How I eat to beat arthritis
Over 18 million of us have musculoskeletal conditions – sufferers like Emily Johnson who was diagnosed with arthritis at the age of 20. In 2018, after living with the condition for five years, she launched the Arthritis Foodie community to share her experience, wholefood recipes and up-to-date advice about managing flare-ups and chronic pain. Here she tells us what she has learned about stress and its impact on long-term pain.
Are you stressed? Yes? Me too. Most of us are – with or without a pandemic – and the impact of stress can not only be detrimental to our mental health, but also our overall physical wellbeing. And when you live with a chronic condition, this stress overload can be significantly damaging.
That’s because stress is inflammatory. Autoimmune diseases and arthritic conditions bring chronic inflammation.
And the origin of all pain is inflammation and the inflammatory response.
Chronic stress combined with chronic inflammation is the recipe for a stressinduced chronic pain cycle.
It is a recipe I don’t recommend, but have recently had forced upon me.
Back in January, my body, arthritis and mental wellbeing were the healthiest they had been in a long time. Fast forward to February and my grandad had died.
Then, in quick succession I also lost my job, a friendship, and discovered I was about to lose my home of four years and had just one month to find a new place to live.
Just one of these situations alone would have been enough, but to go through all four at the same time… well, I would not wish it on anyone.
It was overwhelming and immensely traumatic – one of the most difficult times of my life and packed with stress.
The plague of stress undeniably exacerbates problems for those with arthritis and worsens pain. During those few months the stress caused my joints to swell and my pain levels to become unbearable.
On top of this painful stress-induced inflammation, I had to physically pack my bags and boxes and move house, which added to the discomfort tremendously.
To top it all, I had to find the mental strength to find a new job during a pandemic, all while grieving the losses I had experienced.
Coronavirus has been hard for so many and I’m definitely not proclaiming “woe is me” as if I’m the only one who has been suffering. Instead, it serves as a reminder that in these stressful times we must put our health first and take care of each other.
How does stress show itself?
An inflamed (stressed) body is an inflamed (stressed) mind, and living with a chronic pain condition such as arthritis is usually accompanied by depressive symptoms.
Initially, the depression was thought of as due to foreseeing a life with the condition – but now it seems more likely to be a physiological symptom of it (because of the inflammation overload).
Significant evidence reveals stress activates the inflammatory response in, and outside of, the brain. So inflammation not only afflicts our bodies, but it also makes its way into our minds.
Chronic psychological stress is connected with the body losing its ability to regulate the inflammatory
‘‘
The plague of stress exacerbates problems for those with arthritis