Cooling Chronic Inflammation
During the last couple of decades, medical scientific
literature has increasingly blamed inflammation – the body’s inflammatory
response of swelling, redness, heat and/or pain for many of humanity’s physical
ailments. Certain kinds of inflammation,
such as fevers which destroy bacterial overgrowth, are desirable, but most
types of inflammation are considered destructive. Examples of conditions driven by chronic inflammation
are sleep apnea, arthritis, especially rheumatoid, inflammatory, and gout, atherosclerosis,
acne, allergies, celiac disease, many autoimmune illnesses, including lupus, MS,
Graves disease, scleroderma and psoriasis, chronic prostatitis, pelvic
inflammatory disease, endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, duodenal and
gastric ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and
ulcerative colitis, depression, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
Inappropriate, chronic inflammation involves the body’s
over-reaction to a threat or imbalance such as aging, obesity, mental or
emotional stress, toxicity, chronic infection, and nutritional deficiency. Although we cannot individually control some
of these threats, such as aging or air pollution, other factors are well within
our control. Fortunately, nutrition is a
controllable factor for many people, once they know what foods are
pro-inflammatory and what foods help counteract inflammation.
Inflammatory Anti-inflammatory or Neutral
refined sugars, including white or brown sugar, raw honey, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses
corn syrup, agave nectar,
artificial sweeteners, in stevia
aspartame, saccharin, sucralose
high omega-6 oils, including peanut, corn, soy, high
omega-3 or balanced oils: olive, flax seed
safflower, grape seed, walnut, sesame,
wheat germ avocado, coconut, macadamia, wild-caught fish
canola, margarine, farmed
fish
fried foods, especially
deep-fried, grilled, boiled, steamed, poached, raw, braised,
barbequed,
juiced, foods baked at low heat, broiled
meats and poultry: grain-fed, processed, 100
% grass-fed, organically raised meats and
high-fat, factory-fed, and feedlot poultry
most dried fruit, some canned and frozen
fruit fresh,
organically raised fruit, raw, juiced, cooked at
low
temperatures
seeds and nuts: rancid, fried, roasted, salted organically
raised, raw, unsalted in small quantities
vegetables: sprayed, GMO, cooked as above vegetables:
raw, cooked using above methods
- non-GMO, pesticide free, especially cruciferous and
- leafy greens
refined, sprayed, or GMO
grains, all flours occasional
whole organic, non-GMO grains
large amounts of legumes
and beans occasional
organic, non-GMO legumes and beans
refined table salt high quality unrefined sea salt Himalayan salt,
sea vegetables
alcohol, especially hard liquor and beer wine – high quality, in small
quantities
in large amounts, over
time
commercial milk, cream,
cheese, cow milk organic or grass-fed plain
unsweetened yogurt,
- cottage cheese, goat, sheep dairy products
commercial eggs high omega-3 eggs, from free-range
poultry
commercial teas pesticide-free teas
commercial coffee coffee: organically
raised, fresh ground, black,
-
unsweetened,
one to two cups/day
-
herbs: ginger and turmeric root , boswellia
-
supplements:
high quality multi, highly absorbable
-
magnesium,
Vitamin D3, pro-biotic supplements or
-
foods i.e. yogurt, raw sauerkraut, raw fermented
miso
-
This list is not exhaustive (though some may find
it exhausting) but it is a good beginning.
Usually, it is not possible to adhere to this kind of nutritional
program perfectly, nor is it usually necessary to do so, except in rare
cases. Keep in mind that other lifestyle
changes in addition to improved nutrition may be necessary to maximize chances
of partial or complete recovery from inflammation-driven illness. Stress management, appropriate exercise,
sufficient sleep and rest, meaningful social connections and networks, creative
outlets, and more may be important components of treatment. Below are two links which address the
biochemical processes and effective medical management of chronic
inflammation. The specific condition
addressed in the first link is sleep apnea.
This month’s offer:
feel free to call or email me with specific questions regarding this
article. Also, if you bring in a week’s
food diary I will help you develop a specific diet with recipes for
$50.00. Feel free to share this blog
with others.
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