Could inflammation be the root cause of your health issues?

Inflammation is our body’s healthy response when it comes to acute injury as our self-defence mechanism, however, when we fight chronic and/or hidden inflammation, it can simply turn into a more wide spread disease.

Almost every modern health problem - heart disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, dementia, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, allergies and digestive disorders - are caused by or affected by inflammation.(1,2)

The root causes of inflammation can stem back to childhood, such as how we were born, if we were breastfed, how much antibiotic treatments we received, but they also come from current issues like taking NSAID drugs, being under too much stress, consuming excessive levels of alcohol or dealing with (especially unknowingly) GI illness or infections that do not show up in simple blood tests.

These factors (and more) can contribute to a damaged, unbalanced gut flora which can result in something that’s been called “leaky gut”.(3) Leaky gut allows proteins to penetrate the gut lining and get into our bloodstream where it wreaks havoc to our delicate and compromised system.

Reducing environmental stressors therefore is crucial to address inflammation in our body.

Here is what you can do step up your healthy lifestyle:

1. HYDRATE MORE

Keeping your body hydrated and flushing out toxins is essential and your #1 priority. Start your day with a couple of glasses of water and continue to hydrate throughout the day. Add lemon or ginger to your cup not only to make “boring” water more exciting but for their cleansing and digestive benefits as well. However folks, coffee and soda do not count! They can promote a more acidic environment in our body which is a great breeding soil for harmful microorganisms or pathogens.

2. EAT MORE VEGETABLES

I know it sounds boring (or challenging) but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to eat your vegetables. Veggies are full of nutrients our bodies need to function well and to keep us in a more alkaline state. Include veggies in every meal - breakfast, lunch and dinner! Build your plate right with at least 65-75% greens and colorful produce. This doesn’t mean living off salads though! Eating more cooked vegetables is important to keep a healthy internal balance according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine(4), especially if you live in colder climates where keeping your inner warmth is essential.

3. REDUCE ALL SUGAR SOURCES

We all know that too much sugar is at the root of weight gain, but did you also know that sugar feeds yeast, bacteria, parasites and even cancer cells?(5) Therefore eliminating or significantly reducing sugar gets rid of the food source of what may be causing the inflammation. However, many people think that avoiding cane sugar is enough and so they fill up on carbohydrates such as baked goods, grains, granola bars, trail mixes or sweet fruits like bananas. The reality is that even these foods can convert into sugar rapidly, spiking blood sugar and feeding inflammation, so ditch these food from your diet. Satisfy your sweet tooth with some yams, squash or sweet potatoes in your meals or reach for a juicy orange instead of filling up on grains, fruits or dried fruits. When it comes to sweeteners find local, raw honey, use stevia drops or try warming spices to make your foods more satisfying.

4. CUT OUT TRIGGER FOODS

When you are trying to heal from chronic health issues, it is useful to go on an elimination diet to reduce your body’s burden from complex digestion. Common triggers add to your inflammatory load thus making your immune system weaker. These triggers are gluten, grains, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, nuts, shellfish, yeast or histamine foods. You can choose to eliminate these in stages so you don’t feel overwhelmed but give yourself a couple of weeks before you reintroduce them into your diet. Make sure you add foods back one by one so you will get an understanding what may be aggravating your symptoms and inflammation most.

5. FIND THE RIGHT SUPPLEMENTS TO SUPPORT HEALING

While food is medicine, many times we need the extra boost to heal quicker. Fighting any kind of yeast, bacterial, viral or parasitic overgrowth by merely eating right can be a real struggle and a painful experience. However, when you address the real cause of your inflammation and determine the right path to healing, supplements can play a tremendous role in making your system less burdened allowing your body to heal, which in turn, will give you more energy and mental clarity.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO BE YOUR BEST SELF.

Are you ready to take the necessary steps towards a healthier you, but not sure where to start? Have diets failed you?

Allow me to be your guide in your healing journey and let me give you the helping hand you have been waiting for!

Best in health,

Viktoria

References:

1. Dr. Mark Hyman http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/04/28/ultrawellness-lesson-2-inflammation-immune-balance/

2. Dr. Frank Lipman https://www.bewell.com/blog/15-fast-fixes-to-fight-inflammation/

3. Dr. Frank Lipman https://www.bewell.com/blog/5-things-to-know-about-inflammation/

4. Alex Tan https://thehutong.com/cooked-vs-raw-foods-tcm-perspective/

5. Otto Warburg https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/otto-warburg-cancer/