Green tea: A chemical called EGCG (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, extracted from green tea, has shown been shown to be вЂњstrongly protective against inflammation, oxidative damage, and cell deathвЂќ in the brain.Д¬ruciferous vegetables: An extract from broccoli called sulforaphane protects against brain inflammation and lessens injury to neurons.ДЇinally, a newer option that is not quite вЂњmedicalвЂќ yet, but is now being heavily studied is cannabis (medical marijuana). In my experience the most absorbable form of turmeric is Meriva by Thorne Research, typical dosage of 500-1000mg twice daily. The active ingredient is a chemical called curcumin, which research has shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain. Turmeric: This yellow spice has been used as an anti-inflammatory in ayurvedic medicine for hundreds of years. There are also some supplements derived from foods that may be able to calm brain inflammation, including: Learn more about LDN and combining with opiates in my earlier blog posts, ( here and here) and my recent podcast interview with LDN Research Trust. The biggest challenge is that it doesnвЂ™t combine very well with opiate-based pain medications. LDN was shown to significantly reduce fibromyalgia pain in two studies done at Stanford University, and also lessened pain hypersensivity.Д¬linically I have found this treatment to be very effective in about 60% of the patients I prescribe it for. This allows the nerve cells to normalize the volume on pain. LDN acts on specific receptors on the immune cells in the brain called glial cells, and tells them to go back into hibernation and stop releasing inflammatory chemicals. But when taken at very low doses (1вЂ“5mg dosage range), LDN lowers inflammation in the central nervous system. Naltrexone is an opiate-blocking medication that is prescribed in higher doses (50mg) to treat opiate and alcohol addiction. The most effective one is called low-dose naltrexone (LDN), which is a medication but primarily prescribed by alternative medicine providers, as most western medicine doctors are not familiar with its use for pain. Many of what we think of as anti-inflammatory medications (like ibuprofen or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) donвЂ™t work well on brain inflammation, but there are some treatments that do. We already have some evidence that treatments that specifically lower inflammation levels in the brain can lessen fibromyalgia symptoms. This study not only confirms that this process is happening in people with fibromyalgia, it also provides a new way to think about lowering fibromyalgia pain. Lots of different animal research has shown that inflammation in and around neurons seems to be the key factor in the transition from acute pain to chronic pain, and in the development of the pain amplification seen in illnesses like fibromyalgia. In particular, there were very high levels of certain chemicals secreted by neurons (brain and nerve cells) in response to injury. And what they found was that the CSF in fibromyalgia subjects contained much higher levels of inflammation compared to healthy people. This is the same principle the Swedish researchers used in sampling the CSF in fibromyalgia: any inflammatory chemicals in the вЂњbrain juiceвЂќ must have gotten there by being absorbed from the brain tissue. Rather than drinking the milk, if you instead sent a sample to a lab you would find small amounts of the ingredients of the cereal. Slowly the milk will become brown and sweeter as it is absorbing the chocolate powder and sugars from the cereal. Imagine pouring milk over a chocolate flavored puffed rice breakfast cereal. Because the CSF is in constant contact with the brain, it mirrors what is happening in the brain.

However, some very creative Swedish scientists figured out a different way assess levels of inflammation in the brain by sampling the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Inflammation in the brain