Balance Your Body's Inflammation Response

Balance Your Body's Inflammation Response

'Inflammation' has become such a dirty word in the health community that it may surprise some to be reminded that it is part of a normal immune response.

Acute inflammation is part of the body’s normal first line of defense, when the immune system gets help—like white blood cells—to an injury site. This acute response is aimed at getting rid of whatever is causing the injury. Think acute care center, a place to manage injuries and other immediate health interruptions and quickly get the person back to everyday life.

When everyday inflammation continues, it is probably a chronic condition, meaning it stays around after the injury has been dealt with. Think Thanksgiving guests that stay until New Year’s Day. 

The basics are thus: our body needs its acute inflammation response to get well, yet our body is harmed by chronic everyday inflammation as it stays long after it is wanted.

The bottom line is that our body has a use for its inflammation response, so eliminating it altogether is not an option.

We also need the end of everyday inflammation, so supporting a balanced response is what we are after.

What can we do to keep a balanced inflammatory response?

Activity

  • Just 20 minutes of moderate exercise can decrease inflammatory responses
  • Prayer/Meditation can dampen or deactivate genes associated with inflammation

Foods

Do Eat:

  • Vegetables
  • Fruits
  • Water (Purified is great)
  • Beans & Legumes
  • Healthy Fats
  • Antioxidant-rich Herbs & Spices
  • Protein
  • Herbal Tea
  • Fresh Fruit & Veggie Juices

Do Not Eat:

  • Sugar
  • Saturated and Trans- Fats
  • High Omega 6 Oils (we’ll talk more about this later)
  • Refined Carbohydrates such as white flour
  • MSG
  • Alcohol
  • Other common triggers include:
    • Gluten
    • Casein
    • Aspartame

Supplements

  • Omega 3
    • Omega 3 is necessary for the subsiding of the response while Omega 6 is necessary for the inducing of it. The American diet contains plenty of Omega 6, so much so that there is usually an imbalance between Omega oils in the body. Getting extra Omega 3 can help put the omega oils and the response back into balance.
  • Curcumin
    • Especially useful in chronic pain associated with the body's normal activities.
    • Curcumin comes from plants in the Curcuma family, especially turmeric. Yet, turmeric has only about 5% curcumin, so if you want to take a supplement, make sure to look for curcumin, not just turmeric.
  • Boswellia
    • Frankincense is from the resin of the boswellia tree.
    • Frankincense is especially useful for joints.
    • Boswellia itself is also powerfully useful.
  • White Willow Bark with caution
    • Commonly used when pain is present.
    • Not for children as we don't know if it can cause Reyes Syndrome like aspirin, which originated as an extract of willow bark.
    • Check to see if you are in one of the categories of people who should not use willow bark.
  • Cayenne
    • A stimulant that can help move blood through tissue, recommended by Dr. Christopher for tissue trauma.

    Which kind is it?

    Acute symptoms or signs
    (take care of injury or trauma):

    • pain
    • redness
    • swelling
    • immobility
    • heat (the affected area feeling warm to the touch)

    Chronic symptoms or signs
    (take steps to balance daily inflammation response):

    • fatigue
    • mouth sores
    • chest pain
    • abdominal pain
    • fever
    • rash
    • joint pain

     By Kathie Lowry, Staff Writer