Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Hello Terry, “My 89 year old mother suffers from spinal stenosis and has had minimally invasive lumbar decompression surgery but has not seen any relief from the procedure and is still suffering with excessive pain. Pain prescriptions do nothing but upset her stomach and don’t relieve the pain. I am hoping you might have some suggestions to help her get some relief.” — Ed S., Doylestown, PA

A. Dear Ed, I feel for your mother – chronic pain is difficult to live with. Unfortunately, the prescription drugs so often used do not effectively address the pain. Fortunately, there are clinically-tested, safe, and effective nutrients that can make a big difference. The combinations I recommend provide an entirely different approach to relieving pain and inflammation.

I would first recommend a combination of bioavailable curcumin with boswellia, DLPA and nattokinase that is specially formulated to address pain. Each ingredient works in a slightly different manner to get you comfortable as quickly as possible. If pain is an issue, I’d definitely recommend having your mother start with this formula. I advise taking one to two capsules of this blend three times a day.

With the issue of pain addressed, I would also recommend adding a formula that contains a special combination of just boswellia and curcumin. Curcumin and boswellia are two Indian plants that exhibit very effective anti-inflammatory properties, which will help to further reduce pain because of their anti-inflammatory properties and their ability to promote tissue repair. I recommend taking 1 softgel of this combination twice daily.

When looking for either formula, keep in mind that standard curcumin is very poorly absorbed, so make sure the products you choose feature a curcumin with excellent absorption that has been proven in published human studies. The best form I have ever found uses micronized curcumin blended with turmeric essential oils in a patented process. This curcumin has been shown in published human studies to be up to 10 times better absorbed than standard curcumin. It’s also important to find formulas that feature a boswellia extract that has filtered out the majority of beta-boswellic acid, to at least 5% or less. Unlike most boswellic acids, beta-boswellic acid is actually pro-inflammatory. Removing it greatly enhances the potency of the boswellia extract. You also want a boswellia extract that includes at least 10% or more of acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA), the most active component of boswellia.

As always, I encourage your mother to review any supplement recommendations with her physician to make sure they are right for her.

Healthy Regards!

Terry . . . Naturally