Certain nutrients and phytochemical have been shown to benefit intermittent claudication too.
Claudication is muscle pain that occurs when muscles aren’t getting enough oxygen. The usual cause is exercise and rest relieves the pain. However, the lack of oxygen in intermittent claudication is caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD) with the pain usually occurring in the calves during walking, and sometimes the thighs and buttocks as well. The intermittent claudication and the underlying PAD is usually treated with medication, but certain nutrients and phytochemical have been shown to benefit intermittent claudication too.
In this excerpt from the book The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods by James A. Duke and Bill Gottlieb, CHC the authors share how dietary changes in addition to prescribed medicines can improve the pain and symptoms of intermittent claudication.
Having severe cramps and tingling in your buttocks, thighs, and/or calves when you walk is called intermittent claudication (IC) and is a symptom of a condition called peripheral artery disease (PAD). In PAD, clogged blood vessels prevent adequate blood flow in your legs, starving them of oxygen and nutrients and sometimes leading to pain when you walk, stand, or move. People with the condition find it difficult to walk even short distances, say, from bed to the bathroom, without severe pain. It’s important to note that about half of all people with PAD do not experience this leg pain and go undiagnosed. If you have been diagnosed, however, you’re probably taking prescription medication. Don’t stop taking it without talking to your physician, but consider the following healing foods. All contain nutrients and phytochemicals shown to benefit IC.
Bilberries, blueberries, and other dark berries. In their great book, Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy, my friends Simon Mills and Kerry Bone give top billing to bilberries under the heading “Peripheral Vascular Disorders and Venous Disorders.” The bilberry is just a strain of blueberry that’s royal blue all the way through, while blueberries are green at the center. But any dark blue or purple berries loaded with anthocyanins should help.
Garlic and onions. I still bet on garlic for IC because of the many biologically active compounds it contains that should help relieve the condition. My Multiple Activities Menu for garlic lists nearly two dozen activities related to this condition among the 147 phytochemicals so far listed in my database for garlic. As always, onions come in a close second, with the same activities and almost as many phytochemicals as garlic. These compounds can reduce oxidation as well as make blood less sticky and less likely to clot. In one 12-week study of garlic, people with IC who were given 800 milligrams of garlic a day were able to walk with much less pain after five weeks. Not only that, but they also had lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Ginger. Ginger contains 241 different plant chemicals (at last count), many of which have various activities that can help with overall heart health. For IC, I focus on ginger’s ability to prevent blood clots. It slows the production of thromboxane, a compound that causes blood platelets to clump together and clot, which is beneficial because too much clotting increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Studies find these benefits almost as powerful as those from aspirin. Since clotting in the leg can be one cause of PAD pain, I recommend using ginger throughout the day. Sprinkle dried ginger on your cereal or over yogurt, mince it with garlic and onions to form the base for sauces and meat dishes, and grate it over steamed vegetables as a spicy additive.
Anti-PAD spices. Spices that help alleviate PAD include allspice, cardamom, and cloves. I suggest adding a dash of each to herbal teas and oatmeal. These spices are part of an amazing Tibetan formula called Padma 28 (even though it contains only 20 herbs). In one study of people with PAD, those who used Padma 28 for 6 months had greatly improved blood flow to their feet, with more than half saying they could walk farther without pain.
Carob and other arginine sources. Although exercise therapy is the most effective conservative treatment for IC, studies indicate that L-arginine, an amino acid that helps cells create energy, may yield significant benefit in lessening symptoms. Some writers suggest that this condition is rather like angina (chest pain due to an oxygen shortage in the heart) and believe that natural treatments for angina may also help relieve IC. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to eat more foods containing high levels of L-arginine. Not only does it help with energy production, it also converts into nitric oxide, an enzyme that helps blood vessels dilate. The wider your blood vessels, even if they are thick with plaque, the easier time your blood has getting through. In one study, 41 people with angina ate two energy bars supplemented with L-arginine, one supplemented energy bar and one placebo bar, or two placebo bars every day for two weeks. At the end of the trial, the group getting two supplement bars increased their pain-free walking distance by 66 percent and their overall walking distance by 23 percent. The benefits lasted for 10 weeks after participants stopped eating the bars. There was no improvement in either of the other groups.
Codfish. This sweet, white, flaky fish is one of the best food sources of the amino acid L-carnitine, which is vital for energy production, particularly in the heart muscle. Studies evaluating its use in people with IC find that the worse their disease, the greater the benefit they derived when supplementing with L-carnitine. In one study, 485 people received either a placebo or one gram of propionyl-l-carnitine twice a day for 12 months. Those getting the supplement were able to nearly double their walking distance compared with those in the placebo group. The overall quality of life for people in the supplement group also increased significantly, compared with no improvement in those taking placebos.
Salmon. As I’ve said elsewhere, salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, healthful fats that benefit the heart and arteries in numerous ways. A Spanish study of people with IC found that supplementing with a liquid form of fish oil made from salmon combined with olive oil for three months reduced the risk of oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (“bad”) cholesterol. What does this mean? Simply that the LDL is less likely to undergo chemical changes that make it stick to artery walls—possibly improving blood flow in people with IC. In fact, a review of several studies of omega-3 supplementation in people with IC found that blood did become less thick and sticky. In another study, when participants drank a milk-like liquid fortified with omega-3’s, folic acid, and vitamins B6 and E for three months, their pain-free walking distance increased significantly. Researchers also found that the supplementation reduced artery wall inflammation.
From the Herbal Medicine Chest
Ginkgo biloba is among my favorite herbs for intermittent claudication. It prevents blood clotting and stickiness, improves blood flow, and helps dilate blood vessels. It also has potent antioxidant benefits. The herb was evaluated in an analysis of nine clinical studies in which people with IC were treated with a ginkgo supplement called EGb 761. Most studies found a significant increase in the distance people taking the supplement could walk without pain. Overall, when results from six studies were pooled, people walked an average of 23 percent farther after taking the supplement for several months.
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