Inflammation

The Main contributor to chronic illness

Chronic inflammation drives malignancy and is one of the main causes of disease.

A few examples of diseases that are caused by chronic low-level inflammation:

• Coronary artery disease – inflammation in the arteries.

• Alzheimer’s – inflammation in the brain.

• Cancer – inflammation stimulates cancer cells to divide more rapidly.

 An effective way of treating chronic illness is by lowering inappropriate levels of inflammation in the body.

Food

Food has an enormous impact on our immune systems and a poor diet is one of the biggest drivers of inflammation in the body. The “Standard American Diet” is pro-inflammatory and has been shown to cause illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Food is medicine and it has the power to prevent, treat and reverse disease. An anti-inflammatory diet eliminates processed foods, bad carbs and sugar, and incorporates a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. There are lots of good fats and carbs out there, so it’s important to know the difference. In addition to reducing inflammation, a healthy diet is important in maintaining a strong gut microbiome, which is one of the main determinants of physical and mental health.

Foods that fight inflammation: olive oil, berries, fatty fish, broccoli, peppers, avocado, mushrooms, green tea, turmeric, ginger, and my personal favorite - dark chocolate!

Stress

Excess cortisol and epinephrin, stress hormones, also cause inflammation. There is good and bad stress. The bad kind of stress is chronic, meaning it lasts over a long period of time, resulting in a pro-inflammatory state, and eventually, disease. A constant state of stress can also lead you to make poor eating choices. It affects not only what we eat, but also how much we eat - think turning to “comfort foods” and binge eating when you feel stressed. It also affects how our body responds to food - we store food as fat when we're stressed.

Behaviors that help lower stress: meditation, breathwork, exercise, and sleep.

Treatment

The overwhelming majority of disease is behaviorally or mentally induced, which is why it’s so important for everyone to learn and practice some method of neutralizing the harmful effects of stress on the mind and body, in addition to healthy eating habits.

Before you turn to powerful immune suppressing drugs, I encourage you to first try lifestyle adjustments to see how you can modify illness. Work with me to learn how!