Do you suffer from symptoms like sore joints or muscles, wandering pains, stiffness of joints, mood swings, irritability, headaches, digestive issues, or weight gain….
It could be due to Chronic Inflammation…
Inflammation is the underlying driver for many of these symptoms.
I have had many conversations with my clients about how inflammation is the underlying cause of the symptoms.…..
The questions I get asked include:
- What is inflammation?
- Is it bad for me?
- How do I get rid of it?
- What happens next?
So let’s start…..
Inflammation is a series of chemical reactions in your body that can be both beneficial and harmful, depending on its duration and intensity.
In the initial phase, inflammation is the body’s natural response to harmful stimuli, which is beneficial and necessary for life.
For instance, if you cut your finger, bacteria can enter your bloodstream through the wound, potentially causing infections and tissue damage. In response, your immune system triggers an inflammatory response.
This response involves a cascade of chemicals that upregulate the immune system, attack bacteria, and mobilise healing properties to repair the cut. Think of it like an ‘old-school’ fire station – bell ringing to mobilise firefighters to attend to a fire.
Similarly, when faced with an infection, such as during cooler seasons when viral infections are common, your body mounts an acute inflammatory reaction to combat the virus and prevent severe illness.
This initial inflammatory reaction, known as acute inflammation, is beneficial for mounting a defence and initiating healing processes. It is short-lived and only occurs for minutes, hours or a few days.
Symptoms that you might feel during acute inflammation include redness, swelling, heat, pain (like with a cut finger) or nasal congestion, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, e.g. tonsils, fevers, aches and pains (like in a viral infection).
While experiencing symptoms like fluctuating temperatures or cold fevers during an acute response might be uncomfortable, it’s a sign that your body is actively fighting off the infection, which ultimately benefits your health.
Now, let’s look at when inflammation might be harmful to your health.
When inflammation occurs for weeks, months or years, it is referred to as chronic inflammation.
Unlike acute inflammation, the body’s nutritional reserves become depleted, and the body’s healing processes slow down.
Chronic inflammation is the cause of many chronic diseases like: Cancer, Autoimmune Disease, Dementia, Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Allergies.
So, to deal with these disease conditions, it is imperative to deal with the underlying inflammation….
If we can stem chronic inflammation, we can stop the progression to chronic disease or even help to reverse some of its effects.
Wouldn’t it be fabulous if you could just control chronic inflammation?
What can be done to control chronic inflammation, I hear you ask?
Great Question – Chronic Inflammation is driven by diet and lifestyle. They’re the keys.
Whenever I speak to my clients about how naturopathy can help, I discuss how we must address the inflammation holistically. We’re looking at the causes of inflammation.
Addressing the causes is the only effective way to control chronic inflammation. Using a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or corticosteroid medication is only a band-aid.
We want to get to the core….
The Importance of Your Foods
Processed foods and packaged foods – anything in a packet that’s been processed and doesn’t look like nature anymore – can increase inflammation in your body.
Additives, preservatives, flavours, colours, refined sugar, trans fats and high intake of saturated fats can all increase inflammation in the body.
Suppose you’re primarily eating a diet full of takeaway foods, processed foods, highly refined sugar, frozen meals or bakery foods. These contribute to increased inflammation and can drive disease.
Eliminating processed foods and reducing refined sugar and trans fats are great ways to reduce inflammation.
I get asked frequently about anti-inflammatory diets. Anyone who’s been listening to me before knows that I don’t subscribe to any one diet for everyone. A diet or eating plan should take into account your circumstances.
However, the key is a diet consisting of 70-80% plant-based foods – salad, fruits and vegetables, with a range of colour and variety.
The phytochemicals and nutrients in plant foods communicate with our genes and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Let your food be your medicine, and use your food to dial down the inflammatory response.
For instance, fruits like kiwifruit, papaya and pineapple, spices like turmeric, mustard, ginger and cinnamon have a reputation of reducing inflammation, so why not add these to your meals.
Essential fats are renowned for reducing inflammatory chemicals in the body. Essential fats are present in nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, Atlantic salmon, sardines, chia seeds, and flaxseed. Include these as part of your daily dietary intake.
Lifestyle factors to address
The majority of my clients are under a stress load, whether it be mental, physical or emotional.
Modern-day mums are working, tending to families, and household duties. They are always on the go, doing many tasks and pushing themselves through the day, leaving them running on adrenaline and cortisol, which fuels inflammation in the body.
What can you do if you find yourself in a similar situation and struggling with daily tasks?
What stress-reducing techniques can you install in your life to reduce your stress?
How can you better manage your time to reduce the stress on your body?
How can you deal with relationships or interactions that are causing you stress?
Here are my tips…
Reduce Stress in your life
Chronic stress creates inflammation, so why not look at ways to identify and reduce stress in your life?
Start with meditation, yoga or deep breathing exercises to reduce cortisol in the body.
Find ways to categorise tasks and create a streamlined action plan…. (or delegate if you can)
Take time to be in nature and stop the hectic pace of life – many of the stressors will still be there, but you have time for yourself to reset. Take a walk in a local park, reserve, or national park.
Need help – ask for strategies.. . Find a professional to help you. (I am here to help)
Ensure you get quality sleep
Many people are burning the candle at both ends, sitting up late at night on their devices, social media, or replying to emails when they should be sleeping.
Sometimes, you can lose time when scrolling through social media.
I’ve had many clients comment that they could lose two or three hours when they scroll through their social media to see what’s happening online. And then they realise they could have been sleeping for the last two or three hours.
Solution: Set a definitive bedtime and a wake-up time to ensure you are getting enough sleep.
To aid sleep, create a quiet, dark, comfortable, and cosy bedroom.
Prioritise your sleep because you deserve it!
Enjoy a good amount of exercise
Not enough exercise, sitting still at work and home, and being sedentary can increase inflammation.
But so too can over-exercise….. Slogging it out at the gym and being sore for days after a workout can increase inflammation.
It is all about balance – moderate exercise!!!
Moderate exercise, which could even be walking four to five times a week for 30 minutes, is a great way to reduce inflammation.
I’ve just addressed some of the areas you could look at to help reduce your inflammation.
With inflammation, as always, prevention is the key.
That is where naturopathy thrives in helping with prevention.
If you’re suffering from inflammation and want to find the causes of your inflammation and techniques to turn down your inflammatory response, I’d love to be able to help.
Ready to kick start Gut Health? Book a Call!
This is how gut microbes can influence weight!
Probiotics can help you gain weight or lose weight by interacting with our genetics, food and metabolism.
And yes, I did say lose or gain weight……..
Firstly, let me explain that the trillions of microbes in the gut need to be varied, meaning that there should be a large variety of species. There are many different species (or breeds) of microbes, and they all have their place in aiding health — the more variety and balance, the better health results.
Back to the weight loss or weight gain issue….
Do you eat yogurt and berries for breakfast? Thinking that it’s helping you lose weight?
Well, Lactobacillus acidophilus (like the species found in yoghurt) has been connected to weight gain.
I am not saying throw your yoghurt and berries in the bin. Instead, I am suggesting looking at the overall picture. If Lactobacillus acidophilus is the predominant micro-organism of the gut, then weight gain can result.
It is about the variety of species of gut microbes. Imagine if we only have trained german shepherd guard dogs in the world. It may be a safe world, but I am sure that other breeds may be more suitable as a family pet.
While Lactobacillus acidophilus is associated with weight gain, other Lactobacillus species correlate with weight loss.
Species like Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Bifidobacteria animalis have been found to support weight loss.
Want to lose weight?
Look at your gut flora to support your goal.
Tests can be performed to identify the predominant species of the gut, and specific species can be utilised to support weight changes.
Want more information about your gut health?
Or want to look at all the factors contributing to weight gain, I’d love to be able to help.
