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PAIN & INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is a normal protective response of the body to injury and infection. It is a beneficial part of your immune process.

This response is your defense system coming “to the rescue” — fighting against the offender and trying to keep the acute injury and inflammatory response localized and under control.

The tissue affected gets warm, reddens, and swells; depending on where the inflammation is, you may feel pain or the inflammation may be “silent.”

The cause of the inflammation might be something noticeable to you, like a splinter, twisted ankle, bruise, surgical operation or bacterial or viral infection.

Or it might go unnoticed or undiagnosed and lead to results like deposits of atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries, reactions to foods to which you are intolerant, deposits of immune complexes in the body tissues, or compromised insulin receptor sites which could be a precursor to diabetes.

After an initial inflammatory response, there’s a “clean-up” phase — the removal of the waste materials, like impurities and toxins. And finally, there’s the “restorative” phase, when the damaged site gets repaired and heals.

What Happens When the Inflammatory Process is “Broken?”

If the initial local response and healing are not fully successful, a secondary inflammatory reaction takes place which affects the whole body. Mediators in the body stimulate heat and the body begins a systemic inflammatory response, bringing in more resources, including enzymes to resolve the injury.

The body may get “confused” and start to recognize its own tissues as foreign, which it will try to defend against. This auto-immunity may result in a self-attack on joints, skin, connective tissue, blood cells or other areas.

Immune complexes may deposit in tissues throughout your body which promote a chronic inflammatory state. The inflammatory process becomes uncontrolled and destroys tissues in the body. A vicious cycle is set into motion while the original cause of the inflammation goes unresolved!

Many of our modern chronic western diseases — such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, even Alzheimer’s and possibly depression and obesity — are conditions where the human inflammatory response has gone awry and is not held within certain limits.

Food and Inflammation

The Standard American Diet (also know as the SAD diet) can promote an inflammatory response.

For the average American, their diet consists largely of highly processed foods, fried foods, red meat, high fat dairy, refined grains, sugar, corn oil, corn fed livestock, and few vegetables and fruits.

This Standard American Diet is low in protective elements like fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, some minerals and vitamins, and high in unhealthful things like excessive calories, sugar, saturated fat and pesticides.

However, inflammation can be reduced by shifting to eating more foods that are anti-inflammatory!

  • An anti-inflammatory diet has a high proportion of fresh salads (lots of green leafy vegetables), all kinds of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lentils, beans, herbs and spices, fresh fish, and low fat dairy.
  • An anti-inflammatory diet also has a low proportion of red meat (especially corn fed), eggs, and high fat dairy products. It contains little or no processed, “white” or sugar-laden foods or foods that contain trans fatty acids, artificial sweeteners and additives like food coloring.

Eating foods grown without pesticides (from a local farm that doesn’t use pesticides or foods labeled organic) and prepared foods without additives is better for the body as well. Detoxification and clearance of pesticides and additives are added stressors to the body and some people are less equipped to do so.

Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition Supplements

Several nutrition supplements can also be very effective in reducing inflammation in your body, reducing pain at its root cause, not just masking symptoms.

I use many of these supplements every day. They have made a big difference for me and for many of my clients — less pain and better ability to exercise and move.
When you are able to do more things physically, with ease, it translates into having a better quality of life.
Check out my online store for some of my favorite anti-inflammatory nutrition supplements
SHOP PAIN + INFLAMMATION

Botanicals

  • Curcumin, which comes from the spice Turmeric, can offer natural pain relief by decreasing inflammation and swelling by working on the COX-2 enzymes (as do aspirin and ibuprofen) as well as modulating other inflammatory pathways.
  • Boswellia, also known as Frankincense, has an anti-inflammatory action on mucosal linings in the gut and upper and lower respiratory tracts (sinuses, lung and bronchi). Boswellia helps modulate the activity of the inflammatory enzyme 5-LOX (lipoxygenase).

Read more: Curcumin, Boswellia & Inflammation/Pain

Enzymes

  • Research studies suggest that proteolytic enzymes (such as nattokinase and serratiopeptidase) support healthy circulation and speed healing. Certain proteases digest the protein coating of harmful microorganisms like viruses, yeast, bacteria and parasites as well as the coating of harmful immune complexes. Proteases may also contribute to the expulsion of harmful particles by stimulating phagocytes (cells that ingest foreign particles and debris) and accelerating elimination by way of the lymphatic system. Systemic enzyme supplements can support a balanced inflammatory response.

Read more: Enzymes and Pain

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

  • The very high ratio of Omega 6′s in most Americans’ diets as compared with Omega 3′s promotes inflammation. Taking a dietary supplement of Omega-3 fatty acids every day can help balance that ratio and reduce inflammation.

Read more: Omega-3’s and Inflammation

Double Helix Water

  • Double Helix Water, stable water clusters, may help reduce inflammation by bypassing blocked or misaligned meridians, working in a way similar to acupuncture. Thermal imaging (before and after taking DHW) demonstrates that Double Helix Water can reduce the body’s inflammation.

Read more: Double Helix Water and Inflammation

Reducing Inflammation with Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes are also fundamental to calming inflammation.
Here are some suggestions:

  • incorporate healthy daily exercise
  • get 8-9 hours of sleep per night
  • reduce emotional stress/increase constructive outlets
  • build in relaxation, recreation, and fun
  • practice deep breathing, good posture
  • build personal relationships and sense of community
  • limit environmental stressors (tobacco smoke, air pollutants, toxins, excessive UV light, alcohol/drugs)

Chronic inflammation has often taken years to develop and it may take time to get back into balance.

However, with diet and lifestyle modifications as well as incorporating certain nutrition supplements, inflammation and pain can subside.

Restoring a healthy inflammatory response is foundational to achieving wellness and maintaining good health.