Bye Bye Inflammation

Inflammation sucks.  It sucks the life out of you, it sucks away your energy, it sucks the enjoyment out of your day - it just plain sucks.

Chronic inflammation is a serious problem for millions of people and is considered the root of MANY health issues from heart disease to cancer.

With a few small changes listed below, inflammation can be reduced significantly and you can start enjoying life again. 

For the record, not all inflammation is bad.  Inflammation by nature is an essential part of your body’s attempt to heal itself, it’s a common, natural, innate response to injury, pain, illness, and stress and your survival literally depends on it. Inflammation is identified on the surface of the body as local redness, heat, swelling and pain. It is not only helpful, but necessary in many situations – without inflammation, wounds would never heal.  This type of useful response is called acute inflammation.

While acute inflammation has it’s rightful place in the body, chronic low-grade inflammation does not and been linked as an underlying cause of premature aging, aches and pains, and illnesses including heart disease, cancer, strokes, MS, and Alzheimer’s. This type of inflammation that persists and serves no true purpose, damages the body. Certain illnesses, stress, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition, exposure to toxins and diet can all contribute to chronic inflammation.

Acute inflammation:
Has a rapid onset and quickly becomes severe. Signs and symptoms are only present for a few days, but in some cases may persist for a few weeks.

• Examples of acute inflammation include: sore throat from a cold or flu, a cut, a bee sting, and a sprain.

Chronic (systemic) inflammation:
Can be caused by persistent acute inflammation or an autoimmune reaction and can last for several months and even years.

• Examples of chronic inflammation include: asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, hay fever, psoriasis, allergies, Chron’s disease, and tuberculosis.

C reactive protein (CRP) increases in your blood with increased levels of inflammation. CRP is also the most widely used test given today to measure inflammation in the body and is often measured in conjunction with other blood tests.   A CRP level of less than 5 mg per liter of blood is considered normal.

Many experts believe that even slight elevations in CRP are associated with an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes and other diseases.

So what to do?  Make changes.  The sooner the better. 

There are a few small things that you can right away that will make a huge difference in your day and how you feel. 

1) Start your day with a big glass of lemon water.
2) Eat more of the foods listed in the info-graphic below and avoid the inflammation causing foods. 

One of the first things people notice when they switch up their diet to anti-inflammatory foods, is a drastic reduction in headaches, and chronic pain.