Inflammation is a message, not the enemy. The good thing is, is that we can control it. But if we don't listen, it'll keep speaking louder and louder, that we see as symptoms.
It might be common, but it isn’t normal or random, and science tells us it’s your body responding to a perceived threat.
When I first learnt about inflammation, it changed the way I thought about health, how I REALLY feel and finally made me WILLING to make changes.
Please note: I'm willing to unpack your issues in the comments of the original post here. This is a topic that I love.
Short stints of inflammation is normal, and can help us heal from threats in our body, however prolonged, chronic inflammation that is coming from an underlying trigger really needs to be looked at seriously. Chronic inflammation can be the underlying cause of headaches, migraines, body aches and pains, arthritis, autoimmune diseases like thyroid disease, lupus and multiple sclerosis and more. Prevention with these diseases is KEY, and we can prevent these diseases by doing the best we can now, such as by reducing our inflammation.
Whilst I do not recommend weighing yourself daily as this can cause unnecessary mental distress, it can be a beneficial tool when LEARNING about inflammation and how food and lifestyle impacts your inflammatory response. Something you ate 2-3 days ago can cause a large spike in water weight and show up on the scales by how much you weigh, suck as a sudden 500g-3kg gain of weight. This is FLUID, not fat or muscle. It can be an incredible learning tool - it makes you go 'oh my goodness, that xx made my body scream and now I am feeling it in fluid, headaches, fatigue and more'.
Common triggers:
1. What we eat.
- Processed foods, sugars due to blood sugar imbalances, foods your body reacts to, and studies have shown that leaky gut/intestinal permeability can occur in 100% of people from gliadin exposure which is a component in gluten. Gluten itself can be an enormous trigger of inflammation, as the modern wheat grain has been chemically hybridised (very different to traditional wheat) and is also usually not fermented as it should be for us to tolerate it better. Please note that one person may react to one or two of these foods, another person may react to one or none, however other common foods that are important to mention as they have been shown to cause some inflammation include corn, soy, dairy, nuts and legumes - but keep in mind that these can all be much better tolerated and not cause inflammation if they are prepared properly (soaked or fermented). Preparation and source of these foods is key. To ensure they don't cause inflammation, choose certified organic and soaked/fermented. Corn properly prepared is called 'nixtamalised corn', nuts properly prepared is called 'activated', and so on. And lastly, vegetable oils. These are particularly high in omega 6 fatty acids, which when they are not balanced with enough omega 3 fatty acids, inflammation spikes. They are also genetically modified and highly processed - so the body often doesn’t know what to do with them regardless!
2. Low-grade infections.
- Clinic experience, personal experience and research tells us that yeast, bacteria, or parasites that keep your immune system switched on and contribute to chronic inflammation. Keep in mind that the food we eat also contributes to what is LIVING in our gut, therefore the food in a number of ways can contribute to inflammation. It is best to treat these under the guidance of a practitioner. Our clinic can help you and we work with clients everyday treating underlying infections.
3. Environmental triggers/chemical exposure.
- This can come from food, cleaning products, skincare, even cookware, such as endocrine disrupters, glyphosate, heavy metals, but also mould in the environment can also be a trigger of inflammation.
4. Stress and lack of sleep.
- It may be due to the enhanced cortisol, which drives inflammation, however research alone shows that mediators of inflammation are altered by sleep loss. Even just one night of lack of sleep has shown to increase multiple inflammatory and adhesion molecules, illustrating an immune response.
How to calm inflammation
1. Remove triggers first, or find out which one it is! By removing the triggers, it allows the body to begin to heal. It can take a while for your body to calm down from the last trigger.
2. Black seed oil, ginger, turmeric and frankincense have all been shown to reduce inflammatory markers. Ginger and turmeric are amazing fresh, and black seed oil can be incredible as a supplement and there are some brilliant studies demonstrating its effectiveness when it comes to inflammation reduction. One brand for black seed oil is Hab Shifa that we have loved and used for years. Frankincense can be embraced in oil or supplement form.
With this point, please don’t forget omega fatty acids. I personally love cod liver oil for myself and my children, however consuming fatty fish is the most ideal source so it just becomes apart of your diet. This can help balance the omega 6 exposure from vegetable oils/nuts/seeds, as when too many omega 6 fatty acids are consumed, inflammation can rise.
3. Support lymphatic flow. Walking, hydration, lymphatic drainage massage, vibrating plates, trampolines, stimulation of the main lymph points. Search ‘the big 6 for lymphatic drainage’ and there’s great tutorials on how to give yourself a gentle yet effective lymph massage. This is great to focus on especially when you’re inflamed, but also as a preventative when travelling or sitting still for long periods.
4. Nasal breathing, especially at night. This increases nitric oxide, which calms inflammation and supports immunity. Too many people are mouth breathing and it can be a breeding ground for infection, and lower your ability to fight infection and perform optimally due to not having enough oxygen.
5. Heal leaky gut. Removing the inflammatory triggers will really help with this, along with treating microbial imbalances. Whilst there is a lot to consider here and requires a whole post in itself, one quick tip would be consider this Wild Zinc as zinc has been shown to assist in healing and sealing a leaky gut, and also help with digestive enzyme production which is critical in breaking down your food and fighting infections.
6. Make nourishment, sleep and stress management your priority. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.
7. Adequate sodium (balanced with potassium-rich foods) can help lower fluid retention, despite popular belief. Celtic sea salt is the most easily accessible and one of the most mineral rich salts, and our Ocean's Magnesium can also really help with electrolyte balance and trace mineral intake. Individuals have seen dramatic improvements in their joint/muscle pain, sleep, mood and stress when they begin this magnesium.
Sprinkles on top
8. Morning light exposure regulates your circadian rhythm and cortisol, lowering chronic inflammation.
9. Grounding. Being barefoot on the earth, gardening, or beach time may reduce oxidative stress, and is proven to lower cortisol which can also lead to chronic inflammation.
Inflammation isn’t your enemy, it’s information. Listen to the signals, remove the triggers, and support your body naturally.
With so much love, Sheridan x
