Episode 12: How Chronic Pain Is Connected To The Gut Microbiome

On today's show, we're talking with Dr. Joe Tatta about chronic pain and its connection to the gut microbiome. Dr. Joe lets us in on a variety of treatment modalities for chronic pain. As you can imagine, people who are in chronic pain are having a tough time so he recommends starting with 2-3 modalities based on what seems optimal for that individual. We cover several modalities and related topics like nutrition, FODMAP diet, probiotics, movement, devices, opioids, cannabinoids, gut microbiome, and changes in the home. 

If you are a practitioner and want to explore more about this topic, Dr. Joe has created a practitioner training course for treating chronic pain.

Episode Takeaways: 

Chronic Pain vs Acute Pain

Acute - fall and break something - when healing happens the pain goes away after it heals  Chronic pain - Neuro inflammation and pain that persists  People can get stuck in pain, they could heal from an injury but the brain still sends the pain message Metabolic diseases which causes systemic inflammation 

Gut/Brain 

Research over the past couple of decades tells us that you can modulate the pain signal from the gut before trying other invasive methods like the spine We now know that oxidative stress can cause chronic inflammation and pain  And bad diet causes inflammation and pain 

Gut/Joint connection and Gut/Pain connection

Before agreeing to a surgery, try to lower inflammation in your body first by changing the diet and adding in movement 

Chronic pain is the #1 cause of physical disability 

Osteoarthritis - increases depression and anxiety due to pain by 50% to 75% Fibromyalgia - increases depression and anxiety due to pain by 75% to 100%

Nutrition

12-14 hour fasts can be helpful  Osteoarthritis and diabetes - modified mediterranean diet  Autoimmune disease - autoimmune diet of some sort  Headache - higher fat and lower carb diet - increase Omega 3’s  According to research, Saffron 30mg twice a day can help patients successfully and safely taper off of methadone Try following a Low FODMAP diet for a few weeks to see how you feel, then try adding in one thing at a time

What about Cannabinoids?

CBD can help improve sleep for those who have trouble sleeping due to their pain More research is needed to determine CBD’s effects on chronic pain

What is not helpful for chronic pain?

Sugar creates systemic inflammation and damages nervous system Processed food Opioids - the longer someone is on them, the more they become deficient in many critical nutrients like magnesium, chromium, amino acids, etc. Lowest dose possible for the shortest time possible

Movement

It can be difficult to get moving when you have chronic pain however once you get moving gently, you can start to feel better Gentle yoga class is great for chronic pain

Devices:

TENS units can be helpful in reducing pain   You can wear it while working or sleeping

Household changes

Creating a calm and low light sleep environment  Bringing in healthy foods to the kitchen

 

Connect with Dr. Joe: 

Website: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Instagram  Facebook  Podcast Practitioner Training

 

Connect with Kiran and Dr. Beurkens:

BetterBiome.com Instagram: better.biome Instagram: Microbiome Keynotes Facebook: Microbiome Keynotes Instagram: Dr. Nicole Instagram: Kiran Krishnan