Chronic pain remedies for sufferers

Dear Pharmacist: I have chronic pain and take ibuprofen daily plus hydrocodone and celecoxib. I'm willing to do anything right now that could help. The craziest thing is that nothing happened to me, I just developed pain over the years, no accidents, no trauma. Can you help me? -- D.W., Boca Raton, Fla.

Pain is a symptom, not a disease itself. It's your clue that something is out of balance in your system. Without knowing more details it's hard to hit the nail on the head, so I will give you (and other readers who are suffering pain) some general information. My goal is to teach you about two different pain chemicals that your body releases in response to something -- but what that "something" is can be different for everyone.

Sometimes pain is triggered by foods like gluten or nightshade vegetables (like potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers), sometimes it is from a nutrient deficiency (like magnesium or CoQ10), and sometimes it is from poor elimination. If you are constipated and toxins back up in your gut, or in your blood, then this triggers a physiological response in your body that causes cells to release pain-causing chemicals called cytokines.

Two cytokines implicated in pain include the leukotrienes and the prostaglandins. Those are such big names for little substances, but too much of these will make you hurt. Your goal as a pain sufferer is to reduce levels of those.

First up, leukotrienes! These are a subclass of eicosanoids (pronounced i-koss-anoids), which when you say that out loud, the last syllable sounds like the word "annoyed" -- and that's exactly what they do. They are very annoying and irritating! Leukotrienes spark production of other compounds involved in allergies, food sensitivities, autoimmune disorders and anaphylactic reactions. Leukotrienes tend to increase if you eat food coloring, like yellow dye #5, tartrazine and other artificial substances.

If you have pain, then nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen (Advil and Aleve, respectively) can help you. The prescription drug Celebrex (celecoxib) can also help.

Interestingly, researchers have found that some natural compounds, like boswelia and quercetin, can reduce those annoying eicosanoids. Since about 2001, medical literature has shown that dark chocolate can reduce eiconanoids, too! Other natural remedies include omega 3 fatty acids, flaxseed, perilla seed oil, curcumin and glycyrrhiza. The prescription medications Accolate and Singulair may help, especially if your problems are primarily allergies.

Next up, prostaglandins! Excessive amounts of this cytokine occur with arthritis, heavy menstrual cycles, premenstrual syndrome, migraines, multiple sclerosis, chronic Lyme disease, as well as colon and breast cancer. What substances reduce prostaglandins? Fish oils, white willow bark (salix alba), ecklonia cava (a brown algae), meadowsweet (don't take if you're allergic to salicylates like aspirin), turmeric, skullcap, ginger root and passionflower. Medications to consider include aspirin, celecoxib, and the NSAID class, including ibuprofen and naproxen. Ask your doctor if any of these are right for you.