During my 31 years in the complementary healthcare industry there has obviously been many products come onto the market. Two years ago, I wrote about a new supplement known a P.E.A. which had recently been released onto the health food market. I predicted P.E.A. would be one of the most exciting supplements to come onto the market in many years. And I was right. The feedback on P.E.A. was extraordinary particularly for those suffering from chronic and neuropathic pain as well as inflammation. In fact, after writing a series of articles on P.E.A. back in 2021, we were astonished at the number of customers reporting on the positive results they had gained from taking P.E.A. I wrote another article a few weeks ago, with a similar response which has prompted me to write this series of articles again.

This powerful compound known as palmitoylethanolamide, palmidrol or P.E.A. is a natural fat-soluble molecule which is produced by humans and can also be found in foods such as meat, eggs yolks, peanuts and soy. P.E.A. has been used in Europe for decades for treatment of these health conditions however only became available in Australia in retail health foods in 2021.

P.E.A. has been researched for some time and it has been found that our body actually produces this fatty molecule known as P.E.A, when it is required to respond to pain or inflammation in our body. The problem arises however when our body doesn’t produce sufficient P.E.A. to control the effects of pain and inflammation. It is believed when pain becomes chronic, our body struggles to produce sufficient P.E.A. and in fact, it has been found those suffering from chronic pain sometimes have lower levels of P.E.A. in their body. This is when supplementing with P.E.A. may be helpful.

P.E.A. has been found to act in different ways to reduce pain and inflammation in our bodies. One of the important functions of P.E.A. is its role in binding to specific sites within our cells reducing this inflammatory activity. As well, P.E.A. is believed to lessen the action of certain immune cells which are a part of our nervous system, and which may help with diminishing the intensity of pain signals. Obviously when these two actions are combined, P.E.A. may well be helpful in treating many conditions connected to chronic pain and inflammation including –

• Fibromyalgia
• Arthritis - osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• Sciatica
• Lower back pain
• Carpel tunnel syndrome
• Neuropathy
• Shingles
• Chronic pelvic pain including endometriosis
• Migraines
• Peripheral neuropathies - diabetic neuropathy and chemotherapy induced neuropathy
• Inflammatory bowel disease

Interestingly it was also studied as a therapy to help prevent the common cold and influenza.

P.E.A. is non-addictive and can generally be well tolerated and can be taken with other medications. It can be taken together with other pain medications or alone. In fact, it is believed to enhance the effects of other pain medications and may help reduce reliance on stronger pain medications which can cause unwanted side effects.

The anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of P.E.A. had been known for decades but were originally quite misunderstood. However, in the 1990’s Nobel Prize laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini identified P.E.A. may well control overactive inflammatory cells, noting its value in treating chronic infections and pain. Following this discovery many scientific studies have been undertaken. P.E.A. has been researched through a number of placebo controlled randomised clinical trials. These trials have indicated P.E.A. may be helpful in a number of health conditions related to chronic pain.

For more information on P.E.A. call down to the Go Vita store in North Street, Batemans Bay to chat to Bev and the girls, or tune into Bev on 2EC every Wednesday at 12.30pm.