Chronic Inflammation, Do YOU have it?

What is it exactly?

Inflammation is meant to help the body deal with problems and infections. The act of inflammation it's self is not the problem and when in proper working order, it's exceptionally helpful. It helps make blood clot when there is a wound as well as increases the blood flow. Wherever there is a threat to the body, whether it be perceived (emotional hurt) or serious i-just-tore-off-my-leg kind of action, the process of inflammation is ready to act. 

We run into a problem when inflammation continues on too long and becomes chronic inflammation.  It kills off the good and healthy cells in an attempt to get rid of the bad bacteria. Look at it this way: Cops are often great at hitting the scene of the crime efficiently and taking care of the problem. But what would happen if they stayed there too long and perceived everything as a threat, no matter how normal the situation? The cops would start creating new problems, and what was once a great help now hinders the normal functioning processes.

And especially now-a-days when people are putting their bodies through the max every waking moment (and sometimes sleeping!) the process of inflammation is on overdrive. Gum disease and painful stomach ulcers can be linked with the over production of H. pylori bacteria.  When the process of inflammation lasts too long, it can easily spread to other parts of the body from where it originally started.

What are some of the problems it can result in?

List Courtesy of 'Best Remedies' by Mary L. Hardy (MD) and Debra L. Gordon
1. Acne
2. Allergies
3. Alzheimer's disease
4. Asthma
5. Burstitis and tendinitis
6. Some cancers
7. Carpal tunnel syndrome
8. Congestive heart failure
9. Coronary artery disease
10. Dandruff
11. Type two diabetes
12. Diverticulitis
13. Eczema
14. Endometriosis
15. Fibromyalgia
16. Gum disease
17. Hepatitis
18. Herpes
19. High blood pressure
20. High cholesterol
21. Hives
22. Inflammatory bowel disease
23. Lupus
24. Menstrual cramps
25. Obesity
26. Parkinson's disease
27. Peripheral vascular disease
28. Premenstrual disorder
29. Psoriasis
30. Rheumatoid arthritis
31. Rosacea
32. Sinusitis and sinus infections

What are the huge contributors to chronic inflammation?

Belly fat (AKA, your husband's regal beer gut and your best friend's darling muffin top!), lack of adequate sleep, foods high in trans-fat, saturation, heavily processed foods and heavy meat diets, and living life in the fast lane (heavy emotional ups and downs CONSTANTLY). Oh, and smoking. But you knew that one right? ;)

But looking at it realistically...?

It's been said that life isn't worth living without a little fun. I can safely say that up until recently, I definitely participated in many of the above activities. I'm nineteen for flip's sake. And to be completely honest, if I hadn't have been diagnosed with my IBD (or IBS) and my interstitial cystitis, I would still be rocking out life like there was no tomorrow.  Not that I don't rock life now, but in a significantly more beneficial way. Granted I do still pull the all nighters and sneak in a burger now and then.

I get it. Life happens and it's really hard to take control of everything flying around you.  Especially when the things around you are super fun or ultra demanding. It can seem impossible to change up the habits that are harming you.  But like my car tire example (here), or the empty gas tank idea (you can't run a car without gas), your body WILL run out of steam eventually. And if you could do all of the same awesome things you do now; party with your friends, run a corporation, raise your screaming triplets and compete in the rodeo, AND feel great at the same time, wouldn't you? That's what shaking up your lifestyle is all about. Trading in the bad for the good to get better results.

K, great, but how? Can I start right now? How long is this whole thing going to take?

Jeeze, get to the point shall we? Well, here's the truth. Changing your world around takes time. It's not an overnight process and it's not like a pill that you can pop to get rid of your headache. It takes commitment to yourself and a true desire to want to change. Sometimes that desire can be because you're sick of dealing with the repercussions of your actions. In my case, I could choose to eat that delicious steak and gobble up every bite. BUT, I soon realized that I would pay for that choice by spending the next several hours in hell-fire pain and literally able to watch my colon spasm through my belly. Clearly, my choices were laid out for me. For a lot of people, maybe even yourself, the choice of change has to come through willpower. Stay up all night, drink fifty coffees to stay awake and feel like crap later? Or pace yourself, stop procrastinating and get the project or job done earlier so that you can sleep. Instead of coping with stress by smoking, you could try walking? Honestly, as you're reading these examples, so many of them are going to sound so cliché that you will probably block them out. The whole point is, if you want to make the change to get rid of your chronic inflammation, YES you can start now. But it start's with YOU. *Only you can prevent forest fires ;) *

Diet

One of the most potent ways to stop chronic inflammation in it's tracks is by switching up things in your diet.

Omega 3's- Lay off the fatty beef and switch to fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines, herring along with halibut and mackerel all have high amounts of omega-3's in them. Seafood has shown to have more omega-3's than fresh water fish. Also if you can, try to get wild fish rather than the farm raised fishies. 

Hate fish?- Start with tuna. It's less fishy than the rest. And no, fish sticks don't count as fish.

Oils- Stay away from most vegetable oils and add more olive oils and canola oils. Vegetable oils that won't cut it include corn, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, sunflower and sesame. They have omega-6's that are through the roof.

Switch up your greens- Or more literally, make sure that your salad actually IS green. Change up your cabbage for spinach. Two servings or more of dark, leafy greens should do the trick.

Lay off the trans-fats and saturated fats. - The FDA is now required to put trans-fat ingredients in the label, so start reading.  Even if you can cut out one fatty food that you eat regularly, it will slowly by surely help make a difference.

Legumes!- Walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds… You can't go wrong. Just don't eat more than an ounce a day. That would be bad. So just, no. Mmkay?

Organic- If you're like me, you probably don't fully believe that organic is any better for you than regular food. But for argument's sake, lets just assume that it is and start trying to incorporate more organic food in your diet. I started off by getting organic spinach for my salads. I'm still not super organic, but I've upped it to getting organic eggs too. It's baby steps that turn into running, my friends :)

Fruits and veggies- Incorporate more berries and vegetables to get all of their wonderful antioxidant benefits

Fun Stuff? - Dark chocolate, moderate wine consumption, green and black tea and berries.

Lifestyle Lifts

Easy things to change- Start taking short walks and try to add an hour more of sleep to your night. Add 81 milligrams of baby aspirin a day (after getting your doctor's okay!). Drink more water!!

More difficult things to adapt to- Work on adding 30 minutes of exercise a day, maintain an average of 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and start working on getting existing conditions cleared up with antibiotics from your doctor.

Things that require the most commitment? - Getting acupuncture weekly (sorry, but I definitely don't have the time or cash for that one) and quitting smoking.

The bottom line?

Chronic inflammation can take a HUGE toll on your body in everything that you do. By alleviating some of the causes of it, you can start changing how you look and feel and begin ridding yourself of common ailments that can rule your life completely.

In addition, here's a list of different vitamins and minerals that can make a difference in your world. However, before you start popping a handful of vitamins thinking it's going to fix everything, go re-read this post. The change has to start in your LIFE. No worries though, you can do it.

Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin E, ginger and green tea have all been showed to reduce chronic bodily inflammation.