Pain Reliever Vitamin E
Pandemic, COVID 19 has taught us many lessons wherein, we could see, in spite of so many advancements in Medicine, the control over the Coronavirus, has become challenging for many scientists.
Severe headache is one of the symptoms of Coronavirus 19. Pain is said to be the foremost reason for the existence of medicine and doctors. It is recognized that the appreciation of pain varies from person to person. In some persons, pain sensation may be irritative but in others may be un-bearable.
If we see the anatomy and physiology of pain we will understand how the neurons(nerve sensors)play an important role in pain.
The four common cutaneous sensations-touch, pain, heat, and cold - together with a deep sensation of pressure and proprioception (joint pain sense) are referred to as the somatic (relates to body) sensation. These are consciously appreciated in all parts of the body and have a common pathway within the nervous system.
An appropriate stimulus generates an impulse at the periphery (the nervous system lying outside the spinal cord & brain stem) which passes into the central nervous system, is relayed by the brain(thalamus) hence final relay is passed to the appropriate part of the cerebral cortex.
In simple language, the pathway for somatic sensation is subserved by three orders of neurons, the first order neuron is concerned with transmitting information from the periphery to the spinal cord, the second-order neuron transmits information from the spinal cord to the thalamus and the third-order neuron transmits information from the thalamus to the cerebral cortex.
Vitamin E plays important role in human personality as well as in the immune system as an antioxidant, preventing important molecules and structures in the cell from reacting to oxygen. When the delicate components of living protoplasm are attacked by oxygen they are often injured. Natural sources of vitamin E are spinach, broccoli, and almonds. If one wants to live longer, he/she has to be very friendly with vitamin E. It has now been found out that it has a good role to play in many types of pains, not as a pain killer but as a pain reliever.
What happens during a workout?
As the body increases its use of oxygen, by-products of oxygen metabolism -- called free radicals -- can do damage to muscle tissue. This damage can result in soreness and fatigue after strenuous exercise. The research further says that oxidative stress may increase with age. Those who are already physically fit probably do not need to take a vitamin E supplement to ward off what little post-workout soreness they might feel. However ‘weekend warrior' types who are not always exercising on a regular basis may receive greater benefits to supplementation."
The findings were submitted at the annual Experimental Biology 2002 conference. Previous studies conducted had already revealed that vitamin E was capable of soaking up excess free radicals.
In one study, there were two groups of men -- one group ages 23 to 35 and older men between 66 and 78 -- take either a placebo or a 1,000 IU supplement of vitamin E every day for three months. They tested the athletes' soreness after a 45-minute downhill run at the beginning of the test -- before they had taken the vitamin E supplement --& at the end of the three-month period.
"Muscle damage, oxidative stress & inflammation all still occurred following intense exercise". "However, these responses were blunted in both young & older men" who took vitamin E may in the form of sprouts or Soyabean milk or green leafy vegetable juice or wheat germ oil.
Young men saw the most benefits in terms of reduced muscle soreness and damage but older men also benefited.
Whether women can get the same benefit is not clear, since circulating estrogens could reduce the potency of the antioxidant. However, "following menopause & the loss of extra estrogen, it was predicted that older women would respond similarly to older men," research says. This fact was also linked recently to the Coronavirus 19, where women are less affected than the men
While the study participants took a relatively high dose of vitamin E, the average person could probably get the same benefits from lower doses of between 200 to 400 IU per day.
Thus the vitamin E which is a water-soluble vitamin can be a good pain reliever as also an immunity enhancer if taken in proper proportion as also in proper Natural form.
By-Dr Prakash Kondekar
BSc(HONS) MD(Homeo) ND LLB Aurved-Ratna FRSH(London) BTER(UK)