Psychological, emotional, and physical stress raises your cortisol levels, which further contribute to creating inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to protect itself by removing harmful stimuli, like damaged cells, irritants or pathogens. Infections like those caused by bacterium, virus, fungus or parasites contribute to chronic inflammation by producing metabolic waste products that if not properly eliminated will accumulate. Chronic low-grade inflammation destroys your body’s natural balance and makes you more susceptible to disease and aging.
Chronic inflammation is low-grade and systemic, silently damaging your tissues over an extended period of time. In more technical terms, it is the result of the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from immune-related cells and the chronic activation of the innate immune system. If your immune system mistakenly triggers an inflammatory response when no threat is present, it can lead to excess inflammation and degeneration in your body. Autoimmune diseases happen when the body is inflamed and the immune system mistakenly targets the body’s own tissues as seen in diseases like type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Symptoms of inflammation in the body include:
- Achy muscles, joints, stiffness and heightened pain sensitivity
- Acid reflux
- Acne, eczema, or psoriasis
- Aging like visible wrinkles
- Allergies
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Arthritis
- Autoimmune diseases
- Bronchitis
- Cancer
- Candidiasis
- Chronic pain
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Osteoporosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Susceptibility to bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic infections
- Urinary tract infections
The key to reducing chronic inflammation starts with your gut. Your gut holds 60 to 70 percent of your immune system. If your gut is in bad shape so is your immune system. Probiotics, digestive enzymes and an elimination diet that removes gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, refined sugar, alcohol and yeast are all great ways to start healing your gut. Leaky gut is very common among our patients; a result of infections and food sensitivities. An imbalance of bacteria and fungi in your gastrointestinal tract is known as dysbiosis, which causes your immune system to overact to bacteria in your gut. Four herbs and spices found to reduce inflammation in the body include turmeric, ginger, cloves and rosemary.
The single most important thing you can do right now to decrease chronic inflammation in your body is to improve your diet. Stop eating refined, processed and manufactured foods. These types of foods will never be good for you.
Additionally, make sure to:
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid antibiotics, antacids and NSAIDS as much as possible
- Sleep
- Practice deep breathing
- Get sunshine and check your Vitamin D levels
- Get a massage and lymphatic drainage
- Sweat
- Detox; check out our Indigo Detox Program
- Reduce toxins in your food, home and personal care products
- Decrease alcohol consumption
- Avoid processed food and refined sugar
- Check for food sensitivities
- Explore, diagnose and treat chronic infections lurking in your body
