If you have pain from an injury or post surgery or you suffer chronic pain of any sort, did you know that omega 3 could help? Omega 3 is essential for the creation of healthy cells. Did you realise it is also crucial for maintaining correct inflammation responses and reducing pain from inflammation as well as by supporting healthy nerve function. So really, as part of your injury management plan, omega 3 is fantastic for the recovery of any sort of tissue damage.
Want to read the transcript instead?
Here it is…
You may have heard that omega 3 is important for health, have you also wondered why? If you have joint issues, inflammation, niggling or even chronic pain… omega 3 is important. And I’ll tell you why is a minute.
First though, it is important to understand how omega 3 is involved in our health. Each of our cells has a cell membrane and this is made of fatty acids… or fat. These membranes need to be flexible to allow movement and cope with stress and to allow the membrane to only let in certain molecules… semi-permeable. When they are made of omega 3 fatty acids, they function effectively, but when other fats are used due to a lack of omega 3 availability, the cell walls become more rigid and alter its ability to maintain balance of nutrients in and out. In fact, its importance in health is evident in studies showing that Omega-3s can lower triglycerides, reduce blood pressure, and improve overall heart function. Plus because your brain is primarily made up of fat, and Omega-3s are a critical component of that fat. Ensuring that you have enough omega 3 in your diet helps to maintain the structure of your brain cells and improve cognitive function.
On top of all that, omega 3 fatty acids are involved in many bodily functions and have an impact on joint health and inflammation (both chronic and acute) as well as aches and pains.
If you have acute pain, joint issues or chronic pain, understanding the importance of omega 3s, and adding a sufficient amount of them in your diet, can be hugely beneficial. So, how does a relative lack of omega 3 impair tissue healing and worsen pain levels?
First, omega-3 fatty acids are vital for modulating inflammation, they are a key player in the healing process. When your diet lacks sufficient omega-3s, your body struggles to regulate inflammation effectively. Chronic inflammation is linked to numerous pain conditions, such as arthritis, and chronic inflammation can intensify pain by sensitizing nerves and promoting tissue damage.
An important fatty acid made from omega 3s is SPM… specific pro-resolving mediators actively help switch off inflammation and start the cleaning up and healing process. We need enough omega 3 in our system to be able to create these modules. So a deficiency in dietary or supplemental omega 3s can actively slow the healing process and ammation stage… and pain along with that.
A deficiency in omega-3s can also impact our immune system, leading to an imbalanced immune response. This imbalance might result in the immune system attacking healthy tissues or being ineffective against infections, both of which contribute to the inflammatory cycle, pain and discomfort.
Nerve function is intricately linked to omega-3s. These fatty acids are crucial for the structure and function of nerve cell membranes. Insufficient levels can slow nerve signal transmission. Add this to the increase in nerve and tissue sensitivity created by inflammation, you can get a perfect environment for the creation of neuropathic pain. Where the pain is not actually caused solely by damaged tissue. Such pain is characterised by tingling, burning, or shooting sensations.
The central nervous system – brain, brainstem and spinal cord cannot function effectively with low levels of omega 3s. This can negatively impact mood, cognitive function, and pain perception. Conditions like depression and anxiety, often plague those with chronic pain and an omega 3 deficiency can exacerbate this.
Omega-3s are also instrumental in maintaining proper blood flow and oxygen delivery. Inadequate blood flow to tissues results in ischemic pain, particularly in muscles and joints. And of course, proper circulation is essential for tissue repair, removal of inflammation and pain relief, making omega-3s crucial for these processes.
On a cellular level, omega-3s are essential for overall cellular health. They influence the fluidity and integrity of cell membranes. If this is impacted, cell signalling, nutrient transport, responses crucial for tissue healing and even energy production are impaired.
Collagen formation, is essential for wound and tissue healing. Collagen is protein critical for tissue structure, integrity and strength. This too is influenced by omega-3s. A deficiency therefore hinders collagen production, compromising the strength and integrity of newly formed tissues.
Further, omega-3s possess antioxidant properties, neutralising harmful free radicals. The resultant oxidative stress damages cells and tissues involved in healing, again slowing healing or resulting in sup-optimal tissue regeneration.
Incorporating foods rich in these fatty acids, such as fatty WILD fish, hemp seed, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts, into your diet is essential. Alternatively, omega-3 supplements and even ones high in SPMs are available… supporting tissue healing, timely resolution of the inflammation stage of healing, joint health and acceptable pain levels.
By supplementing with omega 3s if food fatty acid intake is inadequate or in times of intense tissue healing or inflammation can disrupt an overactive or unresolving inflammatory response, improve cellular repair and function, optimise collagen formation of strong healthy tissue repair, aid blood flow and support a healthy immune response, all of which significantly impact tissue healing, inflammation and pain.
I hope this helped you to understand the intricate relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and our body’s healing processes and assists you to make informed choices to support your own health… naturally.
If you’d like to access my Quick Guide to Supplements: Reduce Pain and Speed Healing. Reply PAIN/comment PAIN/ click the link… and I’ll send it to you
Until next time, in health, bye for now.
So if you have an injry, are healing, post operatively or have a chronic pain condition, Omega 3 is a valuable nutrient. If you suffer from inflammation from arthritis or other chronic pain conditions, omega 3 can help. And if you want a healthy heart and brain, omega 3 is essential. Any form of cellular repair, tissue healing and recovery, especially where inflammation and pain are present, think… Omega 3!.
About Blossoming Me
BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Craniosacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage.
Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.
ional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health professional before you make any changes to your health regime, before dealing with new symptoms, and, if something you have read here has raised any questions or concerns regarding your situation.