What is inflammation, and why is everyone so anti-it?
Inflammation is a buzz word these days, as research discovers more ways it affects the body.
Inflammation is a natural process initiated by the body in response to certain stimulus. An example of a healthy inflammatory response is an infection. A cut gets red, warm, swollen and tender around the edges because your immune system is fighting off bacteria that have infiltrated the area. Inflammation is a sign that your immune system is working.
Obviously, if your immune system is working, that is a good thing. It can turn bad, however, if the inflammation hangs around too long, or occurs for an inappropriate reason.
When an inflammatory response happens on your skin, it’s easy to see and feel. When inflammation is occurring inside you, it is much harder to tell. Let’s look at the gut for example. The modern diet contains many new substances that our gut isn’t accustomed to digesting. This triggers long-term, inappropriate inflammation in most cases, affecting digestion, and being linked to an increasing number of diseases.
So, what can we do to limit the effects of inflammation? Avoiding pro-inflammatory substances like processed foods, refined sugars and seed or nut oils are a great way to prevent gut inflammation. For many, foods containing lactose or gluten also trigger inflammation, even if they’re not necessarily allergy-inducing substances for you. Keep your gut healthy by encouraging the growth of good bacteria with probiotics and a high fibre diet. Good anti-inflammatory foods are fresh herbs and spices, green leafy vegetables, berries and deep-sea fish. These will help the body to deal with any inflammation more quickly. For the sake of your health, it’s time to up the anti!
To Your Greatest Health!
Dr Michael Osborne
Meet Dr Michael
Hobbies: I love to get outside and explore – hiking, biking
and kayaking with my family is great fun.
Favourite Movie: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Ultimate Holiday Destination: Europe – yes, the whole lot
Come and experience what chiropractic can do to improve your health.
Or make chiropractic a part of your healthy lifestyle so you can continue living your healthiest life!