How Chocolate Can Relieve Pain: Toronto’s Chocolate Festival Is Coming

From October 1 to November 11, 2018, Toronto will become a chocolate-coated metropolis as it celebrates the 14th Annual Toronto Chocolate Festival. This city-wide event features chocolate tasting, chocolate-making exhibitions, and chocolate eating competitions. It’s the perfect excuse to satisfy your sweet tooth, and the perfect place to discover the many ways dark chocolate can relieve pain.

The Toronto Chocolate Festival (TCF) started in 2005, hosting its first-ever Chocolate Ball Gala. Since that time, festival organizers have created and incorporated new and entertaining chocolate-related events each year. For the 2018 event, they have expanded to other areas of the GTA including Oakville, Mississauga, and Milton. The various events happen on different days throughout the entire length festival and include the following:

• Chocolate Afternoon Tea
  October 5 to November 11, 2018 (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays only)
• The Ultimate Chocolate Tour
  October 5 to November 11, 2018 (Weekends only @ 2:00 PM)
• Blind Wine and Chocolate Tasting
  October 12, 2018
• Craft Beer and Chocolate Pairing
  November 2, 2018
• Chocolate Dinner with the ChocElite at FIRED UP!
  November 7, 2018
• The Hatter’s “NIGHT GARDEN MASQUERADE”
  November 10, 2018

The Prostate & Breast Cancer Initiatives Fund, and other local charities, will benefit from proceeds for selected Toronto Chocolate Festival Events.

Chocolate as a Natural Painkiller

Did you know that indulging yourself in a square or two of dark chocolate can be beneficial to your health, especially if you are experiencing some sort of pain? While chocolate satisfies our taste buds, it can also be used to reduce many different types of pain.

Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, is nutrient dense, and a great source of iron, fiber, magnesium, and antioxidants. Unlike taking ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin for pain, eating dark chocolate reduces the risk of gastric erosion, resulting in ulcers.

The higher the cocoa content (at least 70 percent cocoa) in the chocolate, the more effective it is in relieving pain. Pure cocoa has more antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but its concentration is reduced in regular milk chocolates (because it is replaced with more sugar).

Why dark chocolate is a naturally great painkiller:

• Dark chocolate has a high level of magnesium, which benefits people with back pain by relaxing and strengthening the muscles that support the spine. Magnesium is crucial for the proper structure of the bone matrix, maintaining bone density, and preventing back pain.
• It contains flavonoids — a large group of plant-based antioxidants. The type of flavonoids found in chocolate are flavanols. Flavanols may lower blood pressure and cholesterol, improve glucose metabolism, and maintain the health of your blood vessels. Flavanols also improve the immune system and inhibit the release of prostaglandins, an inflammatory compound responsible for pain.
• Dark chocolate is a high-fibre food that helps reduce the markers of inflammation — a key factor in arthritis. People who consume dark chocolate have lower C-reactive protein levels (a substance produced by the liver in response to inflammation) in their blood.
• Chocolate with high cocoa content are packed with healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), which reduce pain and stiffness in people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. MUFA also aids in weight loss. Unhealthy body weight can add strain to the ligaments and muscles in the back. As a result, the spine becomes tilted and unevenly stressed to help the body compensate for the extra pounds.
• Dark chocolate has fewer refined carbohydrates. Refined carbs can trigger inflammation, leading to chronic pain, swelling, and stiffness.
• Dark chocolate has potassium, which has a therapeutic effect for alleviating joint pain. Potassium is both a mineral and electrolyte essential for the health of the cells, tissues, and organs in the body. It is also responsible for smooth muscle contractions. To achieve a proper balance of potassium, you also need the right amount of magnesium and sodium in your body.
• Dark chocolate is not only an indulgent treat, it also has high levels of iron. The primary source of iron in chocolate comes from cacao beans. A 100-gram dark chocolate bar (containing at least 70 percent of cocoa) has about 67 percent of iron. A healthy level of iron in the blood helps prevent muscle soreness and headaches. The body requires iron to transport oxygen to the lungs and other organs in the body.
• Dark chocolate aids in lowering blood pressure and improving blood circulation. It prompts the arteries into generating nitric oxide, which promotes nerve and muscle relaxation.

If you are experiencing pain, tasting several decadent dark chocolate samples at the Toronto Chocolate Festival is a delicious way to alleviate any discomfort. The event offers high-quality, regular and dark chocolate with a healthy cacao content that everyone can enjoy. As with everything, remember to enjoy in moderation.

Getting Treatment

While dark chocolate has numerous benefits for pain reduction, one of the most effective ways to address and treat chronic body pain is to seek treatment from a physiotherapist. Physiotherapy helps people suffering from chronic pain by teaching exercises that will help them manage pain, increase their range of motion, and improve the quality of life. The initial assessment will help determine what the structural source of the pain complaint is most likely to be, and enable the physiotherapist to provide a diagnosis, followed by a planned course of treatment.

Other safe and non-invasive treatments for pain include:

• Acupuncture – This ancient Chinese medical treatment is a widely accepted alternative approach that works well for people dealing with lower back pain, neck pain, and osteoarthritis. Acupuncture works by inserting thin needles into the affected area, and applying heat and pressure to promote a balance of chi flow that is blocked by pain or illness.

• Physical Therapy – Physical therapy is a highly effective method of pain management for people with chronic musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain. It helps patients become stronger by teaching them to how to use certain exercises to reduce pain, improve flexibility, move better, and overall function better physically.

• Chiropractic Care – Chiropractic is a holistic treatment method that focuses on the structure of the spine. Chiropractors help alleviate pain in patients by manipulating the alignment of the spine to improve function, and aid the body to heal itself without the use of painkillers.

There is growing scientific evidence that dcark chocolate offers many health benefits, from increasing brain energy, to providing cardiac support, and strengthening bones. There appears to be a direct relationship between certain flavonols in cocoa and a beneficial effect on cardiovascular function, notably improved cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Enjoy the Toronto Chocolate Festival where you can sample many different dark chocolate samples and discover your new favourite pain remedy.

When you need professional physiotherapy services in Toronto, call Be Strong Physio at 416-792-6440 to book an appointment. Our licenced team of physio therapists will assess your situation, decide on the right course of treatment, and work with you to get you moving like your old self again.