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Natural Awakenings NYC & Long Island

Why Do My Joints Hurt?

by Dr. David Pollack

From aches and pains to severe inflammatory arthritic diseases, so many of us deal with joint pain, stiffness and reduced range of motion. While it may seem like these conditions are unrelated, from what I have seen their actual source and origins are identical.

There are a number of major causes of joint issues, including digestion; detoxification; chronic infections; sugar intake and metabolism; chronic misuse/disuse—think posture and cell phone use; and hormonal imbalance.

Digestive problems are present in virtually all my patients with joint issues. Any digestive problem, from severe reflux to just a bit of bloating, creates chronic systemic inflammation. This is due to the incomplete breakdown of food. When undigested food sits in the gut (home of the majority of the immune system) or makes its way into our bloodstream, it activates an immune response that results in significant inflammation. Those inflammatory compounds don’t just hang out in the gut, they are distributed to our entire body. 

Detoxification is a critical function of our body, not just to ward off the deleterious effects of environmental toxins but our biggest daily challenge—our body’s own waste products from its myriad cellular processes. Our cells produce an enormous amount of waste. That waste is picked up by our body's lymphatic system to be transported and processed. Sometimes it can clog up. This waste hopefully makes it to the liver to be detoxified. Those leftover compounds are then primarily excreted by the kidney into the urine. If the lymphatic system is clogged, the liver function reduced, or the kidney overwhelmed or functionally deficient, we are going to have a buildup of toxins and inflammation in our blood, and again we will have inflamed joints. 

We are inundated with viruses, bacteria and even parasites on a constant basis. While our immune system will generally take care of us and destroy these pathogens, we sometimes catch something. Viruses such as Epstein-Barr can live in our body for our lifetime and cause fatigue, brain fog, and joint and muscle aches. I see this quite often. For others, a significant viral or bacterial infection, such as the flu, can cause an improper immune response and can turn into an autoimmune disease. The body overreacts and accidentally attacks itself instead of just the foreign invader.

Excess sugar in our diet definitely causes joint and muscle pains. The direct effect of this crystalline substance against our tissues throws our cortisol levels out of balance. Cortisol is our natural cortisone/prednisone. It controls our inflammation and our sugar levels. Constant pressure from sugar consumption causes imbalances of cortisol and other hormones, causing many changes in the body.

We live in a world in which we are overconsumed with our phones. We Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc., hunched over our phones, with our neck, back and arms in terrible and often awkward positions. I have mentioned for at least a decade this is likely the worst thing that has ever happened to the human body. The biggest problem with this is the development of chronic inflammation.

Hormone imbalances surround all the previously mentioned issues. This is due to the cortisol changes previously mentioned. But there are direct hormonal issues that increase the likelihood of cortisol imbalance. Female hormone imbalances, thyroid problems, low testosterone and diabetes, among others, can create a poor cortisol control situation.

We discussed six major causes of joint problems. Fortunately, these issues all have amazing solutions. From enzyme therapy to acupuncture, cold laser therapy, nutrition and stress management, we have great ways to properly diagnose, treat and maintain a healthy body and its fantastic and flexible joints.

Source: Dr. David Pollack, of Pollack Wellness Institute, located at 66 Commack Rd., Ste. 204, in Commack. For more information, call 631-462-0801 or visit 

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