Inflammation – Do You Have It?

Inflammation, as we know, occurs when the body tries to fight infections or heal injuries.  The fever that you experience, the heat and pain from the cut or bruise on your leg, the swelling and redness from the elbow hit by the table, all these are signs of inflammation.

The mechanism of inflammation protects our body from harm and helps us heal when it is working properly.  However, if the body is in a state of chronic inflammation, our immune system is subjected to ‘overwork’ and exhaustion of putting up its defense.  What may result from this is breakdown of the immune system (autoimmune diseases take place) or organs (e.g. heart).

Chronic inflammation have been linked to numerous conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, allergies, eczema, obesity, etc.  Two often overlooked factors that contribute to chronic inflammation are food intolerance and toxic overload.  These will set off an imbalance in the immune system.  Symptoms can manifest as achiness, fatigue, headache and itching.

In your blood test, CRP can be used as an indicator of inflammation.  High cholesterol can also be related to inflammation if there aren’t other risk factors. 

Tips for Reducing Inflammation

1.      Cut down on sugar.  Top on the list of inflammatory foods is sugar.  Cakes, pastries, cookies, candies, chocolates, soft drinks, ice-cream, desserts are some sugar-loaded foods that you should try to minimize.   Excess calories can fuel the inflammation.

2.      Omega 3 fatty acids.  They help inhibit the inflammatory process – cold water fish like mackerel, sardines, salmon.  Fish oil supplement is a good source. Use cold-pressed extra virgin oil for salad dressing or very light cooking.  Coconut oil can be used for high temperature cooking.  Avoid anything deep fried, bakery foods and oily stuff.

3.      Vegetables & fruits.  Fresh  produce contain plenty of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.  A high-grade multivitamin and wholefood concentrates can help to fill some gaps in your diet.  Leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli, radish, string beans, onion, turnips, pumpkin, etc are good.  Sweet potato and yams are healthy but do not overeat.  Tomatoes & potatoes belong to the ‘nightshade’ family that might promote inflammation.  For fruits, eat 2 servings daily, choosing mainly low-carb, less sweet types like kiwi, berries, pear, apple, etc.  Eat them fresh.

4.      Gluten – protein in wheat and some grains.  Go for other grains such as brown rice and millet.

5.      Meat products – to be eaten sparingly.  Animal fats are inflammatory.

6.      Spices – garlic, ginger, turmeric have beneficial anti-inflammatory uses.  Other herbs like rosemary, lemon grass, basil, etc have their own healing purposes.

7.      Exercise.  This lowers stress (which increases inflammation) and also prevent weight gain.

8.      Sleep well.  Lack of sleep or poor sleep can contribute to inflammation.  Keep good bedtime habits, like establishing regular bedtime, sleeping in quiet, dark room, have dinner at least 2 – 3 hr before bed, relax and wind-down before bed, etc.