INFLAMMATION - THE ROOT CAUSE OF CHRONIC DISEASE

INFLAMMATION – THE ROOT CAUSE OF CHRONIC DISEASE

By Christina Economidou Pieridou

Acute Inflammation

Acute inflammation is a response of our immune system that is crucial for our survival. The immune system is designed to eliminate enemies such as bacteria and toxins and to help in repairing tissues damaged by injury. When we hit our hand on a wall for example, we have tissue swelling, irritation, redness, and pain accompanying the local inflammation as part of the healing process.

The dangers of chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system does not turn itself off and instead it keeps on producing inflammatory chemicals even after an acute threat has been settled, or in the absence of a real threat. This mistaken and excessive immune response creates chaos instead of repair. It is like a fire in your body you can not feel or see that creates a “microenvironment” that causes damage and contributes to disease.

Prolonged inflammation damages your body’s healthy cells and organs. Chronic and excess inflammation is one of the leading drivers of the most serious diseases we are dealing with today, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s.

Autoimmune Disease

In certain cases the immune system fights against its own cells by mistake, causing harmful inflammatory responses and creating autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are on the rise and include among others:

Rheumatoid arthritis, where joints throughout the entire body are permanently inflamed
Psoriasis, a chronic skin disease
Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Endometriosis
Fibromyalgia
Lupus erythematosus

These diseases are called chronic inflammatory diseases, and can last for years or even a lifetime in varying degrees of severity and activity.

Take control of the Inflammation

Until recently we thought that we did not have the power to reverse or deal with autoimmune diseases. People were simply given long-term anti-inflammatory medications and were told to simply manage their stress levels.

Nowadays we have science-based lifestyle and diet protocols that work miracles for people suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions.

10 Steps for Fighting Inflammation

1. Repair the gut.

2. Identify your food intolerances.

3. Ensure adequate vitamin D levels. Aim for a blood level of around 70-100 ng/ml for best anti-inflammatory action.

4. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet. Add foods and herbs in your diet with powerful anti-inflammatory capacity.

5. Choose your fats sensibly.

6. Keep your blood sugar stable. Avoid blood sugar spikes by avoiding white sugar, raw sugar, foods containing high frucose corn syrup, soft drinks and fruit juice concentrates.

6. Avoid processed foods.

7. Get enough rest. Sleep and medidation have powerful healing properties for the body.

8. Exercise sensibly (do not over-burn yourself).

9. Clean up your diet and your life. Toxins damage our health. Pesticides, heavy metals, environmantal pollutants, preservatives in food and cosmetics create an internal environment that fuels inflammation.

10. Detox your body.