Page 2 - PeaceHealth-Southwest

I F YOU AR E ONE OF THE M I L L I ONS OF P EOP L E I N

the United States who have the pain, redness, swelling,

and flu-like symptoms of inflammation, making some

simple changes in what you eat can make a big difference

in how you feel. In just three steps, you can use your

dinner plate in your defense against pain.

Step 1:

Cut back on inflammatory foods. Foods such

as tomatoes; white flour; and vegetable oils such as

corn, soybean and safflower oil are the biggest culprits.

They increase inflammation and the pain that

accompanies it. Cut these foods out of your diet for

the best results.

Step 2:

Start building your anti-inflammatory diet.

Omega-3s found in salmon, mackerel, raw walnuts and

flaxseed reduce the pain and swelling of inflammation

and give your mood a boost. Extra-virgin olive oil blocks

enzymes involved in inflammation. Fresh vegetables and

fruits, such as broccoli, cabbage, celery and berries, have

properties that can help combat inflammation.

Step 3:

Spice up your plate. Onions and leeks contain

quercetin, a substance that inhibits inflammation and

helps reduce pain. Gingerroot is known to be cooling for

the body and to reduce swelling, and turmeric contains

curcumin, a therapeutic ingredient that suppresses pain.

All of these foods can add flavor to your meals while

helping to relieve your pain.

Want to learn more? Join us for Arthritis 101:

How-to Relieve Joint Pain. This informative

class is free, but space is limited. Visit

swEvents.org

to register.

A plate of pain defense

Caring for

yourself

L AS T J ANUARY, CHR I S GE RAC I HAD A L I F E -

changing sinus infection. It caused her to visit the doctor,

which led to a breast exam, an ultrasound and finally a

biopsy at PeaceHealth Southwest’s Kearney Breast Center.

Invasive ductal cell carcinoma (breast cancer) was found.

Geraci underwent a double mastectomy with immediate

reconstruction by board-certified surgeons Toni Storm-

Dickerson, MD, and Allen Gabriel, MD, at PeaceHealth

Medical Group.

After Geraci recovered from surgery, she transferred to

the care of Clifford Pukel, MD, at PeaceHealth Medical

Group Hematology & Oncology.

“Dr. Pukel is very down-to-earth, and I could talk to him

about anything, while at the same time he had the latest and

greatest research,” Geraci says.

At PeaceHealth Southwest Oncology Infusion Center,

Geraci felt equally comfortable.

“You could hear people laughing—it is such a friendly

place,” she says. “The nurses, who had never even cared for

me, were calling me by name.”

Because she had gone through the Oncology Pre-Treatment

Consult, where she met her social worker, financial

counselor, oncology pharmacist and nurse navigator, Geraci

knew she always had someone to call for help.

Today, Geraci is cancer-free—and inspired to write a new

chapter of her life by volunteering at the Regional Cancer

Center and sharing her success story.

Chris Geraci has thrown the book at cancer. Discover