"Natural" Anti Inflammatories and Adaptation

[kbm]

So it is fairly well established that some amount of an inflammatory response is needed to adapt tissues to a stimulus. With this, things like ice baths and NSAIDs have been discussed here before on how it might lessen the overall training effect by negating the initial inflammatory response, and so may not be a great idea during hard training.

So my question is, are the "natural" things that people take that are promoted to reduce inflammation in the same boat? And if not, how come?

[lylemcd]

How about defining what you're talking about by 'natural' inflammatories.

[kbm]

Well for example most of the ingredients in the Bioforce "Pain Control" supplement - Boswellia, Turmeric, Bromelain, White Willow Bark, Ginger...

[Joel]

Yes, inflammation is likely part of the signaling that is a part of adaptation but it's not the only signal by any means so it's hard to say exactly how much reducing it to some extent changes things. I think you definitely don't want to be always trying to reduce inflammation as much as possible and using constant ice baths, NSAIDS, etc. is likely to have an impact on adaptation and the same is probably true of anything that does reduce inflammation, which would include any supplements that have such an effect. Pain Control wasn't designed or intended to be used all the time or when an athlete/individual is healthy and pain free. It's designed for acute anti-inflammatory purposes when there is an injury to deal with, not just to be taken indefinitely for no reason.