Chronic inflammation, the silent assassin
Posted by FJ Leto on August 26, 2021
What it is, what it does, and how to prevent, reduce and reverse the damage.
Do you know what heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, arthritis, alzheimer’s, crohn’s disease, and high blood pressed all have in common?
Recent findings suggest that they are all linked to chronic inflammation, a largely preventable condition caused by in part, possibly entirely, by modern diet and lifestyle.
Chronic inflammation is a systemic reaction within the body, putting certain elements, areas or the entire body into a inflammatory response state.
This state is not necessarily a bad thing, we actually need this response to protect our body during acute instances, like injuries or toxic exposure.
When you get a mosquito bite, your body triggers an acute inflammatory response to quarantine the toxins injected into the skin by the mosquito creating that little, itchy red bump.
When the toxins are handled, the inflammation disappears naturally.
Chronic inflammation occurs when that immune response doesn’t turn all the way off, leaving the body in a constricted, inflamed and defensive state which can damage other parts of the body 24/7.
Research is now suggesting that this damage is likely the main, or one of the precursors to almost every chronic degenerative disease we face today.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is many cases of chronic inflammation are within our power to prevent, reduce and reverse with simple diet and lifestyle habits.
How to reduce chronic inflammation
Eating a diet rich in plant based whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, that is low or devoid of dairy, alcohol, tobacco, processed foods, refined grains and sugars, and conventional meat is a great start to living an inflammation-free lifestyle.
Adding in items like turmeric, ginger and chia, hemp or flax seeds into the diet can give you an extra edge, as they are all anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants, and/or a good source of inflammation reducing omega 3.
Juicing and fasting have also shown positive results to help reduce and prevent chronic inflammation and keep the inflammation low over long periods of time as well (one of our favorite methods!).