February 24, 2025

Healing Pain & Inflammation by Fixing Your Gut | Featuring Dr. Cindy Azevedo

At Herbal Mana, we believe true healing goes beyond just masking pain—it’s about finding and fixing the root cause. That’s why we were thrilled to sit down with Dr. Cindy Azevedo, a naturopathic doctor and functional medicine practitioner, to discuss how gut health, inflammation, and toxins play a critical role in chronic pain.

Dr. Cindy's personal journey started young—dealing with scoliosis led her to explore chiropractic care, physical therapy, and acupuncture in search of natural relief. Today, she helps people uncover the hidden causes of pain and inflammation, using functional lab testing, holistic detoxification, and lifestyle adjustments to restore balance and long-term health.

If you’ve been stuck in the pain cycle, wondering why nothing seems to truly work, this episode is for you. Keep reading for key takeaways or watch the full interview below!

The Root of Chronic Pain: It’s More Than Just Your Joints

Most people think of pain as something that happens to their muscles, joints, or nerves. But what if the real issue is happening inside your gut?

Dr. Cindy explains that toxins, food sensitivities, and gut imbalances fuel chronic inflammation, which makes pain worse over time. Whether it’s arthritis, nerve pain, or post-injury discomfort, what’s happening inside the body affects how you feel outside.

This is why quick fixes—like painkillers, steroid injections, or even physical therapy—only go so far if you’re not addressing the underlying inflammation.

Why Gut Health Matters for Pain Relief

Your gut does more than just digest food. It:

Regulates inflammation throughout the body
Supports immune function (which affects pain levels)
Processes toxins that could be making pain worse
Produces neurotransmitters that influence how you feel—including pain perception

If your gut is out of balance, pain and inflammation become a constant battle. Dr. Cindy’s approach? Heal the gut, reduce inflammation, and support the body's natural ability to recover.

How to Reduce Inflammation & Support Healing

So how do you stop the cycle of chronic pain and inflammation? Dr. Cindy shared a few key strategies:

1. Start with Lab Testing – Most traditional doctors only run basic blood tests, which don’t reveal deeper issues like toxicity, gut imbalances, or nutrient deficiencies. Functional medicine testing can pinpoint these hidden triggers.

2. Focus on Detox & Gut Repair – Healing starts with removing toxins and repairing the gut lining. Dr. Cindy recommends focusing on:

Anti-inflammatory foods (greens, turmeric, omega-3s)
Gut-healing supplements (probiotics, digestive enzymes, collagen)
Environmental detox (reducing exposure to chemicals & heavy metals)

3. Use Natural Pain Relief Solutions – Instead of just masking pain, support your body with ingredients that help repair tissue, reduce inflammation, and promote healing—like DMSO, frankincense, and magnesium.

The Four-Month Healing Process

Dr. Cindy works with her patients over four months because true healing takes time. She focuses on:

✔️ Detoxification – Removing harmful substances stored in fat and tissues
✔️ Nutritional Support – Restoring missing nutrients for optimal function
✔️ Gut & Microbiome Balance – Helping the body absorb nutrients properly
✔️ Nerve & Joint Support – Using targeted therapies to reduce pain naturally

Why Quick Fixes Don’t Work

Todd shared a personal story about his own knee injury in high school. A doctor gave him painkillers, which numbed the pain but didn’t fix the damage. By the time he stopped taking them, he was already bone-on-bone—causing long-term damage that could have been prevented.

Dr. Cindy explains that this is exactly why holistic care matters. If we only focus on short-term relief, we miss the opportunity to actually heal the body.

Take the First Step Toward Real Pain Relief

If you’re ready to break the cycle of chronic pain and inflammation, start by supporting your body naturally.

One of the easiest ways to do this? Use products that reduce inflammation and promote healing from the inside out. Royal Warrior+ Cream combines DMSO, frankincense, and skin-loving nutrients to help relieve pain and support recovery. It's the perfect all-in-one tool for fast-acting relief that every pain warrior needs in their toolbox.