This is What Chronic Inflammation Does To Your Body + (How To Reverse It)

What is Chronic Inflammation

Most often inflammation and chronic inflammation are mistaken as similar; however, the two are different conditions.  Acute Inflammation is known as the immune response to an infection, pain, o injury and that isn’t really a concern.  Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is a disease and that is when drastic lifestyle changes must take place.

Chronic Inflammation is often times the root cause of chronic degenerative diseases. While the normal type of inflammation may be good for the body as part of the natural defense mechanism, helping it heal and protect itself, chronic inflammation has been found to be more damaging to your organs than scientists ever thought.

When the immune system shows signs of imbalance and the causative agent persists, it can cause acute inflammation to become chronic, igniting feelings of a smoldering fire in the body, pain, and discomfort which contributes to disease. According to the Center for Disease Control, 7 out of 10 Americans lose their lives due to chronic disease.

Causes of Chronic Inflammation

An inflammatory response that continues for a prolonged duration- chronic inflammation is caused by:

Certain foods, including dairy products especially from commercial feedlot animals, sugar, coffee, according to the pcrm.org website, might also be regarded as allergens causing chronic inflammation. Inflammation becomes chronic when there is a persistent stimulus, coming from environmental toxins,  cigarette smoke and household chemicals.

Free radicals damage our cells and DNA via a process best known as oxidation.  Free radicals develop in foods prepared using processed vegetable oils (fried foods or rancid oils=oxidation), high fructose corn syrup– which combined are usually the end result of most processed foods.

The stimulus might also be an allergy to gluten or a low-grade or a lingering infection from an old injury. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, which belong to the immune system, kill cells having oxidative chemicals. However, if they continue to attack, they start killing the cells needed by the body to thrive.  The good news is that, by adding Antioxidants from foods vegetables, fruits, healthy fish and fats to your diet–you can prevent and even reverse the formation of free radicals.

Signs & Symptoms	What Contributes To Chronic Inflammation	What Reverses Chronic Inflammation
Fatigue	Sugar	Vegetables Juice
Gastro-Intestinal disorders	Processed Foods	Gluten Free Foods (Buckwheat, Quinoa,Millet, Rice, Non-GMO Corn)
Chronic pain (muscles, joints,migraines)	Alcohol	Avoid Grains(if severe inflammation)
Allergies that worsen	high fructose corn syrup	Turmeric, Ginger & Aloe Vera
Fatigue, weakness	Feed-lot commercial meats	Pastured, Organic humanly raised meats,butter (CLA)
Elevated Glucose Levels	High glycemic Index Foods	Salmon, Sardines or supplementing with  Krill & Fish Oils
Skin irritations, rashes	Pesticides & herbicides	Fruits (preferably organic)
High Blood pressure	No sleep	Mild-hacking cough
Stress & Little Sleep	Stressful job, unhealthy habits	Meditation, Yoga, good solid sleep,

How Chronic Inflammation Affects the Body

How to Prevent, Cure, and Reverse Chronic Inflammation:

Prevention should always be your first goal in avoiding chronic inflammation. However, if you are already there, you can do the following:

•  Immediately change your lifestyle and adopt a balanced diet rich in nourishing, anti inflammatory juices, and healing foods .   That way you will be ahead of the game in fighting the root cause of many diseases: Chronic Inflammation.   Here are an example of other foods that lower inflammation while reducing pain at the same time.
  
• 
• Remove alcohol, processed foods, sugar (hidden in many packaged, baked goods, and refined carbs).   Here is a great interactive Anti-Inflammatory-Food-Pyramid created by Dr. Weil with reliable and sound advice on what foods to eat lots of and what foods/drinks to consume in moderation.  
  Note: While I love this advise I use coconut and avocado oil, pastured butter or ghee for cooking and DO NOT USE or recommend (canola oil). 
  
  
•  As we all know processed foods and SUGAR are the culprit of inflammation, but don’t forget that alcohol and excessive stress contribute to the problem in many ways than one.  That is why, the key to reversing inflammation is to add anti-inflammatory foods listed here, cut down on alcohol to a minimum, sleeping well, and managing stress by practicing activities such as tapping therapy, yoga, meditation, and pretty much anything that lowers your pulse/heart rate.   Studies like this one have connected a high pulse rate to heart attacks and cardiovascular disease.
• Turmeric, for example, has one of the highest anti-inflammatory factors of any spice, along with ginger, and a diet rich in mostly raw vegetables.

As always thanks for reading!

Do you or someone you know suffer from chronic inflammation, and rely heavily on medication?  I’m wondering what other people think about natural treatments to reverse it. Tell me about your experience in the comments below.

To your best health,

References

http://hnrca.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/SlowBurn_TuftsMag_07.12.pdf

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/ss07/inflammation.html

http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/terrain/chronic_inflammation.htm

http://www.lef.org/protocols/health_concerns/chronic_inflammation_01.htm

http://www.chuckbauman.com/real-flames-photos.htm

http://scdlifestyle.com/2012/10/chronic-inflammation-signs-symptoms-and-testing/

http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/pyramid/press-foodpyramid.html