(To see the buzz about resveratrol.. watch the videos on the Healthy Audios and Videos link above.)
Golfers face a variety of health challenges, including golf-related injuries such as golfers elbow, lower back pain and ACL knee issues, that can keep them from enjoying the game. Joint pain, arthritis, and inflammation can have golfers looking for help so that they can play every day or even once per week.
Pain of any kind can be life changing. It keeps us from doing the things we like, or at least from enjoying them the best that we can. People have different levels of pain tolerance, and most of us search for ways to get rid of any pain that we have. It slows us down, and wears us down.
When you have pain, there is something wrong in the body. Inflammation is like a swelling at the site of the pain, and results naturally because your body is protecting itself from whatever is wrong. Inflammation is what actually causes the pain that we feel, and it is present to help you recognize that something is wrong and help prevent further damage.
Not only do we get inflammation from injuries, there are many illnesses associated with inflammation. In fact, many scientists believe that it is inflammation that slowly kills us. Many factors in our lives can cause a build-up of inflammation including: pain and injuries that do not heal, chemicals and toxins in our environment, stress, allergy conditions, poor nutrition through our daily diets, viral and bacterial infections, and how are bodies respond to prescription meds.
What happens is that inflammation affects our body’s tissues and organs which in turn causes disease and illness, in some people at a much younger age than others. Arthritis, joint pain, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimers, chronic fatigue, and cancer, are all ailments that we face as we age.
Doctors prescribe pain relievers for ongoing pain and inflammation, and many people rely on over-the-counter pain relief such as ibuprofen in the form of Advil, or Aleve, aspirin, etc. The problem with these is that there are side effects like bleeding ulcers and other stomach conditions because the meds can eat away your stomach lining.
Science and research have brought new solutions for relief from the pain and inflammation of arthritis and aging. Doctors have been recommending fish oil for some time now, and people that take a good quality, pharmaceutical-grade fish oil brand seem to get the best results. Recently, the discovery of another natural food supplement, resveratrol, that in some ways works in the body the same as fish oil, has provided a powerful addition to naturally fight pain and inflammation
Dr. David Maroon, distinguished surgeon, and noted professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center wrote a book that I am currently reading called, The Longevity Factor. It gives a thorough background of the science and research behind resveratrol and the benefits of fish oil. He states in the book that some resveratrol products contain polyphenols from the muscadine grape to further enhance resveratrol to help with inflammation. Dr. Maroon recommends the combination of pharmaceutical grade fish oil and resveratrol almost exclusively to his patients with pain and inflammation.
Pharmaceutical grade fish oil and resveratrol can help golfers move easier, have less joint pain, and feel healthier because, together, they reduce inflammation, and natural resveratrol can trigger the gene in our body associated with our aging. Golfers do have healthy choices to help pain and inflammation so that they can enjoy more time on the course.