Inflammation: Everything You Need To Know
It's important for you to understand HOW inflammation impacts your body and HOW to find relief. If you suffer from joint pains, arthritis, or any other serious chronic inflammation, you need solutions!
Updated on 08/20/19 - I've added a section with solutions at the end of this article. I highlight exactly what you can do to find relief by using CuraMed, an anti-inflammatory supplement. But first, let's start with understanding inflammation itself.
What is inflammation?
The word inflammation comes from the Latin word “inflammo,” which means to set on fire. Have you ever been in so much pain that you feel like a certain part of your body is actually on fire? Or how about when you eat something and your stomach feels swollen and painful. These are both examples of inflammation in your body.
Inflammation, or fire, is an immune response within your body. Your innate immune system, or our automatic immune system, is programmed into our genetics. We don’t have to ask or make our bodies create inflammation when we are injured in some way. Our bodies innately know how to combat injury and illness through inflammation.
Inflammation can be seen visually on the outside of your body. You recognize this as a bump, scrape, or bruise with redness or swelling and the area becomes painful to the touch. These are typical signs of inflammation.
Inflammation can also be invisible to the naked eye. If you go to the doctor and she orders a C-reactive protein blood test, your results will be measuring the overall inflammation in your entire body. This will be the “invisible” inflammation within your body. That systemic inflammation may be caused by a problem in your heart, joints, intestines or bloodstream.
Acute inflammation is short-term inflammation and is a normal part of our body's innate immune system. An example of acute inflammation is when you close a door on your finger. The finger turns red, swells, and throbs. But within a few days, the finger has returned to normal size and color. The innate immune system has taken care of the injury and the tissues have been repaired.
Chronic inflammation is usually an invisible/systemic type of inflammation. Examples of chronic inflammation are arthritis, Crohn's disease, chronic sinusitis, Lupus, or neuropathy. In these conditions, you may not see the inflammation, but you feel the symptoms or side effects of the inflammation that is happening inside the body.
What causes inflammation?
Inflammation, both visible and invisible, can be caused by a myriad of factors. Visible inflammation is usually caused by an acute injury, like breaking your leg or cutting your finger. In these cases, you will see redness, swelling, and discoloration. Invisible or systemic inflammation is caused by so many different variables.
Sometimes the systemic inflammation within our bodies is caused by our own immune systems attacking various tissues. These types of inflammation are called autoimmune conditions. Some examples of autoimmune conditions are Hashimoto’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Emotional stress also causes systemic inflammation within our bodies. Cortisol is the hormone our body releases when we are faced with both physical and emotional stress. It also helps our bodies create inflammation when we need it, like when we are injured or ill. But when we are too stressed for too long, cortisol can no longer regulate inflammation.
This then gives way to chronic and systemic inflammation, which can take over your body. Additionally, a recent study indicated that long term stress actually changes the way the immune cells are made within your bone marrow. In other words, prolonged stress will cause your body to make rogue immune cells that are ready to cause autoimmune diseases instead of fighting real invaders. That is not good news to the 49% of Americans who say that they have had a major stressful event in the last year.
Solutions for inflammation
So enough of the bad news, let’s hear the good news. The power is within your hands, mind, and body to reduce and control your inflammation levels. The most important strategy is to eat a healthy and anti-inflammatory diet. If you aren't sure where to start, set up an appointment with me and I will guide you through the Pure PaeoCleanse 14 Day Detox. During this program you will learn which foods are anti-inflammatory and which foods will cause inflammation.
The second most important strategy is to take supplements for chronic inflammation. Many supplements help with inflammation, but the king of inflammation-controlling herbs is our golden darling, turmeric. Over 3,000 medical studies have proven that turmeric reduces inflammation. Interested in learning more about turmeric and all of its benefits? Check out my article: What is Turmeric.
The most absorbable form of turmeric is Terry Naturally's CuraMed. Not only does it do its job well, but it won't break the bank. This makes it your most cost effective choice!
If you're interested in a supplement for chronic inflammation that has other pain relieving aspects, check out my blog post about Curamin Extra Strength.
Now that you are more educated on inflammation, don't delay. Take care of yourself by eating anti-inflammatory foods with a healthy diet and by taking a turmeric-based supplement to reduce inflammation.
For additional recipes, biohacking tips and lifestyle hacks -- check out my other blog on my coaching site www.cleancoachcarly.com! I post weekly about nutrition and lifestyle topics, all backed by science. Happy Reading!
Carly Neubert BA, NC
