1. Introduction
maladaptive pain, chronic pain, opioid pain, pain
CHRONIC PAIN, OXIDATIVE STRESS, ADVERSE EVENT, SECONDARY
Chronic pain is a critical health issue in the US that is routinely managed pharmacologically with diminishing results. The widespread misuse and abuse of prescription opioid pain medications have caused both healthcare providers and patients to seek alternative therapeutic options. Several dietary ingredients have been traditionally used for pain relief and are known to have potential analgesic properties. This double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial aimed to test whether a novel combination of full spectrum hemp oil (phytocannabinoids), calamari oil (omega-3 fatty acids), and broccoli (glucosinolates) could reduce chronic pain and attenuate damage from oxidative stress in adults seeking chiropractic care. Participants (average age = 54.8 ± 13.6 years old) were randomly assigned to consume a whole-food, multi-ingredient supplement (Chronic pain is defined as maladaptive pain that persists for more than 3 months [Chiropractic care is the largest integrative medicine profession in the US, and it attempts to address chronic pain management by promoting the use of non-opioid pain medications, implementing non-pharmacological pain management strategies, and working with patients to develop safe and effective pain management plans [Several dietary ingredients have been traditionally used for pain relief and are known to have potential analgesic properties, including phytocannabinoids from hemp oil [In this study, we focused on a cohort of subjects with chronic pain enrolled in standard chiropractic care, with or without 12-week nutritional supplementation using a whole-food, multi-component intervention. The primary objective was to quantify changes in the subjects’ self-reported pain and pain interference compared to the study baseline. The secondary objectives were to determine the tolerability of the intervention by assessing adverse event rates and oxidative stress in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).