Temporary inflammation is actually a really good thing, can you believe it? It’s true. The body’s inflammatory response was created by our Creator as a protector to our bodies to initiate healing of an injury or removal of an irritant or pathogen. This response brings blood-flow, immune cells, with the classic signs of acute inflammation like pain, heat, redness, swelling, and even loss of function. Normally, we have an injury or pathogen attack our body, the inflammatory response brings healing and in several days we’re back to normal again. But, sometimes our lifestyle choices keep us in a state of inflammation; we were never meant to remain in a state of inflammation!
Yes, here we go again with the lifestyle choices…and it’s absolutely true. The way we think, the food we consume, and the way we move and function throughout our life really do matter. Particularly it matters because of the effect of chronic (or long-term) inflammation on our health. When inflammation never shuts off, it can lead to really serious diseases, in fact, at the root of every chronic disease is chronic inflammation. Cancer does not show up over-night, neither does heart disease, etc. Symptoms might, but the disease itself develops over a long period of time in an inflamed body.
So here are some things that cause chronic inflammation: lack of sleep, being sedentary, mental/emotional/spiritual stress, lack of loving relationships, eating foods that are inherently inflammatory (wheat/gluten/flour, soy, corn, artificial sweeteners/colorings/flavors, conventionally-raised red meat, sugar, pasteurized dairy products, caffeine, omega-6 fatty acids, white rice, white potatoes, and processed oils), excessive strenuous exercise, smoking, breathing polluted air, and even using household cleaners or even personal products full of toxic chemicals.
I’ve written several articles about the anti-inflammatory diet, so you can check those out again if you want to find out what specific foods can reduce the chronic inflammatory response. And I want to invite you to our Cholesterol Workshop here at Clearview Chiropractic Life Center on March 21 at 5:30pm, where I’ll go over how inflammation plays a key role in our heart health and what you really need to know about Cholesterol!