October Masterclass:

MANAGING PAIN THROUGH

DIET
Introduction:
Many of us are dealing with pain daily. NIH analysis found that 11% of Americans felt pain every
day for the last 3 months! That’s a lot of us who are dealing with pain every single day.

And pain is exhausting! If you’re dealing with pain, I’m sure you realize this, but I want to make it
abundantly clear – the pain you’re feeling is contributing to your tiredness. Even if you take
Advil or other NSAID to relieve the pain.

I’ve created this masterclass to help provide some relief for your pain. This is in 5 parts, and I’ve
given specific advice for a few types of pain, and the food & supplement parts look at most types
of body pain.

Part 1 is for everyone – it talks about a connection I’ve found over the years and an experiment
to try. It can be pretty darn effective – I’ve seen self-reported levels of pain go from 8/10 to a
2/10 in just a few days!

It doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s effective enough to give ‘er a go <3.

If I’ve missed a type of pain or if you have something that’s worked really well for you, please
email me and let me know!

Time to dive in!

 1. Sugar & Pain
Here’s a frustrating chicken/egg situation –
Pain triggers sugar cravings…and refined sugar triggers pain.

Why do we crave what causes pain? Well…it’s all about serotonin.

Chronic pain uses up a lot of serotonin and a sweet burst of sugar in our bloodstream shoots
serotonin straight into our brain, giving us momentary relief.

Now, why refined sugar triggers pain is a bit of a mystery. Yes, a big sugary treat will trigger
inflammation, but I’ve noticed even the smallest amount of sugar, not enough to trigger inflammation,
can trigger pain.

I’ve been telling people about the sugar & pain connection for almost 10 years, and over a hundred
people have tried it. The feedback I’ve received says that it has worked in all but a handful of cases…
so it’s worth a try.

AND! It only takes 4 – 5 days to find out if it’ll work for you. So, it could be a big reward for a
relatively small effort.

It’s only refined sugar that triggers pain, so you can keep honey, real maple syrup, fruit, dates, etc in
your diet. You only have to remove sugar.

…but, refined sugar hides in MANY foods you wouldn’t expect to find it, like yogurt, ketchup, tomato
sauce, and even most commercially-made bread.
How to –
For 1 week, remove ALL traces of refined sugar (check the ingredients for anything that ends
with -ose…sugar can be sneaky!).

After 1 week, how do you feel? Have some of your favourite sweets for 1 day and see if
there’s any change in your pain level.

If you notice that sugar triggers pain, then scour your diet of any refined sugar. Today
(happily) there’s a non-refined sugar alternative for pretty much everything. Struggling to
find one? Post it in our Facebook Group and I’ll help you out :)

Here’s a guide to healthy sugars vs. refined sugar:

https://lisakilgour.com/articles/2012/11/sugar-sugar-everywhere?rq=sugar
2. Headaches & muscle tension – peppermint, magnesium
Headaches and muscle tension are so common in our go go go world. There are some common
triggers, and a few good options to relieve them.

Learning what your common headache triggers are can help you stop them before they start <3.

Triggers –

Blood sugar crash – A blood sugar crash can have a variety of symptoms (tired, shaky, hangry,
etc), and a headache is a common one.

Dehydration – Many of us are chronically dehydrated and your cells need to be hydrated to work
properly.

Too much caffeine or caffeine withdrawal – oh caffeine, an energy double-edged sword. Too
much or too little can trigger a doozy of a headache, so pay attention to your caffeine tolerance
level…especially on extra stressful days. You don’t want a caffeine-triggered headache to add to
your stress.

Hormones – women’s hormones fluctuate throughout the month and these changes can trigger a
headache. Keep track of your headaches to see if they are triggered by your changing hormones.

Muscle tension – tight muscles in your neck or jaw can trigger a headache, so take a moment and
move your neck around – is it tight? How are your shoulders?
Headache relievers

Drink some water:

If you feel a headache coming on, drink 2 full glasses of water. Add a pinch of salt to help you
rehydrated faster.

If drinking water helps, be a bit more diligent each day so your body doesn’t have to trigger a
headache to remind you to drink :).

Eat something:
Sometimes a meal or a snack can relieve a headache pretty fast and easily. It can take up to
30 mins after eating for your blood sugar rebound so be patient. A piece of fruit is one of the
best and fastest ways to bump your blood sugar up quickly.

Add some magnesium:

Magnesium is one of the most common deficiencies, and we burn through extra magnesium
anytime we’re under stress…so adding some extra magnesium can help with all stress-related
headaches. It also relaxes tight muscles, so it really helps muscle tension too.

Add 300mg of magnesium 1 – 2x per day with food. Topical magnesium (like Epsom Gel) is
amazing at relieving muscle tension quickly. Apply it liberally to sore tight muscles :)

Peppermint essential oil:

Peppermint oil is my go-to headache helper. Dab it along your browline and along the back of
your neck. It helps to vanish stubborn headaches and helps with clear and creative thinking.

A mug of peppermint tea would also be helpful, especially if you breathe in the minty
loveliness as it steeps :).
 3.Arthritis/Joint Pain
There are 2 main types of arthritis pain – osteo and rheumatoid. In a nutshell, osteoarthritis is when
the cushioning between the joints wear down (and the lack of cushioning can trigger inflammation)
and rheumatoid is an autoimmune/inflammatory condition damages the joint.

But…both hurt just the same.

Osteoarthritis specific helpers –

Keep moving!
I know, it hurts…but movement can be helpful for osteoarthritis. But, be very gentle. Walking,
cycling, tai chi, qi gong, water activities, and swimming are nice for the joints.

Support your liver:

There’s an important connection between your liver’s ability to detox and the cartilage that cushions
your joints…and that connection is with sulphur. Both need sulphur, but your liver’s job of detoxing
is more important than having cartilage. So, if there’s not enough sulphur OR if your liver is stressed
out and needs to do a lot of detoxing, all of the sulphur gets shunted to your liver. Your liver is happy,
but your joints aren’t.

Many joint supplements, like glucosamine and MSM are sulphurs which is why they can be effective.

Added liver support can also help, like:

Reducing alcohol consumption
Eating lots of cruciferous veggies
Eating lots of garlic and onions
Lemon & water first thing in the morning
Supporting a fall or spring detox with dandelion root tea or Flor*Essence
Rheumatoid Arthritis specific helpers –

Support a balanced and resilient immune system:

Rheumatoid Arthritis is considered both an inflammatory and autoimmune condition, and both are
due to an overwhelmed/overstimulated immune system.

Immune balancers are:

Zinc (25 – 30mg per day)
Vitamin D (1000 – 5000IU per day, and get your blood level tested after 3 months)
Medicinal mushrooms (esp. Reishi)

Find any food sensitivities:

Normally, you won’t find me recommending removing foods from your diet…but sometimes it’s
needed. I’ve found that food sensitivities can play a big role in increasing pain and inflammation
with RA. You can either do an elimination diet and test each food or get food allergy testing done
through an ND.

The main culprits are: gluten, dairy, soy, and corn…but any food, even a healthy one like broccoli
can be a problem if your body has created antibodies to that food. This is where food allergy testing
can be helpful.

Head to Part 5 - Supplements for extra help. There are some supplements that are particularly
helpful for arthritis pain.
 4. Food to relieve pain
Turmeric -
You’ll also see turmeric in the supplement section because you can take it either way…but it’s best as a
food. Turmeric is a very potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, which is why it’s generally my #1
recommended food for pain.

Turmeric is best used in your cooking because it gets absorbed best when there’s a bit of fat and especially
if you add some black pepper and/or cumin. Turmeric is traditionally used inside a spice blend, like curry,
and research has confirmed what this ancient tradition of cooking has known for millennia.

Aim for: ½ to 1 tsp per day, add a dash of black pepper for absorption. Can be sprinkled on eggs and easily
hides inside tomato-based sauces.

Garlic & Onions –

These veggies are full of sulphur which help rebuild your joints and are anti-inflammatory foods. They also
have anti-bacterial and -viral components that help the immune system.
Aim for - enjoy 3 – 5 times per week, unless they cause bloating/gas.

Cherries –
Both tart and sweet cherries are high in anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that help to relieve pain.

Enjoy sweet cherries in season (or frozen throughout the year) or try a few ounces of tart cherry juice
each day. Anecdotally, I’ve heard that tart cherry juice is particularly helpful for foot pain.

Hot peppers & spicy food –

Hot peppers are full of capsaicin which what you feel when your mouth burns after eating them. Capsaicin
is also a potent anti-inflammatory.

It’s also thought of as a thermogenic, which warms you up and speeds up your metabolism, so it’s used in
many weight loss supplements…but may not be overly effective in that regard.
 5. Supplements
Generalized Pain/Inflammation –
Turmeric –
This is a potent anti-inflammatory that helps the whole body. This is why it’s popped up in both
the food and supplement list. Food is best, but supplements are fine if you’re struggling to cook
with it every day.

Aim for: ½ tsp – 1 tsp of the spice, or 500 – 1000mg of turmeric in a supplement

High EPA fish oil –

High EPA (with very low DHA) fish oil is a magically little concoction. It helps to reduce
inflammation and helps with serotonin (for both mood and pain). DHA competes with EPA, so it’s
important to stop any other fish oil products when taking one of these bad boys.

Aim for: 1000mg – 2000mg of EPA, very little DHA

White Willow Bark -

This is the herb that aspirin is derived from, so it has many of the same benefits but because it’s a
whole food form, it tends to have fewer side effects. Avoid if you’re sensitive to aspirin.
Follow the directions on the label.

CBD –
I’m far from an expert on CBD oil, although I’m happy that I can finally talk about it legally. I’ve
witnessed CBD oil helping with many different kinds of pain, from muscle/joint pain, to nerve pain
and whole-body pain. It’s something to try if nothing has worked for you.
Look for a dispensary with VERY knowledgeable staff. CBD needs some THC to work properly…but
too much can make you feel high (which isn’t great if you’re trying to work). The higher your pain the
more THC you’ll need but the right dose will just help the CBD to work, it won’t make you high. The
right ratio is important, and that’s where a knowledgeable person is important (but that’s not me…
I’m still learning)

Joint Pain
NEM (natural eggshell membrane) -
This is the hottest new joint product on the market and for good reason. It works like MSM &
Glucosamine…but much faster. Research has found that people feel a difference in 7 – 10 days
instead of 6 months.

Aim for 500mg of NEM, some are mixed with turmeric or white willow bark, which can reduce
pain faster

MSM/Glucosamine sulphate –
These are sulphurs that can help rebuild cartilage…but you need to be patient, it can take up to 6
months to feel a difference. If choosing glucosamine, be sure to get it in the “sulphate” form, NOT
hydrochloride. Research has found that the sulphate form is effective, and hydrochloride isn’t
Follow the directions on the label

Nerve Pain –
Nerve pain can be difficult to treat and very difficult to have. This one hits home for me, I spent a
year with nerve pain down both of my arms and it comes back anytime my neck gets tight.

Physio –
If your nerve pain is due to a pinched nerve, a good physiotherapist might be your best friend. This is
what finally relieved my nerve pain.
St. John’s Wort (supplement and oil) –
This is one of the few supplements that can help with nerve pain. SJW supplements can help a lot,
as well as using a topical oil. The oil is also helpful for the nerve pain caused by an outbreak of
Shingles.

To manage side effects from NSAIDs (aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, etc)

Pain relievers can help you get through your day and they’re pretty much a given when it comes to
body pain. But…they do come with some side effects. Happily, there are ways to prevent/reduce
them :)

Side-effect: stomach lining damage, intestinal wall damage

Remedy: Reishi mushroom

Reishi mushroom is a pretty amazing medicinal mushroom. It helps to balance the immune system
(reducing inflammation and autoimmune conditions), helps the heart, and it even helps with NSAID
side effects. It’s called “the mushroom of immortality” in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Reishi helps to heal and seal any damaged/leaky spots in the stomach and intestinal wall after
NSAIDs. This is good to take if you’re taking them regularly now or have in the past.

Aim for 750mg – 1500mg per day.

Side-effect: Sweating, especially night sweats
Remedy: Sage

NSAIDs are famous for causing lots of heat and sweating in both men and women. Night sweats
are especially common and especially frustrating. Sage (herb, tea, or concentrated supplement)
can be very effective for all kinds of heat and sweating, including from NSAIDs.

Using sage in your cooking or drinking sage tea will provide mild effects and go with a stronger
supplement if you’ve been plagued with lots of sweating.

A. Vogel – Menopause: This is a very strong sage product (men – ignore the name, it’s only sage
and won’t affect your hormones. It’s a badly named product).