are there any raw foods known to reduce swelling? i fell down a flight of stairs and sprained my ankle. I was just wondering what you peoples think.

ps. sorry about all the spam tonight.

There are lots. I am not sure how they work though. I think they are called "anti inflamatory" food but I do not know if they target a certain area or they work generally throughout the body. I think ginger root is one.

Hey ILoveJen, if you go to [www.nutritiondata.com] and look up a particular raw food, they now include an Inflammation Factor rating for it, which includes information on why it is good or bad in terms of reducing inflammation. For the case of romaine lettuce for example, it says "IF Positives: This food contains known anti-inflammatory nutrients, including Beta Carotene, Folate and Vitamin K.". I've had a look at a few and it looks roughly right to me, I think they might overestimate the inflammatory effects of carbohydrates, or at least they don't seem to make a disticntion between carbohydrates from raw fruit and carbohydrates from cooked pasta for example. So I don't think they take the whole raw v. cooked insight on inflammation on board, but is a pretty good guide I think.

Cheers,
J

ps Hope your ankle gets better soon!





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2006 12:16PM by Jose.

Fresh turmeric, and lots of it.

pineapple

Jose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think they might overestimate the
> inflammatory effects of carbohydrates, or at least
> they don't seem to make a disticntion between
> carbohydrates from raw fruit and carbohydrates
> from cooked pasta for example. So I don't think
> they take the whole raw v. cooked insight on
> inflammation on board, but is a pretty good guide
> I think.
>

Wow, you are amazingly tolerant. Their not-so-subtle
anti-carbohydrate without distinction between good
and bad sources stance irritates the mess out of me.

Some essential oils that you can blend into a massage or carrier oil might help. You could look up some of the benefits of particular essential oils.

Love,
Prism

It's prob too late now but fyi for future reference - and I know this is somewhat obvious - putting ice on an injury right away will prevent swelling or a nasty bruise from forming.

This is just my opinion. And not only that - but I also reserve the right to change it! But, having said that - I question the logic in making the attempt to reduce swelling in the case of a twisted ankle. A sprained ankle is often weakened. I found in the case of my own sprained ankle last spring (I twisted it and fell down on my very FIRST day of vacation in Sedona!) that just leaving it alone was the best thing that I could have done. It swelled and bruised, but the pain was minimal and I was able to walk on it with no problems and I didn't twist it again - even though it was in a weakened state. Maybe the swelling serves a very good purpose. Anyhow - like I said - just my opinion - this week!


Life Is Good!

alive!

Yes, swelling does have a beneficial effect. Having had numerious ankle sprains, I know the swelling keeps the affected area stable so it can heal. Too much swelling can be a "pain" (sorry, but I couldn't resist!), but you just use ice alot.

Part of the swelling is the body sending more blood and fluid to help in the healding process.

If you are interested, GNC stores have a terriffic supplement called Fast Flex that I have used for injuries. It is amazing with its anti-inflammatory ingredients. One is white willow bark I think. It reduces pain too. You can take Fast Flex long term until the sprain heals fully. They can take up to a year to heal completely even though you may feel fine long before that! (I learned that the hard way!)