Health

6 Foods That Ease Chronic Pain

Have a sore back, stiff neck, or deal with chronic pain issues? Make sure your diet includes these foods

by Meghan Rabbitt

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Tart cherries or tart cherry juice Whether you deal with chronic pain or just find yourself hurting after an especially grueling workout, tart cherries or tart cherry juice can help. Tart cherries are a good source of antioxidants and phytonutrients, especially anthocyanins, which may help block some enzymes associated with inflammation, says Massey. Some studies have found that tart cherries may help with certain inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis.

Research published in 2010 suggests that consuming tart cherry juice may also help minimize post-run muscle pain, adds Massey. Researchers looked at 54 healthy long-distance runners and gave them either a placebo or about 1.5 cups of tart cherry juice to consume twice a day for seven days before and on the day of running about 16 miles. The researchers found that those runners who consumed the cherry juice reported significantly less muscle pain than the runners who took the placebo.

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Older comments

yumm i love pineapple and cherries!

by 92jess11 Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 11:16PM Report as inappropriate

Coconut water is very overrated. It is loaded with sugar (in packaged form), and is no cure-all for dehydration. This is because your hydration levels are a balance of water, salt, and sugar levels that all need to be equal levels. Long science short, stick to regular water and eat some fruit.

by hiddenexpose Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 01:26PM Report as inappropriate

Thanks. My mother has arthritis pain and actually loves a lot of these foods. I'll be happy to share this article.

by Helmi Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 07:05PM Report as inappropriate

I knew about cherries (and dark berries), but pineapple and coconut water? These are amazing!

by GigiSD Tuesday, April 30, 2013 at 10:25AM Report as inappropriate

I'm grateful for these tips I've got to try them to see if they work. If so it'd sure help me a lot.

by Chica181 Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 12:23PM Report as inappropriate

yum pineapple

by LittleBunny Friday, January 4, 2013 at 07:27AM Report as inappropriate

Nice information

by EricaC123 Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 02:42PM Report as inappropriate

Pineapple is great, bromelain in pineapple is a natural anti-inlammatory!

by April_the_Esti Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 02:29PM Report as inappropriate

Definitely going to try coconut water now!

by Chris213 Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 08:18PM Report as inappropriate

I have Fibromyalgia and I can tell you that the only thing that does work is Zico Coconut Water (the dark chocolate one is AMAZING and makes you feel better quickly if you're suffering from heat exhaustion, among other things.). If you have migraines, grab one within an hour or so of the pain hitting you. Ginger only ever helps me with nausea, there are times I live on ginger ale, gingersnaps, and ginger tea. I've been eating cherries even when they're not in season locally for years and they don't work. It would be great to find a cherry supplement to see if maybe that helps. I eat a ton of fruit, none of it seems to make a difference.

by MissPoison Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 07:09AM Report as inappropriate