How to Reduce Inflammation for Your Health
By Sara Butler
There's a problem lurking just beneath the surface of many people's overall health and wellness and they may not even know it. This issue can increase your risk of developing chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and even certain cancers. What is it? It's inflammation. Here's what you need to know about chronic inflammation and how it can impact your overall health.
What is It?
When you think of inflammation you probably think of swelling and redness that can be experienced after an injury. That is inflammation and it's your body's way of protecting itself and fighting off potential infection or reducing the damage done by an injury.
When inflammation becomes chronic, your immune system goes a little haywire, attacking normal cells. So, a process that is normally healing becomes quite destructive, which is why it's so important to reduce your risk of chronic inflammation.
Signs of Chronic Inflammation
If you're worried you may have an issue with chronic inflammation and not even know it, then be on the lookout for these common signs:
- Low energy - You often feel tired even when you have gotten plenty of sleep the night before
- Eczema or other skin rashes - Your body is going a little haywire inside which may make you more susceptible to skin conditions that involve your immune system
- Poor digestion - If you have abdominal pain, bloating, and constipation, then it may be a sign of inflammation
- Joint pain - Body pains, especially joint pain, is common when chronic inflammation is present
- Excessive mucus production - If you feel as if you always need to clear your throat and nose because you feel stuffy, this may mean you have chronic inflammation
What Causes Chronic Inflammation?
One of the things that contribute most to chronic inflammation is what you eat. Highly processed foods such as white sugar and flour, alcohol, dairy, and foods high in trans fats all contribute to chronic inflammation. You should think about severely limiting or removing these things from your diet.
On the flip side, there are things you can include in your diet that can help beat back inflammation, such as:
- Berries
- Oranges
- Fatty fish such as salmon
- Avocados
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Saffron
- Ginger
- Nuts such as cashews, almonds, and walnuts
- Leafy dark greens
- Extra virgin olive oil
Include these items in your diet to help improve your health.
If you have questions about how to control inflammation to improve your health, then talk to the chiropractors at The Joint for guidance!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Denton, Tex.