I managed to pull a tendon in my foot 2 weeks ago and have had a swollen foot/ankle ever since. The doctor wrote me a prescription for ultra-strength ibuprofen to act an an anti-inflammatory. I'm not looking forward to taking pills for 3 weeks. Anyone had this problem before? If I amp up the raw-ness (I'm only about 50% these days) should this help knock out the inflammation? Thanks!

On Nutritiondata.com you can do a search for any fruit or vegetable and it shows if it is inflammatory or anti-inflammatory [www.nutritiondata.com]. I don't have any experience with this, but maybe if you try eating foods that are higher in anti-inflammatory qualities the swelling will subside faster. Anyone else know more about this?

My opinion:

As long as it doesn't get "out of control," inflammation is GOOD. It is the healing process.

When I have had inflammation or swelling in the past, I have always ignored advice to do anything to "reduce the swelling."

I trust the wisdom of my body.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2009 08:45PM by Omega.

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I have always ignored advice to do anything to "reduce the swelling," as I trust the wisdom of my body.

I agree that the body has an innate wisdom. I am always amazed when I see man's intervention in health issues as if they are smarter then the creator. I was appalled to see the results of Doctor's intervention when my Dad got cancer. He looked like he had been hit by a Mac truck when they gave him chemo to poison the body well. His hair fell out and he got so weak he could hardly raise his hand. Then he died. IMO he would have been a lot better off by making some lifestyle changes. Sorry if my post is a little off target but I have been thinking about my Dad today.

Try buying some homeopathic Arnica gel by Boiron at your local health food store or your local Whole Foods Market and smear the gel all over the affected area as needed. Taking homeopathic Arnica pellets at the same time ( meaning you are using the gel on the tendon area and ingesting pellets concurrently) really has an affect on decreasing swelling.

I have used both the gel and pellets just like that, and my mother recently had surgery and was told by her surgeon post procedure to take Arnica pellets to help decrease her swelling and inflamation.

If you can find a good holistic non-chain pharmacy or one that caters to a holisic community, you can purchase dosages of Arnica pellets in the 200+ range which work much more effectively than the standard 30 you'll find at most stores. I bought the 1000 and 2000 dose of Arnica after I bruised my head with a serious concussion and I took it for two weeks. *And* I applied the Arnica gel multiple times a day on my head. It was the only thing I have ever took that worked.

As far as possible beneficial foods, my mother's surgeon also recommended that while she take her Arnica she ought to eat some daily pineapple too. The bromelain in pineapple is supposed to be an anti-inflamatory and together with the Arnica can help overall.

Just be careful with the pineapple... The acidity in pineapple can sometimes cause some problems for people if they eat too much of it.

PEACE
Choco

So sorry to hear about your Dad, EZ.

I agree with Choco about the arnica. Arnica not only helps reduce pain and swelling, but also actually helps heal the problem by bringing blood to the affected area. It's great stuff.

I also agree with elaa. Www.nutritiondata.com has all kinds of nutritional information and charts. Turmeric is one of the most noninflammatory foods. To verify its high anti-inflammatory rating, go to www.nutritiondata.com, and enter "turmeric" where it says "enter food name" (top right of page). Leave "All food categories" alone. Click "search", and the search results will yield only 1 option: "spices, turmeric, ground" (under "food name". Click that option, and you'll get the nutrition charts for turmeric.

Near the top of the turmeric charts page, you'll see a box labelled "inflammation factor". The inflammation factor for turmeric is listed in the box as 1523, meaning that turmeric is "strongly ANTI-inflammatory", the "typical target net" being "50/day or higher".

Turmeric is also good purchased fresh and whole, then grated into salads or whatever.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2009 08:30AM by suncloud.

I would drink green juices and add some fresh turmeric root....

From "New Choices in Natural Healing":
Salt can relieve the swelling that comes with a sprain, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He suggests making a paste of one part salt and two parts turmeric, mixed with enough water to get the right consistency. Apply this paste to the injured area once a day, he says, letting it set for 20 minutes to an hour. He advises covering the paste with cotton flannel or muslin to keep it from rubbing off and to protect your clothing, since turmeric stains. Any skin discoloration from the turmeric should wash off in about two weeks, he adds.

I have a severe thumb sprain and while I haven't as yet tried turmeric, I've had some success with Pascalite clay. I make a poultice with water & leave it on for two hours, once daily. Gentle massage might prove helpful as well as foods high in Vit C (collagen will aid healing).

rawne

Arachidonic Acid,the long chain Omega 6 fatty acid will turn on the inflammatory process. Animal products provide a plentiful supply of this fatty acid. It is also made in our bodies from the shorter chain omega 6 fatty acid,Linoleic Acid. Thus it is not essential.The omega 3 fats,EPA in particular keep inflammation in check. By avoiding animal products and vegetable oils,inflammation will stay at a natural level.

Agree with others that the body is healing in the way ot knows best. I wouldn't take any drug, just let the body heal.

Anti-inflammatories supress the immune system, and are not a good idea in most cases. As per usual, contemorary medicine wants to treat the symptoms. A suppression of the immune system is only advisable if the body's reaction causes undue discomfort, in which case, the amount of anti-inflammatory medicine taken should be minimal.

Ibuprofen is pretty heavy stuff, and will bomb you out in high doses.

Take care, geo

Search for this topical cream, called Toprcin.
Its a natural ant-inflammatory pain relief cream.
I used it for pinched nerves, sore shoulders, pulled muscles when I was training really hard, and it helped even mildly. OR EVEN BETTER, Tiger balm.
Im not sure how the raw community feels on either of these products, but they helped me. =]

Topricin.com

I got mine at whole foods..

herbalgerbals

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Im not sure how the raw community feels on either of these products

I think drugs in general can mask symptoms if thats what a person is looking for.

Im pretty sure there no drugs involved.

This is what I did when I had severe foot sprain few weeks ago. My foot swells and very painful. I took a glass of plain water with a little sea salt. It works and the pain started to go away after an hour. I would not want to do anything to reduce the swelling though...because I know the body is going through the healing process.I also refuse to take any man made drugs/pain killers...

I took a glass of the sea salt solution everyday until my foot heals completely. I also take lots of plain water. No coffee, tea, soda etc...

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2009 03:53AM by solitude bird.