Metabolic Therapy and Pain
Chronic pain is associated strongly with poor quality of life. Drug treatments for pain can be problematic; with the understanding that chronic pain syndromes often involve derangement of homeostasis, there is an increased interest in applying nonpharmacological metabolic therapies. This chapter surveys clinical and animal research into the effects of fasting, calorie restriction, ketogenic diet, and polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation on pain. These dietary treatments can significantly ameliorate pain in inflammatory and neuropathic disorders. The choice among these treatments might depend on the specific pain syndrome and the tolerance of the patient for particular dietary modifications. Several possible mechanisms are discussed, some of which might be in common among these treatments, and some treatments might engage multiple mechanisms. Multiple mechanisms acting together could be ideal for restoring the disordered metabolism underlying some pain syndromes.