects of certain nutrients and phytonutrients on the function of the immune system and on the
reduction of inflammation stated that patients with
all sorts of health issues, minor to severe, may well benefit from daily supplementation of acetyl-L-carnitine, Vitamin
C, Aloe vera polysaccharides, Vitamin B12, beta-glucans, bilberry, black seed
oil, coenzyme Q10, curcumin (turmeric), garlic, resveratrol, ginger, hydrolyzed
rice bran, lipoic acid, mistletoe, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), omega-3 fatty
acids, Vitamin E (d-alpha- and gamma-tocopherol), selenium, shiitake mushroom
and its derivatives, isoflavones, Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), zinc, and frankincense.
Such supplementation may be added to conventional medications
and medical therapies. The goal of this
supplementation is to decrease inflammation which is controlled
by the immune system and which is a contributor to
chronic disease in addition to acute illness. The review got into specifics like how supplements affected
inflammatory and immune factors - whose names you may not hear
much about yet play a role in your health
- like interferon-g, nuclear factor-Kappa B, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis
factor-a, and CD4+ T cells, among others. Studies like these are gaining
much attention today as the demand to prevent
chronic illness and decrease the severity of acute illnesses of all
sorts that people globally are
dealing with. (1) Vancouver Disc Centers is excited
to see these developments in the more natural approaches to health come
about!
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FRANKINCENSE
You’ll notice that frankincense
was one of the nutrients talked about above. A recent
study featured the benefits of its supplementation. Frankincense is an oil extract taken
from the Boswellia tree. It has been used in
anti-inflammatory folk remedies for many years. Using
bowellic acids like the 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-βBA (AKBA) are unique
anti-inflammatory components of frankincense. Combined
with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosahexaenoic acid (EPA), it promoted
lipid mediator change of innate immune cells from pro-inflammatory to enhanced
anti-inflammatory action of frankincense from Boswellic acid. (2) For Vancouver Disc Centers,
frankincense needs to be gifted year-round and not just
at the holidays! Nutritional findings like this are just so
interesting, especially when we realize
that inflammation has a role in spine-related pain that we treat
every day. Let’s talk about our anti-inflammatory nutritional supplement at
your next Vancouver chiropractic visit.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox, developer of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management, on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the interaction of the immune system and inflammation as well as how
spinal manipulation can beneficially impact the
immune system.
Schedule your Vancouver chiropractic
appointment soon to see us! Though we’re not sure
when myrrh will get its due, we’ll be happy to see that frankincense is getting
its due for the role it may hold in reducing
inflammation!