Fish Oil, the Natural Anti-Inflammatory

Many of my patients request natural alternatives to medications that they are currently taking. Keep in mind that I am not against medications and feel they have a role in health care. I do however feel that drugs are often over-prescribed to patients. Many physicians prescribe drugs without even evaluating the patient!

Most people come to the office with pain and are taking a over-the-counter pain medication or anti-inflammatory. These drugs can have nasty side effects on the digestive system, especially the stomach. One of the other side effects is impaired wound healing due to to reduced clotting factors. There are natural alternatives that have virtually no side effects and have been clinically proven (double-blind studies) to reduced swelling and pain.

My favourite is fish oil. Fish oil has many well documented benefits. This link below provides a good summary.

http://www.pinc.com/healthnews/fishoils.html

Most Americans don't take in enough EPA and DHA to maintain optimum health. There are few dietary sources other than oily fish. Omega-3-fortified eggs, new on the market, contain only small amounts. Walnuts, flaxseed and other vegetarian sources of omega-3 do not provide EPA and DHA but rather a precursor (alpha-linolenic acid) that the body must convert. This conversion is inefficient at best and often inhibited by high intake of the fats common in processed and fast food.

Their (EPA and DHA) most important actions are reducing inflammation, reducing the clotting tendency of the blood, improving the profile of fats circulating in the blood, optimizing brain function (DHA is a major constituent of cell membranes in the central nervous system) and inhibiting abnormal cell proliferation, thereby reducing cancer risks. All of this translates into significant disease protection. (Time Magazine)

A therapeutic dose of fish oil varies from patient to patient and is dependant on several factors. These include age, diet, weight and appropriate digestive function. Since the side effects are at most mild belching, fish oil is well tolerated even in high doses. I generally recommend 3000mg of EPA and DHA combined. The number of pills you need to take will depend on the quality of the oil to take.

A maintenance dose is about 1000mg of EPA and DHA per day.