Inflammation in the body can contribute to many diseases in our body from cancer to respiratory diseases to spine (back & neck) and joint pain. In this blog we will discuss what is inflammation and some tips to reduce it naturally.
Inflammation has five typical signs: pain, swelling, redness, increased temperature and loss of function. When an area is inflamed, you may see some or all of these signs. Pain is the most common sign of inflammation. You might notice a swelling and redness in the inflamed area, such as after an ankle injury or a fracture. An increased temperature can be seen locally in the inflamed area or during fevers when the body is fighting off an infection that has caused an inflammation. All these signs of inflammation may cause less function in that area. example – inability to move an area after a ligament injury.
There are two kinds of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is when you have a cut or a bruise or a scraped knee. As mums we are very familiar with this when it comes to our kids. This kind of inflammation is easily managed with rest, ice, medication, etc. However chronic inflammation is a different ball game altogether. Prolonged acute inflammation can covert to chronic inflammation but we are going to focus on chronic inflammation in this blog.
Chronic inflammation, even of it is low grade inflammation can be the cause of autoimmune diseases, diabetes, heart problems, arthritis, and many other joint and spinal problems. Here are some tips of how can you manage or avoid getting inflammation in your body
Firstly try and get a uninterrupted solid sleep every single night. This may sound far-fetched as a mum, especially in the days right after childbirth or even with younger kids. But try and aim for this as much as possible. Sleep is the time when our organ systems slow down and the body can focus on carrying out repairs and fighting off inflammation. If we are awake this energy is redirected towards keeping our organs and systems ‘awake’ and not towards reducing the inflammation.
Secondly try and eliminate sugar and processed food from your diet. Both of these create inflammation in your body. Sugar tastes good but the problem is that people get addicted to sugar. The more you have it the more you crave it. This is the reason they cannot stop at that one piece of chocolate or one serving of ice cream. It is advisable to cut down on the sugar addiction by either cutting sugars down to zero or by gradually reducing it to zero. Same goes for processed food as these are highly processed and have nearly zero nutritive value.
Thirdly try and do some form of exercise every day. This can range from a simple walk to seated exercises to a workout at the gym, depending on your physical ability. Exercises help to strengthen muscles so they can support joints better and prevent future injuries. It is recommended to begin with some gentle yoga, tai chi or aqua exercises for low impact exercises. Gradually move on to more intense exercises. However, it can be challenging for people with chronic pain to exercise due to the fear of increasing pain or damaging their joints further. But exercise can actually help to reduce your pain. Read more about How can exercises help with chronic pain HERE. Exercises also help to improve the quality of your sleep, which will naturally lower your inflammation.
If you want to learn more about how to reduce your inflammation (and thus reduce pain, swelling and other signs of inflammation), you can jump into the 11 day jumpstart. It is a free protocol meant specifically for reducing your inflammation. People have seen some amazing results with this wonderful program. It does not involve any pills, meal replacements, just a clean (and easy!) diet and exercises (can be increased or reduces to suit your level of physical activity).
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