What does an anti-inflammatory diet do?

NVintage
NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
I noticed a freaky bulge in my forearm near the inner elbow! I guess it's tendonitis from riding my daughter's bike the other day. I was prescribed Mobic (meloxicam) , a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It made me too bloated and now my stomach hurts, too! Has anyone had any luck with just an anti-inflammatory diet and RICE? (I have an appt. with a dr. next week)

Replies

  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    I suggest that you lower your meat intake, eat more veggies and add curcuma.
  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    Thanks! I might try the curcuma, turmeric right? I have been trying to drink Gatorade and more water, so that with the medicine is too much! I am a little sensitive to gluten and I just read that might make the medicine more likely to cause stomach issues. I've never had this many muscle issues in my life...welcome to year 45, i guess, haha!
  • wi1234567890
    wi1234567890 Posts: 57 Member
    I’ve taken Meloxicam on occasion for arthritis pain. Bloating is one of the less common side effects but it definitely happens. It’s also very tough in the stomach. Good luck.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    I'd be inclined to report the symptoms to the doctor. it might happen but........... its not good for the person its happening too and there may be something different they could offer. (your problem could be with one of the fillers/binders or the actual medicine itself. Good Luck.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    What? An NSAID made you bloated?


    It was probably something else.


    Some foods definitely increase inflammation, try it. Definitely RICE it too - don't leave it untreated. How about an Ace bandage during the day?

    Yes, these can cause constipation, which can cause bloating.

    I don't know if an anti-inflammatory diet alone would help, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Fatty fish, yogurt, dark, leafy greens, other sources of healthy fats (olive, avocado, flaxseed, walnuts), berries and oranges are great things to include. Foods to eat less of are refined sugars, fried foods, soda, processed meats and saturated fats MAY be things to avoid, as there's some speculation that they may increase inflammation.

  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    Thanks! I try to eat sort of Mediterranean style, already, but do eat deli turkey and drink soda and other sugary drinks. I'm going to try to cut those out at least til I see a Dr.
  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    I just ordered an ebook. I'll let you all know if it makes any difference! ;)
  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    I don't know how healthy it is, but I lost a few pounds this week cutting out meats and sugar and trying to eat mostly anti inflammatory foods. I'll try some turmeric tea as soon as my stomach gets back to normal. I think it is helping my arm, if I can just stop using it... Thanks for the suggestions!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    NVintage wrote: »
    I don't know how healthy it is, but I lost a few pounds this week cutting out meats and sugar and trying to eat mostly anti inflammatory foods. I'll try some turmeric tea as soon as my stomach gets back to normal. I think it is helping my arm, if I can just stop using it... Thanks for the suggestions!

    Focusing on more whole foods is probably a good contributer to your weight loss. Keep it up.


    Also, make sure if you cut meat, that you are still getting adequate levels of protein.
  • Unknown
    edited May 2021
    This content has been removed.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    Ignore this
    NVintage wrote: »
    Isn't keto excessive protein? I thought that the animal fats were inflammatory??? I like meat, but don't like to cook it so I cut it out for the most part because I typically eat a lot of deli turkey. I cut out butter and added sugar completely and just eat a little bread, but more oats and rice...
    And what about heart health? I had a scare last week because I went to the dr. for my pulled tendon, but when I told him that I was winded just going up the stairs the day before and had chest pain, they just did a lot of tests for my heart and to check for blood clots, and they didn't say anything about my arm! It turned out the heartburn(I messed up my stomach with anti inflammatory pills!) was causing the chest pain and then giving me an asthma attack, and my heart was fine. All the tests scared me into wanting to eat more heart healthy foods, though!!!!:)
    tsazani wrote: »
    The definition of the anti-inflamatory diet is the KETO diet. 70-80% of calories come from ANIMAL FAT.

    Carbs and excessive protein cause insulin resistance and spikes -> inflamation.

    Ignore this user. He's collecting massive numbers of Disagrees on every of his posts. However, what is inflammatory is something researchers still disagree with. Also depends on your definition of inflammation. If you are talking about the kind that might possibly maybe be responsible for diabetes, coronary heart disease even then researchers don't seem to agree. Some suggest some stuff from fatty fish, meat, etc is the way to go, others peddle veggies.
  • iam4scuba
    iam4scuba Posts: 39 Member
    NVintage wrote: »
    Isn't keto excessive protein? I thought that the animal fats were inflammatory??? I like meat, but don't like to cook it so I cut it out for the most part because I typically eat a lot of deli turkey. I cut out butter and added sugar completely and just eat a little bread, but more oats and rice...
    And what about heart health? I had a scare last week because I went to the dr. for my pulled tendon, but when I told him that I was winded just going up the stairs the day before and had chest pain, they just did a lot of tests for my heart and to check for blood clots, and they didn't say anything about my arm! It turned out the heartburn(I messed up my stomach with anti inflammatory pills!) was causing the chest pain and then giving me an asthma attack, and my heart was fine. All the tests scared me into wanting to eat more heart healthy foods, though!!!!:)
    tsazani wrote: »
    The definition of the anti-inflamatory diet is the KETO diet. 70-80% of calories come from ANIMAL FAT.

    Carbs and excessive protein cause insulin resistance and spikes -> inflamation.

    Any time anyone mentions chest pain, doctors kick into full gear because heart problems are both very common and often dangerous. They're always going to do a lot of tests because problems can't always be inspected for visually.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    There are foods that are definitely more inflammatory than others, but each persons body reacts differently. Dairy is a huge trigger for me, as is sugar (and gluten is a whole nother beast that is never coming back into my diet thanks to neurological issues with it). The books on Whole30 will give you specific information on the whys involved. If you are interested if finding your trigger foods, I always recommend people start with the W30 as an elimination diet, you just have to actually take your time with the reentry phase or it’s all for naught (if you go out and eat pizza your have multiple things going on so if there is a notable reaction is it to the crust? The cheese? The sugar/sweetener in the drink you might have had with it?). Just a little bit of dairy one day will swell my hands and feet the next, but someone else might tolerate it just fine.
  • natasor1
    natasor1 Posts: 271 Member
    You cut added sugars, but bread, rice and oat are nothing but sugars. You put them in the mouth in form of starches, not sweet, but in the matter of minuts your ferments in the mouth, in the stomach and in the intestines split them in to simple sugars. Your body sells don't know what did you put in your mouth, cake or oat meal, they sense what come to them in the blood after digestion, but comes only glucose and fructose.
    You should rethink what is antiiflomatory. Proteins and fat even saturated fats are antiinflomatory, wile carbs in large amounts for you obviously create sort of adverse reaction.
    Don t take me wrong, for some people carbs, fruits and lentils do nothing wrong, but you are special like about 66% of USA population. Carbs in inpropriate amount do more harm tan good
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    NVintage wrote: »
    Isn't keto excessive protein? I thought that the animal fats were inflammatory??? I like meat, but don't like to cook it so I cut it out for the most part because I typically eat a lot of deli turkey. I cut out butter and added sugar completely and just eat a little bread, but more oats and rice...
    And what about heart health? I had a scare last week because I went to the dr. for my pulled tendon, but when I told him that I was winded just going up the stairs the day before and had chest pain, they just did a lot of tests for my heart and to check for blood clots, and they didn't say anything about my arm! It turned out the heartburn(I messed up my stomach with anti inflammatory pills!) was causing the chest pain and then giving me an asthma attack, and my heart was fine. All the tests scared me into wanting to eat more heart healthy foods, though!!!!:)
    tsazani wrote: »
    The definition of the anti-inflamatory diet is the KETO diet. 70-80% of calories come from ANIMAL FAT.

    Carbs and excessive protein cause insulin resistance and spikes -> inflamation.

    A few corrections.

    First, keto is not excessive protein unless you specifically design it to be that way. But even then, there is nothing wrong or harmful about high protein.

    Second, whole meat isn't inflammatory. You can have a diet high in meat (like i do) and still have perfect health. Typically what causes chronic inflammation is obesity, inactivity, smoking and excessive drinking.

    Overall, it's about balance. I ran Keto without issue. But i still aim for 20g of fiber. My diet consisted of lean proteins, low fat dairy, meats, low gi fruits, avocado (almost daily), fatty fish, nuts, seeds and olive/avocado oil. Super clean... No added sugar... And using healthier fats.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    edited June 2021
    I should also note, that it appears you have local inflammation which is different than systemic inflammation. Two different things. The former can't be treated with diet. Diet, along with weight loss, can help the latter.

    If you have systemic inflammation, your CRP would likely be elevated.

    ETA: if you do have tendinitis, get occupational therapy. Trust me. I had it in both my forearms. It got to a point where i couldn't pick up a cup.
  • BlossomingJenn
    BlossomingJenn Posts: 23 Member
    My family has had a lot of success with these rather than anti-inflammatory medications: Boswelia, Turmeric, and Chlorophyll.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    I should also note, that it appears you have local inflammation which is different than systemic inflammation. Two different things. The former can't be treated with diet. Diet, along with weight loss, can help the latter.

    If you have systemic inflammation, your CRP would likely be elevated.

    ETA: if you do have tendinitis, get occupational therapy. Trust me. I had it in both my forearms. It got to a point where i couldn't pick up a cup.

    Beat me to it. Diet isn't going to have any impact on local inflammation from injury or irritation. Systemic inflammation is in the blood and effects arterial heart health, other organ health, increases cancer risk, etc...completely different from inflammation due to injury or overuse.
  • The_Movie_Chair
    The_Movie_Chair Posts: 112 Member
    edited June 2021
    As for tendonitis, it could be irritated and not inflamed. I would go to a doctor first. You most likely will get a brace and medication.

    As for anti-inflammation diets. There is so much misinformation out there, it's not even funny. You have to live it, to understand it. First and foremost, it depends on what triggers the inflammation. In my case, a diet like Keto would bring me tremendous pain and discomfort. I would be back on steroids just so I would be able to get around a bit.

    I have two autoimmune disorders (RA and Celiac) and according to my friends, I eat like a hippie. Protein, especially chicken hurts me, dairy inflames my sinuses and brings me great pain.

    We are all alike, but not the same. If you are willing to adjust your diet, start with basic fastings like Joe Cross in "Fat, sick and nearly dead," or the Paddison program, or Dr. Michael Klapper's advice. Dr. Amy Meyers (spelling) another great source. In the end, you will have to find your own way. NO healthy person will be able to give you advice. I can tell you what I do, but it might not work for you.

    Give yourself 30 days out of your life and be strict. I gave up gluten, sugar, alcohol, dairy, meat, and all processed food. No caffeine either, which I thought would kill me right there and then. I lived on steamed food and juices for about 10 days. The result was overwhelming. No pain, no swelling in my joints, no stuffed sinuses.

    I added slowly food back to my diet and lifestyle Turns out I can't eat tomatoes or peppers, my body reacts to nightshades. I can eat steak and pork, but no chicken. Eggs, which I would love to eat every day, only in moderation. Oils are the worst. Only extra virgin olive oil is tolerated by my system, vegetable oil or other oils in fried food, start to bring me inflammation within two hours after eating.

    To find out what works for you, not knowing the disease you have to deal with, I would recommend writing a food and pain journal. Be honest.

    I lost 156 pounds and I am off all medications, it took three years. My RA factor is almost undetectable. No more allergy medications for me. I love eating like a hippie. :-)


  • NVintage
    NVintage Posts: 1,463 Member
    Thanks all, some good info here! The diet doesn't seem to help my arm much. Resting it and ice helps, but as soon as I have to use it to drive or carry something, it starts hurting again. I have another appt with a Dr. soon.:/
    With my stomach problem, on the other hand, it does seem to make a difference! I feel better eating oatmeal for brunch rather than my usual almond butter on wheat bread. I don't think I am all out intolerant to gluten, but I'm going to try to cut it out until my stomach is better...