Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA): Health Fad or a Natural Anti-Inflammatory

In the past two decades, there’s been a growth in people becoming more health-conscious. Taking an active role in your health and wellbeing is now more popular than ever. Today prescription drugs are very accessible and sometimes overprescribed. Should we be looking at alternative treatments? Traditional medicine has improved the quality of life for many. Life expectancy is the best it has ever been. But does that mean we need to only look at synthetic medications to provide relief of ongoing health problems? Is there a place for both? Where possible should we be looking at more natural alternatives? Of course, nobody recommends ditching prescribed medications. Traditional medicine has revolutionized healthcare. However, growing evidence and consumer demand for more healthy living, has given rise to people looking for natural alternatives.

One alternative medicine is Palmitoylethanolamide, or PEA.

People who take Palmitoylethanolamide claim that it helps to manage chronic pain by reducing inflammation in the body.

What is Palmitoylethanolamide?

Palmitoylethanolamide is a fatty acid that is made naturally in our bodies. Our body will produce it as a result of stress or discomfort. Palmitoylethanolamide PEA reacts to different proteins in our bodies to slow down the anti-inflammatory process. PEA activates an essential protein, PPAR alpha. This protein helps to boost energy, burn fat, and acts as an anti-inflammatory. PEA also increases anandamide by reducing the gene FAAH. Increased anandamide promotes relaxation by combating pain. For these reasons taking PEA has increased in popularity over the last few years.

History of Palmitoylethanolamide PEA

Palmitoylethanolamide PEA was discovered in the 1950s. Since this time, there have been over 350 medical studies. All confirmed that PEA has a measurable effect on reducing pain. It can be used to treat many anti-inflammatory diseases. A significant benefit is that no side effects or drug interactions have been reported whistling taking PEA. A study from 1943 led to the discovery of the product. Investigators noted that children who ate fewer eggs were at increased risk of rheumatic fever. As part of the study, children were fed egg yolk; this led to a decreased number of children being diagnosed with the fever. In the 1950s, PEA was first identified as an active anti-inflammatory compound in eggs.

Why is Palmitoylethanolamide PEA Becoming Popular?

There are two main reasons why sales of Palmitoylethanolamide PEA are increasing. Firstly, PEA can’t be patented. This is because it’s a naturally occurring substance in our body. Pharmacy companies can make big money off patented drugs, so they have less interest in something like PEA. The second reason is PEA was hard to produce in large volumes. The process was costly, and its purity was often compromised. Due to advances in modern technology, it’s now much less expensive to produce while maintaining a higher level of purity.

Who Can Take Palmitoylethanolamide PEA?

Anyone can take PEA as it’s a natural substance, so it’s not harmful to humans. You cannot overdose from PEA, but it’s recommended to follow dosage instructions. As with any alternative medicine, it’s not recommended to stop any traditional medicine in favor of PEA. Working alongside a healthcare professional, you could reduce prescription drugs if PEA helps to relieve symptoms. Many people have done this, especially reducing pain relief tablets.

Who Can Benefit From Palmitoylethanolamide PEA?

People suffering from any form of chronic pain may benefit from the regular use of PEA. If you suffer from conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel, dental pain, back pain, or neuropathic pain, you should find an improvement in symptoms. These are only a few examples. Neuroinflammation is the process that causes pain. This happens when several inflammatory cells are activated. Anyone suffering pain should try PEA as it acts positively against neuroinflammation.

How to Take Palmitoylethanolamide PEA?

Tablets or capsules usually come in 400mg size. Most companies recommend taking 1200mg daily. If after six weeks your symptoms haven't improved you can increase to 2000mcg, You may need to take PEA for up to six weeks before you see symptoms decreasing.

Health Fad or a Natural Anti-Inflammatory?

There seems to be nothing to suggest that Palmitoylethanolamide PEA is a health fad. Simpler manufacturing processes are making alternative medicines more accessible. With the movement towards natural treatments, as well as people taking more responsibility for their own wellbeing, PEA is expected to continue to go from strength to strength. Increasing evidence shows that Palmitoylethanolamide PEA is a successful treatment in chronic pain management. This is something that cannot be discounted. If you consider all these things, it’s likely that Palmitoylethanolamide PEA will only increase in popularity.

Conclusion

If you suffer from any type of pain, Palmitoylethanolamide PEA is undoubtedly something you should try. Being a natural based product, with no reported side-effects, there should be no reason why you wouldn’t try it. The efficiency with production is bringing the cost of the product down. You can now buy PEA from many online stores, making it convenient and affordable to purchase.