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Inflammation
SIGNS OF BAD INFLAMMATION
While the symptoms of inflammation listed above are bothersome, they serve us well to get our bodies healed. Without this inflammatory response, you’d never get over a cold and infections would eventually overwhelm us.
As I mentioned before, smoldering inflammation doesn’t serve us and eventually causes dysfunction and disease.
In some cases, this type of inflammation can be measured with certain blood tests, but oftentimes a person’s symptoms are a reliable indicator that inflammation is out of control.
Common signs of “smoldering” inflammation include:
- Joint or muscle pain
- Rashes or acne
- Itching
- Diarrhea, cramping or constipation
- Fatigue, lethargy
- Ongoing sinus infection or congestion
- Constant throat clearing or cough
- “Allergic shiners” (dark circles under the eyes)
DEALING WITH INFLAMMATION
The best, most direct way to deal with inflammation is through diet and lifestyle.
The biggest inflammatory foods are sweetened, processed flour-based items, sugary, and fried foods - think breads, pastas, cookies, muffins, crackers, chips, candy, soda, etc.
Alcohol is also inflammatory.
An imbalance of healthy fats can contribute to inflammation as well, as a diet with an elevated ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats can allow inflammation to get out of control.
This happens when a person eats too much animal-based protein, certain processed plant oils (corn, safflower) and not enough healthy fats from things like nuts, seeds, and fish.
Lastly, a sedentary lifestyle can promote inflammation as well. Regular exercise increases tissue metabolism, allowing inflammatory waste products to be moved out of the cells, and also increases production of the body’s main anti-inflammatory chemicals.
In summary, the best way to keep chronic inflammation under control is to exercise regularly, eat a diet high in omega-3 fats, and minimize processed flour foods, fried foods, sweets and alcohol.
