Frankincense: One of Several Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients
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 among various nutrients and phytonutrients getting more attention for its anti-inflammatory traits. Patients at Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers hear us discuss inflammation and its part in Baton Rouge back pain and neck pain very often, 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 immune system function and on the reduction of inflammation stated that patients with all sorts 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 in addition to conventional medications and medical interventions. The goal of said supplementation is to reduce inflammation which is controlled by the immune system and which is a contributing factor to chronic disease as well as acute illness. The review got into specifics like how supplements affected inflammatory and immune factors - whose names you may not hear much about yet impact 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 garnering lots of attention today as the demand to prevent chronic illness and decrease the severity of acute illnesses of all sorts that people around the globe are dealing with. (1) Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers is eager to see these developments in the more natural approaches to health come about!
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FRANKINCENSE
You’ll note that frankincense was one of the nutrients talked about above. A recent 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 a long time. 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 Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers, frankincense needs to be gifted year-round and not just at the holidays! Nutritional findings like this are just so interesting, particularly when we know that inflammation plays a role in spine-related pain that we treat every day. Let’s talk about our anti-inflammatory nutritional supplement at your next Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment.
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
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 illustrates the communication between the immune system and inflammation as well as how spinal manipulation can benefit the immune system.
Make your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment soon to visit 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 hold in decreasing inflammation!
