My Triple-Action Approach to Managing Pain & Inflammation

My Triple-Action Approach to
Managing Pain & Inflammation

By Dr. Kevin Passero

Inflammation is a critical part of your body’s defense and healing mechanisms. It is triggered into action when your body is provoked by certain stressors (most notably bacteria, viruses or toxins) or sustains damage from an injury. It’s your immune systems way of protecting and healing the body by fighting off infection and healing from trauma.*

Once triggered, the immune system sends specialized white blood cells and immune-biochemicals to the area of the body in danger to trap and kill bacterial and viral infections or begin repairing damaged tissue that resulted from injury. This initial immune reaction is what causes the hallmark signs of inflammation: redness, swelling, heat and pain.*

Types of Inflammation

There are two main types of inflammation – acute and chronic. Acute inflammation only lasts a few hours or perhaps a few days and is the normal inflammatory response we expect as the body heals from injury or infection. Chronic inflammation on the other hand, can last weeks, years and even decades and can be triggered by a variety of factors including:*

Exposure to infectious bacteria or other organisms
Exposure to toxins
Autoimmune disorders
Persistent episodes of acute inflammation
Elevated body mass index and obesity
Poor diet high in processed food
Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption

While episodes of acute inflammation that resolve infection or injury are considered a healthy response from the body, chronic inflammation is associated with the most serious and life threating health problems faced by the modern world. Chronic inflammation is linked to:

Serious heart problems
Blood sugar imbalances
Cognitive decline

Other Consequences of Chronic Inflammation

Ongoing back pain is often associated with chronic inflammation and many other causes of joint pain are also due to unresolved inflammation.**

In addition to unresolved pain, when you are suffering from chronic inflammation you are likely to also experience:*

Fatigue
Trouble sleeping
Mood swings and anxiety
Digestive dysfunction
Weight gain
Frequent infections

Pain and Inflammatory Pathways

There are several common pathways associated with pain and inflammation.

You may have heard of the most common pathway – the cyclooxygenase enzyme, better known as COX.*

Popular over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and aspirin work by inhibiting this enzyme to reduce pain and inflammation. Specifically, these drugs inhibit COX-1 and/or COX-2 enzymes.*

The COX enzyme triggers inflammation by stimulating prostaglandin production – a major player in the inflammatory response. Prostaglandins are specific immune chemicals that drive the redness, swelling, heat and pain associated with the inflammatory response.

By blocking the COX enzyme, you can reduce the production of prostaglandins and blunt the inflammatory response.*

In addition to COX enzymes, there are other inflammation-releasing pain pathways in our bodies. Leukotrienes are inflammation-promoting chemicals produced by our immune cells. . They are involved in several aspects of inflammation including allergy, asthma and sustain inflammatory responses triggered by prostaglandin release.

Leukotrienes production is stimulated by the 5-lioxygenase (5-LOX) enzyme. Your body can’t produce leukotrienes without 5-LOX and this is why inhibiting 5-LOX can help reduce inflammation.*

You’ve probably heard of histamine, or antihistamine medications like Benadryl. Histamine causes your eyes to itch, your throat to scratch, and many other symptoms associated with allergies. To put leukotrienes in perspective – they are three to four times more potent than histamine and the effects from leukotrienes last a lot longer too.*

Cytokines are another mediator that can affect leukotriene release via neurotransmitters.*Cytokines are small proteins that are crucial in controlling the growth and activity of other immune system cells and blood cells. Cytokines affect the growth of all blood cells and other cells that help the body's immune and inflammation responses.

My Triple-Action Approach to Managing Pain & Inflammation

If you struggle with frequent joint, back and muscle pain, you’ve probably tried several different types of pain-reducing therapies, supplements and medications. Perhaps you have enjoyed some temporary or partial relief, but the pain keeps coming back.

The reason for this is likely that you are addressing one common pain pathway at a time, leaving others unaddressed. The key to effective and lasting relief is addressing all of the major pain pathways simultaneously.

I’ve had the most success with treating the patients in my clinic by having them take several natural ingredients together which address the various common pain and inflammation pathways at the same time.

The three that I have found to be the most effective are PEA, turmeric and boswellia, and when combined form my triple-action approach to managing pain and inflammation.

PEA

Palmitoylethanolamide, or PEA, is a naturally occurring lipid full of anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties.*

Your body makes and uses PEA in multiple ways and you can find PEA in nearly all tissue, including the brain. PEA provides therapeutic relief when you are suffering from pain or having an allergic reaction. It can also help your muscles recover and can even help improve your mood and sleep.*

Scientists discovered the anti-inflammatory properties of PEA back in the 1950s and since then, numerous studies have shown the benefits of PEA supplementation.*

PEA inhibits the COX pathway and reduces pain caused by prostaglandin release by affecting many aspects associated with pain and inflammation. A few of these include mast cells (another inflammatory cell), cannabinoid receptors, ATP-sensitive potassium channels, and the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα).*

Multiple clinical research studies demonstrate the wide ranging benefits of taking supplemental PEA to relieve frequent pain. Here is a quick sampling of the incredible results achieved when people suffering from pain were given PEA:

Lower Back Pain Relief for 9 out of 10 People: In an Italian trial with 636 patients, 90% of those taking 600 mg of PEA daily reported “good or excellent” effectiveness at providing greater lower-back comfort after three weeks of usage—with 51% rating it “excellent”.*

Knee Comfort Improved Quickly. In a study published in Inflammopharmacology, 111 participants with knee issues were given 600 mg PEA or placebo daily. After eight weeks, scientists found “significant reduction” in pain scores for those taking PEA compared with placebo.*

Aches Relieved “All Over” the Body for 88% of Participants. In an Italian hospital study, 407 patients with widespread aches and tenderness that wouldn’t go away received 600 mg PEA daily. Of those, a full 88% reported “significant” score improvements for comfort and quality of life.*

Also there have been no serious adverse effects noted with PEA use.

Turmeric

Taking turmeric is another natural way to reduce inflammation and pain. Turmeric contains curcumin and has been used for thousands of years as a healing herb.*

Curcumin has been proven to reduce inflammatory conditions and pain. Relief with curcumin can be seen in as little as six weeks of daily use for those with frequent joint pain.*

Gold-standard clinical studies have shown that curcumin, the active component of, turmeric is perhaps the most effective natural substance on earth at inhibiting COX-2, the enzyme responsible for sparking your body’s inflammatory response by stimulating prostaglandin production.

It is also one of the most effective natural substances at blocking an incredibly potent chemical that prolongs and sustains chronic inflammation, nf-kappa beta. These properties make turmeric and its active ingredient curcumin a powerful tool in naturally combating pain and inflammation.**

Boswellia

A third powerful natural anti-inflammatory supplement is boswellia.

Boswellia works by shutting down the 5-LOX pathway and inhibiting the production of the pro-inflammatory leukotrienes. Boswellia is fast acting and clinical trials have shown benefit in as few as seven days when given to patients suffering from joint pain.*

Getting the Pain Relief Help You May Need

As you can see, pain and inflammation don’t always come from the same place or pathways. This means treating only one pathway is often not enough to provide the pain relief you need.

Durable BODY™ combines research-level doses of PEA, turmeric and boswellia into a convenient all-in-one formula that address multiple pain pathways at the same time to provide the natural pain relief you’ve been searching for.