It is a new beginning for me as I am mostly recovered from an automobile accident that has caused me to be low-functioning during the past months. The 2013 Fall class schedule had to be cancelled and taken off the blog. I have gained another appreciation for the amazing healing powers of the body - when it is given the ingredients of health that it needs! I have spent a lot of time reducing the effects of inflammation and pain in my body - desiring to be back to my normal functioning. For that reason I decided to write today about INFLAMMATION.
INFLAMMATION is the underlying cause of most diseases and discomforts
in the Western world that we live in.
Inflammation is a necessary and important biological process that allows us to
survive. It is the body's response to fighting infection and repairing damaged
tissues— and is part of the natural healing process. If we
didn't have inflammation, we couldn't heal from infection or injury.
When a foreign bacterium or virus enters the body, the inflammatory process
kicks in to eliminate it. If an ankle is sprained, the inflammatory system
activates to begin repairing damaged tissues.
The five classic signs and symptoms of inflammation are:
- Redness
- Pain
- Warmth
- Swelling
- Loss of function
Prolonged inflammation can have damaging and long-term effects. Many people are experiencing
ongoing, low-level inflammation without even knowing it—and this is a crucial
factor behind chronic disease. "Silent" inflammation is the evil twin of
oxidation, and where you find one, you nearly always find the other. Silent inflammation doesn't cause you any pain—it lives "under the
radar," quietly lingering for years and even decades, where it silently
injures your heart, brain and immune system. Left unchecked, systemic inflammation can lead to anything from asthma to
rheumatoid arthritis to Alzheimer's disease. In fact, the number of diseases
linked to chronic inflammation is staggering:
· Heart disease, atherosclerosis and stroke
· Diabetes
· Alzheimer's disease
· Parkinson's
disease
· MS or Multiple Sclerosis
· Rheumatoid
arthritis
· Ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and colon cancer
· Allergies
This is a small list of inflammatory conditions, but gives an idea of its impact. Americans have the highest levels
of silent inflammation in the world, with over 75 percent of people afflicted.
Some of the largest contributors to chronic inflammation are smoking; a
diet high in sugar, fried foods and transfats; inadequate exercise; stress; and
vitamin D deficiency.
Rather than taking a statin drug to reduce inflammation, it is better to focus on a healthy diet to
reduce the inflammation in the body. GREEN is the magic color!
Some Effects of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (Statins):
· Aspirin
can cause your stomach to bleed (acts on both COX-1 and COX-2)
· Tylenol
(acetaminophen) can damage your liver
· Vioxx and
Celebrex (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDS) can cause heart
problems (act strongly on COX-2 only)
Diet it the First Choice in Reducing Inflammation
The REAL problem that is causing the damage is chronically elevated blood sugar. The sugar molecule causes far more damage to cells and the internal body's environment than any other molecule.
Nutrients that Help Reduce Inflammation (internal) are:
- Astaxanthin (orange/red colored sea plants/foods - like Krill, wild Salmon, etc)
- Green Foods - vegetables
- Minerals - Clays - DE (diatomaceous earth)
Herbs that Help Reduce Inflammation (internal) are:
- Turmeric (400-600 mg daily - give it two months to fully do its work in the body)
- Boswellia
- Ginger
- Bromelain (from pineapple)
- Cat's Claw
- Devil's Claw
- and even Alfalfa (due to its high mineral content and green pH)
- Chamomile
- Helichrysum
- Birch
- Ginger
- Clove
- Fennel
- Thyme
- Bergamot
CLASSES FOR 2014 ARE IN THE PLANNING AND WILL BE POSTED SOON
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