I've had some severe sciatica pain and am now following the anti-inflammation protocol. http://www.dadamo.com/protocols/4.html

I bought the bromelain today. It says to take "on an empty stomach." The bottle says to take with a full glass of liquid. How much is "a full glass"- my cups are 12 ounces. I'm having it with water right now, but is it OK to take with unsweetened herbal tea? How long before and after food is considered "an empty stomach"?

I don't have the phyloxin or the cayenne pepper capsules,  but I do have boswellia (purchased before I took a look at Dr D's protocol), powdered ginger and powdered cayenne pepper from the spice department. I drank a teaspoon of cayenne pepper in 2oz of hot water after breakfast this morning, and I plan to do the same after lunch. Is it enough to use powdered ginger in food, or should I add it to the cayenne pepper drink later? How much ginger and pepper should I be using each day to approximate the amount in the supplements Dr D recommends?

Nobody has any tips for me? I want to get maximum benefit from the bromelain, but I also don't want to wait longer  than absolutely necessary- today I felt rather lightheaded by the time I ate lunch.

-As I know a full glass is 8 oz. So I look up and copy for you:

“Best Answer
While it is going to determine how big a glass as to how much it is.


In most cases when someone says your are supposed to drink 6 glasses of water a day, they are talking about an 8 ounce glass. One cup equals 8 ounces. Use that as a comparison.

Clarification
While it is true that most drinking glasses are larger than 8 ounces, it should be noted that medical recommendations to drink 6 glasses of water every day are based on the contents of six, 8 ounce glass.
Over time, our society has become accustomed to and now expects more; we want more of everything, even when it applies to a drinking glass.

Another Perspective
Most glasses in a home are larger than that.”

-As my understanding, Herbal tea or Bromelain, they both should to take away from food. I would take herbal tea after eat 30 minute to 1 hour.
I read the book from Dr D it says Bromelain should to take after dinner. I would take bromelain after 2-3 hours after eat big meal. Digest depends on what foods you eat though:

Juice 45 minutes – 1 hour
Vegetable about 1 hour
Rice or grain  2-3 hours
Meat 3-4 hours

-In my Swami, about ginger is under spices, Portion size: 1 teaspoon Frequency: 3 servings daily.
But Ginger Root Tea is under beverages.

I think it is enough to use powdered ginger in food

The anti-inflammation protocol calls for Deflect (which contains shellfish so I can't use it), bromelain (500 mg, 1-4 capsules, 4 times a day away from food), phyloxin  twice daily(boswellia Serrata 300 mg,L-histodine 200 mg, ginger oil 100 mg, polygonum cuspidatum root 100 mg ) Live Cell O (2 capsules, 2-3 times daily) Cayenne pepper (300 mg, 1-2 capsules with meals.)

It's not necessary to take every single item in the protocols for them to work. Money is incredibly tight right now so I'm not using the phyloxin product from DPN. Instead I have boswellia in a separate bottle ($3.99 for 100 capsules), and ginger and cayenne pepper sold as spices (only a few dollars for a rather large quantity.) I got bromelain at my local health food store. I'm skipping the Live Cell because I don't think I really need it and I think my money is better spent on real foods.

The protocol says to take the bromelain "away from food". My primary question is "how long do I wait after eating before taking it, and how long after taking it can I eat again?"

Another question I have is "how much cayenne pepper and ginger, by measuring spoons, do I take to be about equal to the amounts in the pills recommended in the protocol? I'm taking these as supplements and not counting it towards my spice intake for the day.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

The protocol says to take the bromelain "away from food". My primary question is "how long do I wait after eating before taking it, and how long after taking it can I eat again?"

Another question I have is "how much cayenne pepper and ginger, by measuring spoons, do I take to be about equal to the amounts in the pills recommended in the protocol?

I usually wait an hour after taking pills before eating or after eating to take pills to qualify for "away from food"...  I don't know if there is any standard.

When we emptied some capsules and measured, we were able to get 1 teaspoon from (5) 500mg. capsules.

I would think 45 minutes before a meal is an empty stomach and far enough away from food...If
you took it with food, it would digest the protein in your meal.  You want it to act as a systemic enzyme....working on inflammation.  It acts as a COX 2 inhibitor this way.

I think I'll go with the 1 hour waiting time- if I tried to wait 3-4 hours after eating meat, and then another hour before eating again, I'd only be able to take it first thing in the morning, not 4 times a day!

OK, if 5 500 mg capsules fill a teaspoon, that means 2500 mg per teaspoon, and I need 300-600 mg of the cayenne. Half a teaspoon would be about 1200 so 1/4 teaspoon is about right. I had a full teaspoon twice yesterday! Now I'm wondering if I should continue with the higher dose (will it work better/faster? Are there side effects to taking too much?) or cut down to 1/4 teaspoon to more closely mimic the pills.

Magnesium is really the supplement of choice here--

Take a bath with inexpensive epsom salts in it-- and take a supplement.

Anti inflammatory is good but tight muscles cause sciatic pain more often.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Scia.....elief&id=2480565

I'm adding in all the anti-inflammatory supplements because magnesium hasn't been doing enough. I've been taking an epsom salts bath nearly every night AND using magnesium oil almost every morning for the past several weeks; I'm doing each one 5 or 6 times a week. It helps; it especially makes a difference with my shoulder and neck pain, but it's not enough. I can feel a sharp pain deeper inside, where the bones/joints of the pelvis are, and it's not just from tight muscles.

I've actually been doing the magnesium thing for years, but got lax with it over Hurricane Sandy (hard to bathe twice a day with no heat in the house) and am just now getting back into the swing of things.

ruthiegirl, my dear, May I ask you, do you have the book of Prescription for Nutritional Healing? if so please take a look on page 530-531  they talk about Inflammation, very good information though. But if you don't have I will type every word for you.  

Quoted from wanthanee

I will type every word for you.  

I mean typist.lol.  

No, I don't have that book. I'm hesitant to try too many things at once: right now I'm following my SWAMI and doing a modified  version (to fit my budget)of Dr D'Adamo's anti-inflammation protocol. I don't want to start something else until I've  given this a few days or weeks to work.

The shoulder apparently does not link up with arthritis, for the life of me i can't remember what it is liked with, I shall investigate and pop back.

however if Deflect O surely would be okay for you no?

8 oz is a glass

The shoulder and neck pain is purely muscle pain and is directly linked to the fibromyalgia. Enough sleep and enough magnesium takes care of that easily enough, provided I've been watching my diet (pre-BTD, the shoulder pain was constant.)

The sciatica is something entirely different and has only been going on a few months.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

The sciatica is something entirely different and has only been going on a few months.

Ruthiegirl, I've been dealing with sciatica for over twenty years, and have just recently found a way to control it.
Try this:

Before getting out of bed, lie on your back and stretch a little. Relax. Now press tour heels into the mattress  and pull toward yourself a little (I hook my heels on the edge of the mattress).The key here is to engage your lower back as little as possible. You'll start to notice where the tightness and hurt are, and you can work it a little. You may even feel a little popping as the fixations are released. Try to focus this relaxed stretch/flex on the legs and maybe a little on the ball joint of the hip. It's with this isolation that I finally managed to lick this terrible thing. Just keep symmetry in mind so you don't create other problems.

The sciatica may protest at first, so be careful.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

The protocol says to take the bromelain "away from food". My primary question is "how long do I wait after eating before taking it, and how long after taking it can I eat again?"

A few days ago Isabelle (from The Diet Solution) sent out a note on when to take probiotics, which also need to be taken away from food.  In her case, she didn't want the digestive juices which are secreted to dissolve food, to destroy the probiotics.  

She recommended waiting 20 minutes after taking the probiotics before eating anything.  Would it take your stomach much longer than that to deal with the bromelain if there was nothing else in it?

Have you thought about contacting NAP and asking them?  

I'm still in a great deal of pain. I don't know if the lower back/pelvis/sciatica pain is due to inflammation or not. I've been following this protocol for a few days (although, in all fairness, I wasn't so consistent with it yesterday) and it's not reducing symptoms or keeping them from getting worse.

I'm starting to wonder if the anti-inflammation protocol is doing ANYTHING for me whatsoever, if the problem is even due to inflammation, and if I should just abandon it.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

I've been following this protocol for a few days (although, in all fairness, I wasn't so consistent with it yesterday) and it's not reducing symptoms or keeping them from getting worse.

I'm starting to wonder if the anti-inflammation protocol is doing ANYTHING for me whatsoever, if the problem is even due to inflammation, and if I should just abandon it.

I don't think 3 days, even if done perfectly, is enough to rate a new protocol implementation...  I'm usually worse in 3 days due to new detox / healing that happens due to a new addition...  I have to give a new addition at least 2 weeks before any evaluation.

Shared with the best intentions...

Quoted from Chloe

I would think 45 minutes before a meal is an empty stomach and far enough away from food...If
you took it with food, it would digest the protein in your meal.  You want it to act as a systemic enzyme....working on inflammation.  It acts as a COX 2 inhibitor this way.

This is how I understand it.  I'd think it would work better on an empty stomach. I'd take it at least 45min. and longer if possible.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

The protocol says to take the bromelain "away from food". My primary question is "how long do I wait after eating before taking it, and how long after taking it can I eat again?"

I've always taken this (taken away from food) to mean 1 hour before food and 2 hours after food. I could be wrong, though.

ruthiegirl,

A few days is not enough time for a protocol to work.  I'd say at least a couple weeks.

I'm on the anti-inflammatory protocol as well as the one for allergy & sinus support.  If Deflect give you a problem, how about just fucus?

I'd recommend to cut back to just diamond foods along with the protocol, and make your food load light, like soups with lots of broth.

Two topical things that might help you are TRAUMEEL® ointment and DMSO 77-99%.  I've used both of these in my practice and on myself for over 20 years.  Work great.