Nightshades, Chronic Pain and Inflammation
Who doesn’t love the fresh taste of vegetables straight from the garden? In an effort to be more healthy and self-sustaining, more and more households are growing their own food. But did you ever stop to consider that the same vegetables on your table are the cause of your pain?
Known as nightshades, these vegetables belong to the Solanaceae family which includes over 2,000 species. They include some of the most popular foods consumed today; such as tomatoes, potatoes, all types of peppers, and eggplant. Although not truly nightshades, blueberries, huckleberries, goji berries and ashwaganda all share the same inflammation-inducing alkaloids.
The Solanaceae family contains cholinesterase inhibiting glycoalkaloids and steroid alkaloids including, among others, solanine in potato and eggplant, tomatine in tomato, nicotine in tobacco, and capsaicin in garden peppers. The glycoalkaloids in potatoes are known to contribute to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and negatively affect intestinal permeability.
After reading the symptoms associated with nightshade consumption, it is easy to understand why one of the major problems attributed to nightshade is arthritis. Arthritis is also the most common disability in the U.S. Statistics from a 2007-2009 study show that doctor diagnosed arthritis affects 49.9 million people in the United States alone. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting more than 20 million people. More than 2 million people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, the most disabling and painful form of arthritis. So the question is: how much of these problems are nightshade related? That is the question some researchers are asking, as they believe that arthritis is often misdiagnosed in people who may in fact be experiencing severe side effects of nightshade consumption.
Many who suffer with arthritis or an arthritis related disease such as lupus, rheumatism, and other musculoskeletal pain disorders, have found that consuming foods from the nightshade family is in fact adversely affecting their health.
The nightshade list
- tomatoes (all varieties, including tomatillos)
- potatoes (all varieties, NOT sweet potatoes or yams)
- eggplant (aubergine)
- okra
- peppers (all varieties such as bell pepper, wax pepper, green & red peppers, chili peppers, cayenne, paprika, etc.)
- goji berries
- tomarillos (a plum-like fruit from Peru)
- sorrel
- garden huckleberry & blueberries (contain the alkaloids that induce inflammation)
- gooseberries
- ground cherries
- pepino Melon
- the homeopathic “Belladonna” [note: this is highly precautionary as homeopathics contain virtually no measurable “active” chemical]
- tobacco
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
- Soy sauce made in the U.S. is generally made with genetically modified (GMO) soy beans, which are cut with the nightshade plant Petunia.
About Discover Health & Wellness – Denver
Dr. Andrew Hanson of Discover Health & Wellness Denver is located just off South Parker Road and East Mississippi Avenue and serves the communities of Denver, Glendale & Cherry Creek. Discover Health & Wellness offers patients a natural and holistic approach to health improvement and pain reduction. Services at Discover Health & Wellness include chiropractic care, spinal correction, corrective exercises, lifestyle advice, nutritional counseling, massage therapy, allergy treatment and spinal and postural screenings.
Visit http://discoverhealthandwellness.com/ for more information on hours, services and location.
Discover Health & Wellness, Denver
1231 S Parker Rd, #100
Denver, CO 80231
(303) 353-4065