Frankincense: One of Several Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients
Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh. Three gifts mentioned around the holidays often are overlooked the rest of the year…except gold. We do hear a lot about gold! Well, frankincense is one of various nutrients and phytonutrients receiving more attention for its anti-inflammatory factors. Patients at Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic are quite aware that we chatter on about inflammation and its part in Augusta back pain and neck pain a lot, so anti-inflammatory supplements with anti-inflammatory nutrients are welcome!
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY NUTRIENTS
A new narrative review of medical literature about the effects of certain nutrients and phytonutrients on the function of the immune system and on the reduction of inflammation determined that patients with all sorts of health issues, minor to severe, may well get some advantage from daily supplementation of acetyl-L-carnitine, Vitamin C, Aloe vera polysaccharides, Vitamin B12, beta-glucans, bilberry, black seed oil, coenzyme Q10, curcumin (turmeric), garlic, resveratrol, ginger, hydrolyzed rice bran, lipoic acid, mistletoe, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E (d-alpha- and gamma-tocopherol), selenium, shiitake mushroom and its derivatives, isoflavones, Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), zinc, and frankincense. Such supplementation may be in addition to conventional medications and medical interventions. The goal of said supplementation is to decrease inflammation which is controlled by the immune system and which is a contributor to chronic disease in addition to acute illness. The review got into specifics like how supplements impacted inflammatory and immune factors - whose names you may not hear much about yet play a role in your health - like interferon-g, nuclear factor-Kappa B, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-a, and CD4+ T cells, among others. Studies like these are garnering much attention today as the need to prevent chronic illness and decrease the severity of acute illnesses of all types that people globally are dealing with. (1) Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic is excited to see these developments in the more natural approaches to health come about!
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FRANKINCENSE
You will notice that frankincense was one of the nutrients listed above. A recent study highlighted the benefits of its supplementation. Frankincense is an oil extract extracted from the Boswellia tree. It’s been utilized in anti-inflammatory folk remedies for a long time. Using bowellic acids like the 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-βBA (AKBA) are unique anti-inflammatory components of frankincense. In combination with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosahexaenoic acid (EPA), it stimulated lipid mediator change of innate immune cells from pro-inflammatory to enhanced anti-inflammatory action of frankincense from Boswellic acid. (2) For Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic, frankincense needs to be gifted year-round and not just at the holidays! Nutritional findings like this are just so interesting, especially when we realize that inflammation has a role in spine-related pain that we treat every day. Let’s talk about our anti-inflammatory nutritional supplement at your next Augusta chiropractic appointment.
CONTACT Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox, developer of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the interaction of the immune system and inflammation as well as how spinal manipulation can positively affect the immune system.
Make your Augusta chiropractic appointment soon to see us! Though we’re not sure when myrrh will get its due, we’ll be happy to see that frankincense is getting its due for the role it may have in decreasing inflammation!
