Nutrition strategies to relieve pelvic and chronic pain

By Karen Bruno, PT, DPT 

​Proper nutrition and knowing what you should eat and what you should avoid can assist to reduce the contributors to pelvic pain and chronic pain. This is done by addressing inflammation.  ​

Is what you are eating contributing to your pain? Can the choice of food you eat actually help to relieve pain? Can nutritional interventions ease your pain? The answer is that nutritional interventions are often effective in reversing chronic pain. Simple dietary changes that remove inflammatory foods and replace it with better choices can help to reverse chronic pain conditions. Pain conditions are often due to an imbalance in the body’s chemistry. This can be due to many factors, such as a lack of nutrients in your diet, stress overload, lack of exercise, increased inflammation, insulin resistance and environmental factors. Nutritional interventions can be one element for shifting the chronic pain response.

In the links below, Joe Tatta, PT, DPT,  addresses components of various anti-inflammatory diets and their benefits. Dr. Tatta is a physical therapist and Founder of the Integrative Pain Science Institute, an education company that supports practitioners as they explore integrative models for pain. In these blogs, there is a review of the current literature of the types of foods and diet that can ease the pain associated with various health conditions. 

• https://www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/?s=diet+part+1
• https://www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/diet-best-pain-part-two/
• https://www.integrativepainscienceinstitute.com/fibromyalgia-research-new-hope/

The Basics:

1. Eat clean food. This means food that is unprocessed. Eat meats and poultry that are organic when possible, and fish that is wild caught. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, and consume grains that are in their purest form. 
2. Avoid the trap of “organic” and “gluten- free”. Creative marketing is trying to convince us that these foods are healthy. Check the ingredient list. These often consist of low quality, highly processed ingredients. Also. beware of “natural flavors”. That can be a way to hide MSG, yeast, sugar and non-vegetarian based products. Look at the nutrition facts label for additional information.
3. Natural fats and oils are good for you. These include olive oil, ghee, butter, coconut oil and avocados/avocado oil. 
4. Some people benefit from the reduction or elimination of dairy milk products from their diet. This may only be needed as a temporary change. Great substitutes include butter, milk and cheese made from nuts and seeds. Once again, make them yourself to avoid the highly processed, less nutritional commercial items. It is very easy and there are plenty of recipes on the internet. The recipes can often be found by looking up the vegan and/or paleo versions of a recipe. 
5. Eat whole grains and legumes. Whole grains include quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, barley and whole wheat. Consider using sprouted wheat flour or any other sprouted grain when you bake and cook. Sprouted grains are easy to digest, contain more fiber, and have more available nutrients. Ezekial 4.9 bread is an easily digestible sprouted grain bread and can be easily found in grocery stores, health food stores and Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s aldo has a few varieties of sprouted grain bread. Also, consider sprouting legumes to receive similar benefits. Check out these links for tips to sprout your legumes or just do a Google search.
   
   For more on this, visit Sprout People.
   
   Avoid refined and highly processed grains. If you do go “gluten-free,” be aware to avoid the refined and highly processed grain substitutes.  
6. Use natural sweeteners like stevia, which is an herb, monk fruit, raw honey, date sugar and maple syrup. Avoid refined sugars and artificial sweeteners. 
7. Drink hydrating liquids like water, broths, fresh juices and herbal teas. Carbonated beverages, alcohol and caffeine are bladder irritants that can trigger inflammation. 
8. For the more sensitive beings, (and we know who we are), it may be beneficial to avoid one or more of the following: eggs, peanuts, corn and alcohol.
9. Enjoy liberally seasoning your food with plenty of herbs and spices to enhance the flavors. 

These are some general guidelines. There is not a “one-size fits all” eating plan as you are unique and complex. Start by making a few changes in your diet and notice how you feel. For example, you can eliminate sugar and processed foods.  Making limited changes will assist in recognizing how those particular foods impact you. Is there a relationship between food and pain? Going slowly and changing one or two things at a time is recommended so that you can identify whether a particular modification had an effect. 
What happens if you eat a dessert or two, have some alcohol or coffee,  or eat some other food that is generally considered inflammation provoking?  By all means - enjoy it and savor the experience! There will be more on that in an upcoming blog. Resume the low inflammation regimen when you can and just move forward. 

What you choose to eat has an influence on your overall health and resolving pain. Nutrition and diet affect both the physical and psychological processes that impact chronic pain, and good nutrition can be a pivotal component to attain and sustain optimal function and quality of life.  

Making delicious and nutritious meals and desserts can be simple. Here is a simple 3 ingredient treat to get you started.

Blueberry Banana Muffins
Ingredients: 

• 5 very ripe bananas
• 1 cup nut butter
• 1.5 cups of blueberries

Preparation: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the nut butter and mix until combined.
• Add the blueberries and mix well. 
• Use muffin cups or prepare the muffin tin by rubbing/spraying it with oil.
• Add the batter to the muffin tin.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes.
• Let the muffins cool. Enjoy!
• Makes 12 muffins. ​

For reference, check out the Integrative Pain Science Institute.