Chronic disease is a manifestation of inflammation

All major disease has some form of relationship with inflammation. Inflammation is a reaction of our immune system’s attempt to heal aggravation in or around a body part or system. When we don’t do something to relieve the aggravation in, on and around these areas, it will simply build up to a diagnosable state with a scary name attached. 

When inflammation gets a name attached to it due to the damage it has done and could continue doing, (such as heart disease or cancer), we will have been suffering from it long before the specialist can diagnose what it has or is becoming.

One of the most powerful sources of inflammation is visceral fat. This fat is not the kind that (if kept at reasonable levels) simply gives someone a healthy youthful look and holds reserve energy for low calorie days or periods of starvation, but rather a fat that builds up and surrounds internal organs. It will then release chemicals that produce a slow, smoldering inflammation that in turn gives a fertile environment for incubating a disease. This is not only restricted to ones that are obviously overweight, but it also can also be in a person that appears somewhat thin. What seems to make a big difference (regardless the size of the person) is the amount of visceral fat a person has, and seems to be closely connected with, a person’s activity levels, dietary choices and stress levels.

A good approach is to not only avoid the things that cause aggravation to and within our body, but also to tip the scale in our favor by adding in the things that help our body build good health and function!

Dietary items to pull back from include added sugars, common cooking oils, trans fats, processed meat, alcohol, refined grains, artificial food additives, and foods that we’re sensitive to, (these are the ones that cause anything from a fiery inflammatory reaction to simply making us feel tired, nauseous, headaches, irritated digestive track etc.).

Foods good for fighting inflammation are fruits and vegetables, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids: fish, such as salmon, sardines, tuna and other cold-water fish, nuts, and seeds, especially flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans, olive oil and pecan oil instead of common cooking oils, and anti-inflammatory spices such as curry powder, cloves, and ginger. 

Make sure there are adequate fruits, vegetables, healthy fats/oils, herbs and spices mixed into your diet; it can really help our body fight its inflammation battles!

Note: most teas, onions, garlic, berries, artichokes, and all herbs and spices contain powerful phytonutrients that fight inflammation and protect your body from degenerative diseases. Some of the strongest inflammation fighters in this category are cherries or tart cherry juice, pistachios, and artichokes. 

Staying on a regular full body exercise regimen (whether exercise or active physical labor) helps keep muscles toned and much more supportive of your body weight. This in turn helps keep joints, tendons, and ligaments from getting aggravated because they are having to carry so much of the load as well as absorbing tension and pressure when under a workload (whether just from body weight or added resistance).

 Getting on top of inflammatory issues, and what are causing them, finding the cure, and then incorporating it into our lifestyle for prevention is one of our best means of fighting early death from chronic disease!  

Always remember, prior to inflammation is aggravation. If you get rid of the aggravation, you also get rid of the reason the inflammation has for being there!