10 Fixable Reasons Why You Don’t Need To Live With Joint Pain

Written by: Leslie Parran, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

Do you have to live with joint pain as a normal part of aging? Well, the answer is no. I will give you 10 fixable, and mostly hidden reasons you don’t need to. While it’s natural to associate joint pain and wear and tear with ageing, and just accept it as a fact of life, there are ways to conquer it.

I know, because as an ageing female, my joint pain started in my 50s and became progressively worse until it was tough to walk. Sometimes, I was afraid I would get stuck because I couldn’t get out of my chair or walk out of a parking garage. I was struck by the reality that I wouldn’t be able to run and play with my grandkids. But, I learned the fixable hidden reasons that cause joint pain that most doctors don’t even know.

Here are 10 reasons you don’t need to live with joint pain:

1. Your diet is likely a culprit - There are key reasons why diet and addressing foods that you may not even be aware that are causing your pain. It’s important to start with diet, and not rely on drugs to fix your joint pain. For example, gluten and sugar, aside from foods you may be sensitive to, are common triggers of joint pain. Certain functional lab tests for food sensitivities can help identify the specific dietary culprits.

2. You can fix your immune system - When there are immune triggers, your body responds with inflammation. These triggers could be gut pathogens, infection (such as Lyme Disease or co-infections with other pathogens), or environmental toxins. Often, people are unaware of the specific immune triggers which many times can be identified through functional lab testing.

Functional lab testing for gut pathogens can reveal pathogens that may not be identified via traditional blood testing. For example, people who have an overgrowth of candida, a yeast, may have joint pain. Mineral testing can help reveal imbalances such as high calcium or copper toxicity which may contribute to joint pain. These issues can often be addressed with appropriate testing and protocols to rebalance the body.

3. Heal your gut and heal your brain - It’s important to know that a leaky gut can lead to a leaky brain. Whether it’s food sensitivities, gut pathogens, infection, medications, or toxins, these things that contribute to a leaky gut, lead to a leaky brain. Your gut and brain are connected communicate via the vagus nerve. For every one signal from the brain, there are 9 nine signals that the gut communicates to the brain.

With an unhealthy, leaky gut, a leaky brain can lead to inflammation of the brain and symptoms of fatigue and pain, as well as lead to autoimmune diseases that are associated with joint pain. Functional lab testing can identify the presence of leaky gut and natural protocols can help to heal the gut.

4. Your aging digestion issues can be resolved - Digestive enzymes are important for appropriate digestion so that nutrients can be absorbed by the gut. As we age, our digestive enzymes significantly decrease and can be a factor in digesting and absorbing macronutrients (carb, protein, and fat) which can affect our body’s metabolism and composition. A poor diet or lack of these enzymes can also result in micronutrient deficiencies which can lead to joint pain.

5. You can maximize your body’s ability to detoxify and support your liver - Glutathione is our master anti-oxidant. Severe glutathione deficiency can also cause joint pain. Glutathione is produced by the liver. There is a link between glutathione deficiency and autoimmune diseases, many of which are associated with joint pain such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

It’s important to have a healthy liver and remove hidden stressors that may be increasing toxic burden such as gut pathogens, antigenic foods, or metal toxicity as well as assess and correct lifestyle factors that may be increasing oxidative stress and burden on the liver that can affect your ability to detoxify.within the body. Functional practitioners work with individuals to remove the hidden stressors, and identify opportunities to help individuals detoxify their bodies.

6. Achieving a healthy weight can reduce joint stress and improve energy balance - If you have weight issues such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, this can cause stress on your joints. Individuals with weight issues usually benefit from functional lab testing, protocols to address imbalances, as well as coaching and guidance on diet and lifestyle.

Obesity is also linked to insulin resistance and metabolic imbalances that can lead to the formation of calcium-oxalate kidney stones. Accumulation of oxalates in the body can lead to oxalate crystals being deposited into the joints and muscle tissues. Certain foods are high in oxalates. Oxalates affect your mitochondria, which are responsible for energy production. This can lead to fatigue and joint pain. Special testing such as an Organic Acids Test (OAT) can help uncover whether oxalates are a problem for you.

7. Your hormones can be rebalanced - A number of hormonal imbalances can contribute to joint pain. Joint pain can be a symptom of low estrogen in females. Low testosterone is a common cause of joint pain. For people who have chronic stress, cortisol can become imbalanced and dominant, which can lead to joint pain. Hormone testing can identify imbalances that can be contributing to joint pain. In many cases, it can be a matter of rebalancing hormones with diet and lifestyle. In some circumstances, hormone therapy replacement may be indicated.

8. Managing your stress can reduce joint pain - Anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, as well as their effects on diet and lifestyle, can promote joint pain and increase the perception of pain. Learning techniques to reduce stress can decrease pain. Coaching can help you select stress reduction technique(s) that work for you.

9. Finding the right amount and type of movement and exercise can be a gamechanger - Constant sitting or lack of movement due to joint pain only leads to worsening joint pain. The right exercise program depending on your particular joint pain issues involves strength building, joint flexibility, and a recommended the amount of exercise as are important components. Movement can also help to address fibrin adhesions from joint injuries and inflammation that can limit movement.

10. Tackle your fibrin issues - Fibrin is a key source of joint pain from inflammation Whether you need proteolytic enzymes, physical therapy, massage, and/or other integrative therapies to address fibrin deposits which may be impairing joint movement and leading to pain, this is a critical to address to free up joint movement.

Summary

Every individual is different and any or possibly all of the above could be contributing to joint pain. Two people can present with a similar symptom such as joint pain but have very different root causes. This is where an expert functional practitioner such as an FDN® practitioner can help you do the detective work to uncover the hidden but fixable causes as well as diet and lifestyle factors that are contributing to your pain. Most functional lab tests can be done within the convenience of your own home.

At Peace x Piece Wellness Coaching, I offer a free discovery call to help you figure out whether one of my programs may be right for you. Fix the reasons for your joint pain so that you can feel better, move better, and live better.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Leslie!

Leslie Parran, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Leslie Parran is a leader in natural holistic healing from inflammation and pain. As a nurse for 40 years with advanced nursing certifications, Leslie helped patients with chronic diseases and pain. Now as a Board-Certified Functional Wellness Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner with several other holistic and functional practitioner certifications, she helps active and motivated people with chronic inflammation and pain move from pain to peace so that they feel better, move better, and live better.

Leslie is the Owner and Champion Peacemaker of Peace x Piece Wellness coaching. As a functional practitioner, she uses in-home lab testing to uncover hidden metabolic healing opportunities such as food sensitivities, hormonal imbalances, gut pathogens, and toxins that can sometimes, unknowingly, lead to inflammation, pain, and chronic health conditions. As a health coach, she uses positive psychology and personalized holistic healing protocols including diet, rest, exercise, stress management, and supplementation to help her clients make their bodies work the way they are supposed to and achieve their wellness goals.