5 Natural Tips to Help Fight Inflammation
Today my friends I thought we would discuss a chronic problem that seems to be more and more common everyday, that is Inflammation. It can be caused by many different factors and can affect any part of the body. If you deal with inflammation caused by injury or a chronic illness, or maybe you don’t know what is causing it, you’re likely interested in ways to ease the discomfort and enjoy an active lifestyle. I am going to try to provide some ideas that might get you on the right track to controlling you inflammation. I understand personally how much discomfort and problems inflammation can cause.
The signs and symptoms can be linked to many factors such as bloating, to joint pain, to sinus congestion, skin rashes, etc. Although a clinical assessment is the only way to determine for sure if you suffer from inflammation, the more of the following symptoms you experience, the more likely you have low-grade inflammation, says Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Ultra Simple Diet (Pocket Books, 2007).
Symptoms can include: Itchy ears or eyes, dark circles or bags under eyes, joint pain or stiffness, throat tickle, irritation or coughing, stuffy noise, sinus trouble, excessive mucus, acne, cysts, hives or rashes, flushing, water retention, skin puffiness, craving certain foods, compulsive or binge eating, and of course many different digestive problems.
The good news: Inflammation is fixable: “Our best tool to reverse inflammation isn’t a drug, but our diets,” says Barry Sears, PhD, a former research scientist at Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of the forthcoming Toxic Fat Syndrome. One of the most common reasons for inflammation is food sensitivities and intolerance. These are inflammatory responses that occur when the gut fails to break down certain foods.
The problem with chronic inflammation is that the immune system is constantly activated, is on over time alert, this weakens the immune system and opens the door to diseases. Ultimately, the immune system can even turn against healthy cells, leading to auto-immune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, Lupus, Fibromyalgia and Multiple Sclerosis. Chronic inflammation is even linked to cancer. Fortunately, chronic inflammation is something you prevent through a healthy diet and exercise regimen.
5 Natural Remedies to Fight Inflammation:
1. Choose your foods: Eat plenty of anti-inflammatory foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, omega-3 fatty acids, nuts and legumes. Avoid pro-inflammatory foods such as processed foods, sugar, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), trans fats, alcohol, fried foods, sugars, carbs, and caffeine.
2. Investigate food intolerance or sensitivities: Even if whole grains are usually anti-inflammatory, if you’re sensitive to gluten then eating whole wheat will trigger inflammation in your body, this is true with almost any food. Try an elimination diet to spot problematic foods for you. Start by restricting the most known allergens like dairy, wheat, corn, sugar, soy, eggs and peanuts. Keep a food diary to identify negative reactions, which can be immediate or delayed for hours or even days. Then root out food sensitivities by following an elimination diet for at least a week. It might seem a little overwhelming, but it will be well worth it if you find a trigger food or foods. there’s still plenty things to eat. After one month on this diet, you can start to add one “forbidden” food back at a time and see how it goes. This way you can spot which foods can trigger inflammation in your own body. Click on this link and it will help explain the elimination.
3. Take care of your digestive tract: The better you digest foods, the less inflammation you will have. You can try adding probiotic to your diet to promote a healthy digestive tract. Alternatively, you can give your stomach a boost by drinking 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in 1 cup of water before each meal.
4. Add Spice to your life: Most of herbs and spices offer excellent anti-inflammatory effects. Turmeric, the spice used in curry, is probably the champion but cinnamon, garlic and ginger are also good. Treat pain with a natural supplement.
Herbal products such that contain ginger, other spices, and fish oil can reduce pain caused by inflammation. Both are a natural anti-inflammatory, and if taken regularly, they can produce the same effects as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, normally without side effects.
5. Exercise daily: Regular exercise helps to reset the inflammatory process. While you don’t have to be extreme, it takes consistent exercise to lower your inflammation levels. Why not start with a brisk walk and increase you exercise, slowly.
If you are dealing with chronic inflammation — please try some of these suggestion, you just might find the answer. It does take work and perseverance. Please don’t give up!
Quote of the Day: Necessity is the mother of invention! – Proverb
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I notice a big difference when I’m over consuming sugar and other simple carbs. BTW The link to Ultra Simple Diet Challenge doesn’t seem to work. I’m going to check it out the “long way” Have a great weekend 🙂
Thanks Lydia and also can’t get the Ultra Simple Diet Challenge apparently the source is inactive that I linked to. Processed sugar and some carbs can be very harmful to our health. Have a wonderful healthy day!
I struggle with inflammation on occasion. Since I made homemade cayenne tincture it seems to be less and less. Great information!
Thanks Mary, many homemade tinctures are wonderful for many health issues and I know cayenne pepper helps many deal with inflammation of the joints. Thanks so reading my article. Have a healthy day!
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