Inflammation Creates Pain,
but What Creates the Inflammation?
Dr. Chuck Cochran, D.C.
What's the greatest
human motivator? Try pain. If you're
in pain, you will do most anything to alleviate it. Millions of Americans endure
pain and discomfort every day without knowing where to turn to for help. Many
have unknowingly risked their own lives by relying on controversial
pharmaceutical drugs to relieve their pain. In order to find relief from our
pain, we must first have a clear understanding of what causes it. By educating
ourselves, we will then be armed with the knowledge of what must happen to
achieve the relief we so desperately desire.
Most pain is a result of
inflammation. This is the body's response to either a real or perceived threat.
When functioning properly, the immune system's white blood cells migrate to an
area of bacterial or microbial infection and attack it by releasing proteolytic
enzymes and free radicals. This "battle" may result in temporary inflammation
but it subsides once the infection has been properly dealt with by a healthy
immune system. In the case of the more than 40 autoimmune diseases, such as
rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system is wrongly attacking the very
tissues and organs it was designed to protect!
Many other inflammatory
conditions are the result of the body's response to internal injuries. During
our lives, virtually all of us damage tissues such as our cartilage, tendons or
ligaments. These are "enclosed injuries" that are either the result of a
specific occurrence or simply years of "wear and tear" on our joints. Though
there are no invading organisms, it's not uncommon for our immune system to
respond to these injuries by releasing the proteolytic enzymes and free radicals
which again attack the body's own healthy tissues (usually in our joints). This
reaction leads to inflammation and pain.
Hence, pain is generally
the result of the following three "causes":
-
A Destructive Process where the body
attacks its healthy tissues.
-
An Inflammatory Response to the
attack
-
Damaged Tissue
(usually in the joints).
Now that we have a basic understanding of pain, it makes
sense that we successfully address all three of these "causes" in order to find
relief. Clearly, we must first stop the destructive process before we can reduce
the inflammation and rebuild the damaged tissue. Unfortunately, both traditional
and alternative medicine focus only on the last two causes. Pain drives many of
us into "survival mode", which usually means we settle for some kind of
prescribed or over-thecounter drug. Though this alternative may offer
short-term relief, it doesn't provide the long-term solution.
Since 1997,
Dr. Cochran has focused on the research and development of nutraceutical
formulations. Because of his extensive work with the various fatty acid ester
complexes containing cetyl myristoleate, related analogs, and their effects on
the different forms of arthritis, he was nominated, and was a finalist, for the
International Olympic Prize endowed by Pfizer for the year 2002. Currently he
has a private practice in Arroyo Grande, California where he specializes
in developing and performing comprehensive nutritional and dietary protocols
for his patients. Dr. Cochran received his doctorate in chiropractic from Palmer
College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.
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