INFLAMMATION

Chronic inflammation is one of the most insidious causes of disease. Lifestyle factors increase inflammation and as a result our cells lose the capacity to function at peak performance. The result is the slow deterioration of health that often leads to full-blown diseases like autoimmunity and cancer. Inflammation is a necessary biological process that signals our immune system to pay attention to certain tissues in the body. When something is not right, the immune system will do what it can to remove the offender. When inflammation is chronically high due to things like poor diet and stress, the immune system quickly becomes overwhelmed.

Why Reducing Inflammation Is So Important If you think of your body as a series of radios communicating with each other to maintain optimal health, inflammation is like radio interference. By addressing inflammation first and clearing up the static, the body has a much better ability to communicate and heal itself. Because the body relies so heavily on complex communication processes to maintain health, every step must be taken to ensure those communication processes are running uninhibited.

5 Ways To Reduce Inflammation Now that we know inflammation is a primary contributor to (or is a major factor in) most chronic diseases, here are 5 effective strategies to combat its insidious effects. 1. Hydration Exposure to toxins is one huge factor in chronic inflammation. These include pesticides, heavy metals, air pollution and mold. On a daily basis, we are exposed to a list of toxins without even knowing it. Hydrating really well helps to clear out the bowels, keep toxins moving through the liver and kidneys, and helps to eliminate them through sweat. Additionally, your cells require adequate hydration to carry out proper functions. In general, the more hydrated you are, the less inflammation will be present in your body. 2. Daily Movement Organ system including the bowels, urinary tract, sweat glands, circulatory system, lymphatics, and even your muscle require movement to keep healthy. When we become stagnant in any of these areas problems arise and we often get tons of inflammation. Daily exercise is great for pumping the lymph fluid and boosting circulation. Delivering fresh blood to your tissues is an important strategy for lowering inflammation as it helps to flush away metabolic debris and provide nutrients to inflamed tissues. 3. Healing Diet One of the most prominent sources of inflammation in our society has got to be the diet. If you want to rid your body of inflammation you need to start thinking about what you are putting into your body. Many people go about their days thinking they are eating healthy when all they are really doing is flooding their body with sugar that is putting their body in a constantly inflammatory state. At the same time, many people are consuming foods that are hard to digest and lead to inflammation in the digestive tract. Chronically inflaming the digestive tract is linked with autoimmune diseases. As gut inflammation leads to leaky gut, unrecognizable, undigested food particles slip into the blood stream and confuse the immune system, causing massive inflammation. ​ 4. Reduce Stress & Improve Sleep Chronic stress causes rampant increases in inflammatory biomarkers called cytokines. If we don’t do anything to control our stress then this cytokine activity can be especially bad for the immune system, opening the doors to opportunistic infections and increasing our chances of coming down with an illness. One of the best ways to counteract the stressors of daily life is really getting the best sleep possible. During sleep, your brain flushes out metabolic debris and the body is put into a deep healing state. ​ 5. Advanced Supplementation In addition to the strategies listed so far, there are certain supplements that have been shown to be powerful modulators of inflammation.