Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh. Three gifts talked
about throughout the holidays often are neglected the rest
of the year…except gold. We do hear a lot about gold! Well, frankincense is one
of various nutrients and phytonutrients getting
more attention for its anti-inflammatory features. Patients
at Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre are quite aware that we converse
about inflammation and its part in Toronto
back pain and neck pain a lot, so anti-inflammatory
supplements with anti-inflammatory nutrients are welcome!
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 inflammation reduction stated that patients with
all types of health issues, minor to severe, may well get some
advantage 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 interventions. The goal of this
supplementation is to decrease inflammation which is controlled
by the immune system and which is a contributor to
chronic disease as well as acute illness. The review covered
many specifics like how supplements impacted
inflammatory and immune factors - whose names you may not hear
much about yet have 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 getting
lots of attention today as the demand to avert
chronic illness and reduce the severity of acute illnesses of all
types that people around the world are
dealing with. (1) Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre is excited
to see these developments in the more natural approaches to health evolve!
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FRANKINCENSE
You’ll note that frankincense
was one of the nutrients talked about above. A new
study highlighted the benefits of its supplementation. Frankincense is an oil extract extracted
from the Boswellia tree. It’s been utilized in
anti-inflammatory folk remedies for many years. Using
bowellic acids like the 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-βBA (AKBA) are unique
anti-inflammatory factors 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 Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre,
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 Toronto chiropractic visit.
CONTACT Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre
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 describes the interaction of the immune system and inflammation as well as how
spinal manipulation can benefit the
immune system.
Make your Toronto 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 play in decreasing
inflammation!