Inflammation,
put simply, is the body's response to a perceived threat. This normal
and beneficial process occurs when the body's white blood cells and
chemicals protect you from foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses.
In
order to stay healthy, we must have a level of inflammation in our
body. When balancd, the body has the ability to counter the
inflammatory chemicals that are produced when it perceives a danger as
described. However, it is also possible, and increasingly common, for
the inflammatory response to become excessive and out-of-hand.
When
the body becomes imbalanced, it loses its ability to produce
anti-inflammatory chemicals to counteract inflammation. If your immune
system mistakenly triggers an inflammatory response when no threat is
present, it can lead to excessive inflammation - a condition that can
manifest as arthritis, colitis, fatigue, sinusitis, asthma, cancer,
autoimmune disease, allergies, heart disease and chronic pain,
dependent upon which part of the body the inflammation is affecting.
Chronic Inflammation vs Acute Inflammation
If
you have a cut, infection or injury, inflammation is vital for
protecting and healing your body. White blood cells and other chemicals
are sent to the injured area to fight off foreign bodies. Acute
inflammation usually results in symptoms like redness, warmth, pain,
swelling or reduced function or movement.
Chronic inflammation,
there are often no symptoms until a loss of function occurs. Chronic
inflammation is generally low-grade and systemic, silently damaging
organs. Such a process can go on for years without you noticing, until
a disease like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, MS, colitis, Crohn's
or rheumatoid arthritis appears.
Cause and Effect
Chronic
inflammation can be the results of an over-reactive or dysfunctional
immune system, or there may be a problem that the body is attempting to
fight off. However, many of the cases of chronic inflammation that
occur are due to unhealthy lifestyles.
Chronic inflammation is
usually seen in people who have high intakes of omega-6 fatty acids,
trans fats, sugar and highly-processed foods. Those who lead lives with
high stress, are overweight, exercise intensely (or not enough), each
high carb meals, smoke, drink, have diabetes or existing heart
conditions are also at risk for chronic inflammation.
Regular Treatment
So
how do we control inflammation? Like other complaints, a lot of us
reach for aspirin or nurofen. Or, if the pain is really bad, you reach
for an NSAID (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory). The scary thing is that
cox-2 inhibitors (NSAID's) are responsible for thousands of
hospitalisations and adverse side-effects, like bleeding from the
bowel, that occur every year. In fact, Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory
prescription drug brought out in the 1990's was responsible for killing
more than 60,000 people from strokes and heart attacks - conditions
that the drug was meant to be protecting against!
The real
answer to controlling inflammation and preventing disease lies in
nutrition and exercise. Certain foods, nutrients and natural medicines
have powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
Simple lifestyle
changes will go a long way toward reducing chronic inflammation in the
body. Focusing on these changes may just help you avoid disease and
autoimmune dysfunction in the future:
Healthy Diet
Avoid
pro-inflammatory foods like the plague. Foods like trans fats, fried
foods (think any fast-food), sugar, grains, foods cooked at high
temperatures and cholesterol-filled foods should be avoided at all
costs.
Omega-6 fatty acids are found mostly in vegies, as well
as their oils. In moderation, and in the correct omega-6 to omega-3
ratio is fine, however with our westernized diets, our ratio is more
like 30:1. Omega-6 fatty acids, when eaten in abundance, are converted
to saturated fats, which primarily have a pro-inflammatory effect -
hence reducing fatty, fried foods.
Base your diet on fresh
vegies, fruit, lean meat, fish and limited dairy. Cut the bread, grains
and processed foods out. Anything that comes wrapped in foil, in a box,
or that doesn't resemble its' original form should be eliminated.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful
anti-inflammatory agents. The typical diet lacks in essential fatty
acids. Additional benefits of omega-3's include increasing the body's
ability to burn fat, reducing cholesterol and triglycerides, enhancing
immunity, lowering blood pressure and improving metabolism. EPA from
fish oil is particularly prominent in the reduction of inflammation.
Eat
plenty of cold water fish, legumes, green vegies and nuts. You will
need to supplement as well with a good quality, high-potency fish oil
like Metagenics Meta EPA/DHA or Bioceuticals Ultra-Clean EPA/DHA. Daily
use will help to radically reduce inflammation and modulate
inflammatory response.
Exercise regularly
Regular exercise is a great way to
reduce body weight and lower inflammation by modulating and regulating
inflammatory response without any side-effects associated with
medications.
Quit Smoking
Smoking hardens your arteries and
increases inflammation. Research has shown though that it's never too
late to quit. Give up now, before it's too late.
Use a Natural Anti-Inflammatory
If you are in the risk
group for chronic inflammation (see cause and effect), or have been
diagnosed with an inflammatory condition, you need to take a
specialised natural anti-inflammatory like Metagenics Inflavonoid
Intensive Care. This formula will reduce inflammatory response, exuding
calming effects throughout the tissues of the body and reducing
mediating causes.
Further Reading:
