Your immune system activates whenever your body has initiated your physical stress response. Your immune system then helps heal damaged tissue or remove harmful bacteria from the tissues. With chronic inflammation, your immune system may be affecting your organs, such as your heart, lungs, and brain, or you may have inflammatory arthritis.

Inflammation is the body's immune response to foreign invaders or physical injury. This necessary biological process is a natural defence mechanism that helps protect the body from harmful stimuli and initiates healing by releasing white blood cells to the site of infection or trauma. While acute Inflammation is beneficial in this respect (wounds and infections would not heal without it), chronic inflammatory processes can cause severe and life-threatening health conditions like cancer.

Inflammation can occur in response to many triggers and ways to combat Inflammation. While there are factors that can not be prevented, including injury, sickness or pollution, there are lifestyle choices that can help to minimize Inflammation.

Below we will go over the effects of Inflammation, how an anti-inflammatory diet may help you and some pro-inflammatory foods also to keep in mind.

What Is Inflammation?

Your immune system is activated when you are injured by an agent or suffer an injury. Your immune system releases reaction cells and other response substances, sending the immune system's first line: inflammatory cells and chemokines.

Some of these cells trigger an inflammatory reaction at first to last harmful bacteria and other substances from the bloodstream or eradicate infected or harmed cells. This can give rise to swelling, pain and bruising. But Inflammation will also trigger invisible body systems.

When it comes to swelling, it is much more usually related to natural resistance, a requisite for adjustable resistance. There are two indicators which come from our body's immune system. One is natural resistance, and the other is flexible resistance.

We are born with the previous natural resistance, our body's initial line of protection. Our coughing response, tummy, skin, and mucous acid are all instances of natural resistance. On the other hand, flexible resistance is an antigen-specific immune reaction that is created after an infection or booster shot.

Acute Inflammation Vs Chronic Inflammation

Acute Inflammation occurs when some harmful condition occurs within the body. The body's natural reaction involves battle or protection from it. This is a typical reaction that promotes healing. The symptoms of acute Inflammation include pain, redness, swelling, and heat. As an example, acute Inflammation may cause symptoms of muscle pain and redness, while a sore throat is a common symptom of a cold or flu.

Chronic Inflammation: a persistent low-grade phenomenon that occurs over a long time. Compared to acute Inflammation, there is an immediate reaction to a cut or injury, and inflammatory conditions can be related to environmental factors, our diet plan, stress levels, and our well-being. This type of Inflammation can be dangerous and a risk factor for various ailments, including diabetes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease.

It's important to remember that adopting foods that reduce inflammation and lifestyle habits that achieve an anti-inflammatory effect is vital to reducing your long-term chronic low-grade Inflammation and fostering your well-being.

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Inflammation?

Research has multiple factors that play a part in Inflammation. The one thing that is very much apparent is that most causes respond to particular lifestyle choices, especially those chronic ones.

Consuming high levels of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup may be particularly harmful. It may lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. Recent research has indicated that foods containing a large volume of refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, can worsen Inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity.

Eating processed and packaged foods that contain trans fats have been shown to impact artery linings and lead to Inflammation negatively. Many processed foods contain vegetable oils, which some researchers believe introduce an imbalance of omega-6 to omega-3 fats into the blood, a factor that some scientists think may contribute to Inflammation.

Excessive ingestion of alcohol and processed meats might cause Inflammation in your body. Other lifestyle factors, such as overindulging in activities like reading, contribute to Inflammation.

Making healthy diet and lifestyle changes can help lower your risk of chronic Inflammation. Some of these choices include:

Work at achieving and maintaining a healthier weight
Quit or stay away from smoking
Introduce lifestyle habits into your daily routine - exercising more than three (3) times a week
Being more mindful, avoid stressing both your mind and body
Decrease your alcohol intake

Inflammation can occur in response to many triggers

What Can I Do At Home For Inflammation Treatment?

Those who follow a nutrition and lifestyle routine may enjoy excellent health. Further research indicates those on a Mediterranean diet have lower levels of Inflammation in the body. Anti-inflammatory foods with anti-inflammatory properties are seen to have high in antioxidants and polyphenols, like:

Omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, mackerel or sardines.
Leafy greens like spinach and kale.
Herbs
Olive oil.
Tomatoes.
Fruits, especially cherries, blueberries, and oranges
Nuts

While there are foods you should be looking to add to your diet, there are also certain foods that may increase Inflammation. Someone who is dealing with chronic Inflammation might find these particular foods may promote Inflammation:

Fried foods, including many fast food items.
Cured meats with nitrates, such as processed foods.
Highly refined oils and trans fats.
Refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, pastries or white bread.

Who Can Benefit From An Anti-Inflammatory Diet?

Many conditions typically associated with chronic Inflammation can be improved with an anti-inflammatory diet as a complementary therapy. The following conditions involve Inflammation:

rheumatoid arthritis
psoriasis
asthma
eosinophilic esophagitis
Crohn's disease
colitis
inflammatory bowel disease
lupus
Hashimoto's thyroiditis
metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is the collection of risk factors that occur together, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Inflammation is thought to play a role in developing all those disorders. An anti-inflammatory diet, therefore, may help improve an individual's health status. A nutritious diet rich in antioxidants may reduce the risk of certain cancers, plus antioxidants help remove free radicals.

nutrition and lifestyle routines are a great way to tackle inflammation

Our Conclusion

Adopting nutrition and lifestyle practices with anti-inflammatory residential or commercial properties is one way to safeguard the body from the hazardous long-term results of Inflammation. It comes down to utilizing the power of nutrition and lifestyle to combat Inflammation. Following an anti-inflammatory diet, you can do something about it and battle chronic swelling with the following seven (7) practices:

Assistance your gut by eating fibre and fermented foods
Eat a rainbow of veg and fruit - high in natural antioxidants
Stabilize your blood glucose with the four food groups
Include herbs and spices when cooking
Include omega-3, fatty fish like salmon
Limit omega-6 oils when possible
Build the base of your diet around whole foods.

If you're considering using diet, supplements, or any alternative medicine for inflammation, consult your physician first. Self-treating any condition and delaying or avoiding standard care can have serious consequences.

If you have any further doubts or questions regarding this subject or another treatment, contact one of our experienced Acupuncturists or Registered Massage Therapists here at West End Wellness Clinic. You can either give us a call or make an appointment.

Disclaimer: Please remember this article is for informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Please consult a healthcare provider or someone with the correct qualifications before starting any new exercise or treatment program.