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Natural Pain Relief

If you are struggling with chronic pain, you no doubt rely on either a prescription pain-killer and/or one of the many NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) on the market, such as Advil®, Motrin®, Vioxx®, Celebrex®, etc. You may or may not be aware of the downside of NSAID use and especially over-use:

· NSAIDs cause 103,000 hospitalizations per year.

· Every year, about 17,000 arthritis patients die from NSAID-induced or related gastrointestinal damage such as bleeding ulcers.

· Approximately 21% of all adverse drug reactions are due to NSAID use.

· People over age 60 have greater odds of complications associated with NSAID use than those under age 60.

· There are over 13 million regular users of NSAIDS here in the U.S who buy 30 billion or more NSAID tablets annually.

So is the answer to toss one’s NSAIDs out the window? Not necessarily (Discontinuing any medically prescribed medication or use of any natural substance should only be done with your doctor’s consent). Fortunately, there are some natural compounds that may reduce your need to take NSAIDs so often and may even lower the dose needed to attenuate your pain. Two prime examples: The natural compound SAM-e along with a mixture of compounds called Endorphinol™

Let’s take a closer at look at these.

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e)

In one very telltale double-blind study, SAM-e (1200 mg. daily) was evaluated in comparison with naproxen (750 mg daily) and a placebo in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, spine, and hand. Eighteen (18) rheumatologic and fifteen (15) orthopedic centers participated in this study. A total of 734 subjects, including 582 with coxarthrosis (hip osteoarthritis) or gonarthrosis (knee osteoarthritis), were ultimately enrolled.

When the study concluded, SAM-e was found to have as much pain-killing activity as naproxen. Both drugs were more effective than placebo. SAM-e was significantly better tolerated than that of naproxen, both in terms of physicians' and patients' impressions and in terms of the number of patients with side effects.

And in a 1987 randomized double-blind (84-day) controlled study, 1200 mgs. oral SAM-e was compared to 20 mgs day of oral piroxicam in people with unilateral knee osteoarthritis. Forty five people completed the study, twenty-two (22) in the SAMe group and twenty-three (23) in the piroxicam group. Both SAM-e and piroxicam proved significantly effective in improving total pain score after 28 days of treatment. The ability of each drug to maintain these results was also evaluated during a fifty six (56) day follow-up period. Improvements in morning stiffness, the distance patients walked before the onset of pain, etc. started from about day fifty-six (56) in both groups and continued on. No significant difference was found between the two drugs in terms of effectiveness and tolerability

The findings of the two studies cited above were confirmed during a multicenter open trial involving 10 general medicine practitioners. SAM-e (600 mgs daily in divided doses for the first 2 weeks, then 400 mgs. in divided doses thereafter) was given to one hundred and eight (108) patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, and spine for a period of two (2) years. At the end of the two (2) year period, ninety-seven (97) of the patients were still in the study. Doctors conducted separate medical evaluations of each patient knee, hip, cervical spine, and dorsal/lumbar spine, with the severity of such clinical symptoms as morning stiffness, pain at rest, and pain when moving about assessed using scoring prior to treatment, at the end of the first and second weeks of treatment, and then monthly until the end of the two year period.

The oral SAM-e regimen resulted in improvements in clinical symptoms from the first weeks of treatment and continued on to the end of the study. SAM-e use also improved the depression which accompanied osteoarthritis.

And finally, a sixteen (16) week randomized, double-blind study comparing the effectiveness of (1200 mgs) SAM-e to the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor (celecoxib – 200 mgs.) for osteoarthritis of the knee was carried out. Researchers were especially interested in pain control, functional improvement and reduction of side-effects

Sixty-one (61) adults diagnosed with OA of the knee were enrolled with fifty-six (56) completing the study. Subjects were tested for pain, functional health, mood status, isometric joint function tests, and side effects.

During the first month of the study, participants on celecoxib experienced a significantly greater reduction in pain than SAM-e. By the second month, there was no significant difference between both groups. On most clinical measures of function both groups showed a notable improvement from initial readings or baseline, however no significant differences between SAM-e and celecoxib was noted. The scientists involved in this study concluded that SAM-e has a slower onset of action but is as effective as celecoxib in managing osteoarthritic knee symptoms.

These studies and many others indicate that SAM-e can help impact the pain, inflammation and depression that characterizes osteoarthritis. Of course, it is important for medical consumers to obtain forms of SAM-e that are truly bioavailable (Usable in the human body). Two products of merit that contain bioavailable forms of SAM-e is SAM-e Plus™ and SAM-e Sleep™, both of which are manufactured in a major pharmaceutical laboratory in Europe and can be ordered from NutraCAM www.nutracam.com

NOTE: Low amounts of folate in the body may lead to reduced levels of SAM-e. One very potent folate-rich product is Nutracene® (Nutracene contains folate plus many other B-vitamins in slow release caplet form): www.nutracene.com

Endorphinol™

Endorphinol™ is a patented blend of specialized amino acids which increase the levels of pain & mood modulating endorphins in laboratory animals and humans and thus provide an effective, non-addictive and natural substance for relief from pain, depression and anxiety. A lot of the pioneering work on these natural compounds was carried out in the early 1980’s by Dr. Ehrenpreis and his colleagues at Chicago Medical School. Much of this research focused on the pain-relieving properties of D-phenylalanine (DPA). Unlike narcotics such as morphine and codeine, DPA is not addictive and users don’t build up a tolerance to it. It also quells inflammation.

These natural pain modulating agents work together to confer greater pain-killing punch. They also increase the effectiveness of other analgesics and anti-inflammatories such as aspirin, Ibuprofen, Darvon, Codeine, acetaminophen (Tylenol®), etc.

How does Endorphinol™ work?

Endorphins (and similar compounds called enkephalins) are natural chemicals made in your body that improve mood, immune function, memory and physical endurance and reduce pain, anxiety and depression. Two of the enzymes that are involved in the breakdown of these endorphins and enkephalins are carboxypeptidase A and leucine aminopeptidase. The enzymatic breakdown of endorphins and enkephalins results in a decrease in the time users experience pain relief. However, DPA keeps these enzymes from “disassembling” these endorphins and enkephalins. This blocking action keeps the pain and inflammation-modulating compounds around longer which translates into longer periods of being pain-free. D- and DL-phenylalanine are among the most potent natural analgesics tested thus far, with D-phenylalanine being the more pure form.

Some case history evidence on pain relief & D- and DL-Phenylalanine

D-Phenylalanine: Animal and Human Pharmacology, with Emphasis on Analgesic Activity by Dr. Ehrenpreis, Chicago Medical School, Chicago, Il. (Case Studies)

1) Burning pain in right hand – partial relief with DPA and codeine for 4 weeks.

2) Pain in left face for 20 years – good to excellent relief in the 2^nd and 3^rd week with DPA 20 mg and 2 aspirin tablets.

3) Low back pain - DPA 200 mg diminished pain and can lower Dilaudid intake.

4) Low back pain with osteroarthritis – excellent results with DPA. No longer takes Percodan.

Studies on the enhanced effect of acupuncture analgesia and acupuncture anesthesia by D-phenylalanine (2^nd report) – schedule of administration and clinical effects in low back pain and tooth extraction. Acupunct Electrother Res 1990; 15(2): 121-35. Kitade T, Odahara Y, Shinohara S, Ikeuchi T, Sakai T, Morikawa K, Minamikawa M, Toyota S, Kawachi A, Hyodo M, et al.

Thirty patients with chronic low back pain were 4 grams of DPA followed by 30 minutes of acupuncture. Seven cases reported excellent results, 11 reported good results, 6 reported fair results and 6 reported poor results. With 18 patients undergoing tooth extraction with 4 grams of DPA followed by acupuncture anesthesia, 8 subjects reported excellent results, 6 reported good results, 3 reported fair results and 1 reported poor results. In a study comparing administering DPA one day before or 30 minutes before treatment, the one day before group showed better results.

Studies on the enhanced effect of acupuncture analgesia and acupuncture anesthesia by D-phenylalanine (first report) – effect on pain threshold and inhibition by naloxone. Acupunct Electrother Res 1998, 13(22-3): 87-97. Kitade T, Odahara Y, Shinohara S, Ikeuchi T, sakai T, Morikawa K, Minamikawa M, Toyota S, Kawachi A, Hyodo M, et al.

DPA enhances the analgesic effect of acupuncture by the “endorphin mechanism.”

How effective are Endorphinols?

In lab animals and patient use, the combination of DL-phenylalanine, DL-Leucine and hydrocinnamic acid provide greater pain relief benefits than did any one of these compounds by itself. This combination also appeared to be as effective as morphine in some instances.

In Dr. Ehrenpreis’ research, both D- and DL-phenylalanine was administered to 47 subjects. Four of these subjects suffered from acute pain and 43 suffered from chronic pain. A pain-killing effect was observed in 28 (60%) of the subjects.

It should be noted that DLPA also was shown to be of benefit in Parkinson’s disease and depression.

D-phenylalanine and other enkephalinase inhibitors as pharmacological agents: implications for some important therapeutic application. Acupunct Electrother Res 1982, 7(2-3): 157-72. Ehrenpreis, S.

D-phenylalanine has proven to be beneficial in many human patients with chronic, intractable pain. Dr. Ehrenpreis proposes that enkephalinase inhibitors may be effective in a number of human “endorphin deficiency diseases” such as depression, schizophrenia, convulsive disorders and arthritis. D-phenylalanine may also alleviate other conditions associated with decreased endorphin levels such as opiate withdrawal symptoms.

Endorphinol™ is part of a joint and muscle support formula called Nutracaine™. For additional information or to order just click this link: http://www.nutracain.com/

References

Italian double-blind multicenter study comparing S-adenosylmethionine, naproxen, and placebo in the treatment of degenerative joint disease, Am J Med, 83(5A):66-71 1987 Nov 20

Double-blind controlled clinical trial of oral S-adenosylmethionine versus piroxicam in knee osteoarthritis, Am J Med, 83(5A):72-7 1987 Nov 20

A long-term (two years) clinical trial with S-adenosylmethionine for the treatment of osteoarthritis, Am J Med, 145(9):89-94 1987 Nov 20

S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) versus celecoxib for the treatment of osteoarthritis symptoms: a double-blind cross-over trial, BMC Musculoskel Disord, 2004 Feb 26;5:6.

Russell AL, McCarty MF. DL-phenylalanine markedly potentiates opiate analgesia – an example of nutrient/pharmaceutical up-regulation of the endogenous analgesia system. Med Hypotheses 2000, 55(4): 283-8.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Readers are advised to consult a licensed health care professional concerning all matters related to their health and well being.