Vijay Vad - Stop Pain: Inflammation Relief for an Active Life

Praise for Stop Pain

If there is one thing I hate, it is physical pain of any kind. That is
why I value Dr. Vad and his bookStop Painso much. His advice on
eating, exercise, alternative treatments, and medical options are truly
helpful. I am not only a patient of Dr. Vad, Im a fan.

Joy Behar, comedian and host of The View

Vijay Vad is about as kind, caring, and smart a physician as is
possible to find in this modern age. He wants all of us to suffer less
pain. And, with this book, he gives readers the same good advice he
offers in his sports medicine practice at New Yorks famed Hospital
for Special Surgery.Stop Painis empowering, wise, and helpful.
Its the next best thing to seeing this fine doctor yourself.

Claudia Dreifus, science journalist and author of
Interview and Scientific Conversations

Also by Vijay Vad, M.D.

Arthritis Rx: A Cutting-Edge Program for a Pain-Free Life

Back Rx: A 15-Minute-a-Day Yoga- & Pilates-Based
Program to End Low Back Pain

Golf Rx: A 15-Minute-a-Day Core Program
for More Yards and Less Pain

VIJAY VAD, M.D.

with Peter Occhiogrosso

HAY HOUSE, INC.
Carlsbad, California New York City
London Sydney Johannesburg
Vancouver Hong Kong New Delhi

Copyright 2010 by Vijay Vad

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in theUnited Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Publishedand distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Design: Jami Goddess
Interior photos: William G. Cahill: williamgcahill@gmail.com
Interior illustrations: Eric Angeloch: angeloch@earthlink.net
Indexer: Jay Kreider

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Vad, Vijay.

Stop pain : inflammation relief for an active life / Vijay Vad, with Peter Occhiogrosso.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references .

ISBN 978-1-4019-2525-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Pain. 2. Pain--Treatment. 3. Exercise therapy. 4. Self-care, Health. I. Occhiogrosso, Peter. II. Title.

RB127.V33 2010

616.0472--dc22

2010000271

ISBN: 978-1-4019-2525-3

13 12 11 10 4 3 2 1
1st edition, May 2010

Printed in the United States of America

I dedicate this book to my son, Nikhil, who managed to smile
through pain from a very young age. May he and his sister,
Amoli, be inspired to continue the work of the Vad Foundation
for a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Contents

Chapter Two: The Link Between
Inflammation and Pain

Chapter Seven: Herbs and Supplements
to Fight Inflammation

Chapter Eight: Conventional
Over-the-Counter Medications

Chapter Nine: Managing the 12 Most Common
Pain Problems with the Stop Pain Regimen

Chapter Eleven: The Mind-Body Connection
and the Stress Factor

Chapter Twelve: Prescription Medications,
Invasive Procedures, and Surgical Options

Chapter Thirteen: Everything You Wanted
to Know about Pain

Appendix A: What to Do If You Are in
Severe Acute Pain Right Now

Appendix B: Sample Exercises for Low-Back Strength
and Treating Arthritis of the Hip and Knee

Some days when I was in the thick of creating this book, I would schedule a little time at the end of my workday to write and edit my manuscript. But the end of the day never seemed to come. Patient after patient was added to my schedule until I barely had time to get home to my family and eat dinner. A lot of the patients I see are suffering from some kind of chronic pain condition, and even as the number of new technologies and medications to treat pain grows year by year, the number of people in pain seems to grow even faster. Each year, an estimated 50 million Americans suffer from chronic painany condition that persists for more than six monthsand an additional 25 million suffer from acute pain. Two-thirds of these 75 million patients have been living in pain for more than five years, and treating their conditions has cost a quarter of a trillion dollars during those five years. According to the American Pain Foundation, persistent pain is the second leading cause of medically related work absenteeism, resulting in more than 50 million lost workdays each year.

About one-third of all chronic sufferers describe their pain as being almost the worst pain they can possibly imagine. And their pain is more likely to be constant than flaring up frequently. Only about half of people with chronic pain say their pain is nearly under control, and that applies primarily to those with moderate pain. The majority of those with the most severe pain do not have it under control, and among those who do, it took almost half of them over a year to reach that point. We really shouldnt be surprised, then, to learn that the most commonly prescribed medication of any category in the United States is hydrocodone, a powerful, potentially addictive painkiller.

We dont have to look very far for the causes of this explosion in chronic pain, not only in the U.S. but worldwide as well. Obesity plays a bigger role in creating pain than most people realize; more than one-third of adults in the U.S.over 72 million peopleand 16 percent of U.S. children are obese. Since 1980, obesity rates for adults have doubled, and rates for children have tripled. Now, for the first time since these statistics have been kept, the percentage of Americans rated obese is higher than those merely considered overweight; the combined rate is a staggering 65 percent. Despite everything we have learned about the dangers of fast food and processed food, refined sugar and trans fats, the numbers of overweight and obese people continue to rise globally. Along with increasing your risk for heart disease, adult-onset diabetes, and cancer, being overweight or obese puts increased stress on all the lower body joints, including the hips and knees as well as the lumbar spine, or lower back. And all that leads to ever more cases of chronic pain.