Is Inflammation a Sign of the Times

Have you been hearing the term ‘inflammation’ used a lot lately but not really sure what it means?

Inflammation is a normal physiological response produced by our bodies in acute situations such as during infection and injury when damage is caused to cells. Our immune system through the release of chemicals is alerted resulting in the characteristic signs of redness, heat (temperature), swelling, pain and loss of function.

In chronic situations however, inflammation becomes a vastly different scenario. Our modern lifestyles which include diets high in processed foods, sugar, saturated fats, alcohol, and additives and are low in fibre combined with a sedentary lifestyle, high stress levels and an abundance of environmental toxins, wreak havoc on our immune system keeping it on high alert, preventing our body’s ability to maintain balance, leaving us in a consistent state of low-grade inflammation.

It is this chronic low-grade inflammation that has been researched as being correlated with many diseases from asthma, obesity, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease all the way through to cancer.

So, what can we do? 

Positive dietary and lifestyle habits are the easiest and best tools to use as they allow our bodies to use its innate ability to restore balance.

Several foods including, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines, leafy greens such as spinach and kale as well as berries, olive oil and spices such as ginger, garlic, curcumin (turmeric) and cinnamon as well as many others are examples of anti-inflammatory foods due to their high level of antioxidants which naturally reduce inflammation.

Reducing consumption of inflammatory foods, reducing stress levels through movement and meditation, and reducing environmental toxin exposure are all ways to help alleviate this disease burden.

Want to know more? Book a consultation and have a personalized plan put in place to help you reduce inflammation and bring your body back into balance.