If you reduce inflammation in your body you will look younger and feel better also drastically reduce your risk for chronic illness. Inflammation and chronic diseases go hand in hand. By lowering the inflammation in your body you will be drastically reducing your chances for developing chronic illness and therefore, increasing your life expectancy. Did you know there is a strong link between inflammation and debilitating conditions like heart disease, arthritis, cancer, allergies, asthma, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s and the list goes on. You name a chronic condition and you can bet inflammation is involved. Inflammation is the bodies natural reaction to injury and infection. So how did a normal and natural reaction designed to let us know there is a problem go so out of control? Read on…
When you get an infection, illness or injury your body reacts by causing tissues to swell, redden, become warm to the touch, tender, and painful. Triggers for this reaction can be environmental toxins, free radical damage, drug overuse, infections, trauma, or injury just to name a few. Inflammation combating one of these conditions is a good thing, it lets you know something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Think about if you’ve ever had the flu. You get feverish, headaches, stuffy nose, and body aches; this is good information, it lets you know something is wrong, you need to rest, and treat this temporary reaction. It’s when inflammation is a constant presence in the body that damage begins.
What causes a constant state of inflammation? Well to name a few stresses, extra pounds, poor diet, infection, and autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune disorders are when the bodies immune system attacks self (its own body). No one knows exactly why the immune system goes haywire like that, but it is the cause of many conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, and they go on. Now if you have Fibromyalgia I’m sure you’ve read or been told it’s not an autoimmune condition, but I disagree. My Fibromyalgia definitely has an inflammation component and I feel strongly medical science will eventually prove it to be an autoimmune condition. So how do you know if you’re suffering from too much inflammation and what do you do to treat it?
Symptoms of inflammation include:
Arthritis
Bronchitis
Heart disease
Candidiasis
Visible signs of aging like wrinkles.
Chronic pain
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Osteoporosis
Heart disease
Susceptibility to bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.
Acid reflux
Cancer
Skin conditions like psoriasis and acne.
Urinary tract infections
Other Causes of Inflammation:
Stress! Constant psychological, emotional or physical stress raises the level of cortisol, creating inflammation.
Environmental toxins in our water, air, and food. Toxins and pollution from metals like mercury and lead all play a part in inflammation and have been linked to diseases as varied as allergies to inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS).
Low-grade food allergies or food sensitivities
An imbalance of bacteria in your gut or leaky gut syndrome. This causes your immune system to overreact to bacteria or tiny particles of food that leak out of your gut due to damage from inflammation to the intestinal tract.
Diet and lifestyle: eating a high fat, sugar, and protein diet, being dehydrated, insufficient exercise and insufficient sleep can all increase inflammation in your body.
Treatments:
Healthy Diet of fresh, organic, fruits and vegetables and reduced red meat
Foods high in flavonoids like, spinach, blueberries, and strawberries
Add 1/2 a fresh Pineapple or Papaya to your diet daily
Limit saturated fats and salt
Avoid sugar, colas, white flour products, and junk food
Eat cold water fish including, salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines
Marijuana is a powerful natural anti-inflammatory it does this in many ways, it is known to balance the internal regulation of the inflammatory system, fights inflammation without the damaging side-effects of NSAIDs, Adding medical marijuana may drastically reducing inflammation.
It is so critically important that medical marijuana is tested & regulated to be sure its free from pesticides, fungicides, molds, Pesticides used in non-organic farming can trigger inflammation, this is one of many reasons medical marijuana needs to be legalized, Patients need to access organically grown cannabis or need to be able to grow their own, without fear of legal reprisal!
Supplements:
B Complex Vitamins
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Essential fatty acids including, fish oil, flaxseed oil, or evening primrose oil
Grape seed extract
Zinc
A good Probiotic
Garlic
Selenium
