It's Inflammation

Inflammation is the the most common cause to a whole host of medical and health complications. Yet so many people are unaware of this simple underlying fact.

What is Inflammation?

  • Your body reacting to a foreign invader. White blood cells with cytokines flood to an area of damage/injury/infiltration which results in pain, swelling, redness, and heat and overtime a lot of damage.

  • Inflammation can effect any cell of your body including your organs, blood vessels, body systems, joints and brain tissues. Each region has a different way of expressing to he body that it is under distress.

What causes Inflammation?

Oh lots of things. Anything that comes in contact with the body could be a potential /aggravate contaminate for inflammation. And what could cause inflammation to one person, might not cause the same negative effects in another. We have lots of studies and there are several known common contributors to inflammation.

  • Dietary Sources (coming in from your diet). sources 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

    • food allergens or sensitivities (your body cant digest/metabolize these foods property)

      •  gluten (wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut), dairy (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt), corn, eggs, soy, nuts, nightshades (tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, eggplant), citrus, and yeast (baker’s yeast, brewer’s yeast, and fermented products).

    • Sugar & high fructose corn syrup (causing chronic insulin spikes)

    • Toxic ingredients or chemicals  (PUFA’s, MSG, glyphosate, BPA’s, BHT….)

    • Trans fats and highly processed/refined vegetable oils (PUFA’s from canola, corn, sunflower, safflower, soybean, cottonseed, grapeseed and ricebran oils.

    • Processed meats (added sulfates & nitrates, Potassium Bromate, also polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs))

    • Heavy metals including mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium) (they mess with thyroid and adrenal function, interfere with insulin sensitivity, and suppress your immune system.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] They also inhibit mitochondrial function. 

    • Natural or artificial flavoring & sweeteners

    • Contaminated drinking water (BPA, fluoride nitrogen, bleach, salts, pesticides, metals, toxins produced by bacteria, and human or animal drugs)

  • Environmental Sources

    • Heavy Metals again - its in the water we drink and bathe with. Its in our fillings

    • Mold

    • Stress from electronics (blue light waves from screens, Wifi (EMF exposure) Ga magnetic radiation / radio waves/frequencies.

    • Media induced stress

    • Community / Relationship / Work Place / Monetary stressors

  • Personal Care Products (coming in contact with your skin/body)

    • Chemicals that are know toxins (Aluminum, DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (Monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolamine), DMDM HYDANTOIN & UREA (Imidazolidinyl), Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Parabens (Methyl, Butyl, Ethyl, Propyl), PEG (Polyethylene glycol), Phtalates, Propylene Glycol (PG) & Butylene Glycol, Siloxanes or Methicones, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) & Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Synthetic Fragrances, Triclosan, Coal Tar Dyes (P-phenylenediamine)

    • there are over 82,000 chemicals used in personal care and 1 in 8 are industrial chemicals.

Signs of Inflammation:

Acute (onset with an immediate exposure) Sources 1 2 3 4 5

  • Redness (Rosy cheeks following a meal,

  • Flushing or feeling warm in a part of the body

  • Swelling

  • Pain, stiffness, swollen

  • Gastric distress (upset stomach, gas, heart burn), loss of appetite

  • Fatigue, loss of energy, general feeling of illness

  • Headaches

  • Numbness in any body part or shooting pain

  • Alternations in blood pressure

  • Increased mucus or salivation,

When we are repeatedly exposed to the same triggers over and over, our bodies have an amazing ability to adopt to mitigate the damages while also maintaining a good “status quo.” The problem with this is overtime the inflammation and injuring of cells builds up and results in more life threatening conditions. Typically when it effects the organs, its deemed an autoimmune disorder. The symptoms depend on which organs are affected. For example:

  • Inflammation of your heart (myocarditis) may cause shortness of breath or fluid buildup.

  • Inflammation of the small tubes that take air to your lungs may cause shortness of breath.

  • Inflammation of your kidneys (nephritis) may cause high blood pressure or kidney failure.

  • Inflammation of muscle fibers, which causes weakness, and may affect the arteries and blood vessels that pass through muscle. Other symptoms include fatigue after walking or standing, frequent episodes of tripping or falling, and difficulty swallowing or breathing. Some individuals may have muscle pain or muscles that are tender to touch.

Chronic: Sources 1 2 3 4 5 6

  • Cancer

  • Heart disease or Cardiovascular Disease

  • Diabetes (Type 1 & 2)

  • Asthma

  • Body pain, arthralgia, myalgia.

  • Chronic fatigue

  • Insomnia

  • Depression, anxiety and mood disorders.

  • Gastrointestinal complications like constipation, diarrhea, and acid reflux.

  • Bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

  • Weight gain or weight loss.

  • Frequent infections.

  • neurodegenerative diseases including Dementia & Alzheimer’s disease

  • Arthritis ( rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, muscular low back pain, and muscular neck pain)

  • Polymyositis (progressive muscle weakness may lead to difficulty swallowing, speaking, rising from a sitting position, climbing stairs, lifting objects, or reaching overhead. Some people with polymyositis may also develop arthritis, shortness of breath, heart arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), or congestive heart failure (when the heart is no longer able to pump out enough oxygen-rich blood).

  • neuromuscular disorders aka Myopathies (Multiple sclerosis, ALS,

  • SKIN / Dermatomyositis

    • rashes: purple or red discolorations on the face, neck, chest, back knuckles, elbows, knees, and toes. May be in conjunction with warmth, swelling, blisters or pimples, itch/burn or sting, flat or raised, thickening of the skin in the affected areas. 

    • eczema, rosacea, dermatitis, psoriasis

  • Chronic mouth sores, cold soars,

What you can do about it?

First and often the hardest part is identifying the source or cause of distress and eliminate it. There are two main practices for helping to identify the cause

  1. Blood testing for IgG antibodies to foods (to identify dietary sources). However these tests are not always 100% accurate.

  2. An elimination diet.

    This involves eliminating the food for a period of 1-4 weeks and then reintroduce them one at a time.  Your body will tell you if it is reactive or not.  What’s most fantastic about it is how quickly (often in less than a week) people notice dramatic relief from all the symptoms they thought they had to live with the rest of their lives!

If you want more of a clinical determination of inflammation two available tests to measure inflammation:

C-reactive protein (CRP): CRP is a marker of systemic inflammation.[2] aka hs-CRP, which stands for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. CRP is a protein made by your liver that is sent into your bloodstream in response to inflammation.

Homocysteine: Homocysteine is an amino acid in your blood and high levels have been linked to inflammation. It can also cause mitochondrial dysfunction (which is really bad cuz we need those to make energy)  Homocysteine is also strongly linked vitamin B6, B12 and folate deficiency.

Other testing to consider:

  • DNA testing to measure your genetic disposition for inflammation. 23andme, DNAFit, and Ancestry.com are all fantastic at home testing kits.

  • Hair Testing for 650 different food and non food items, 50 nutritional items and 50 metal (toxicity) items to see which of those items might cause you a reaction due to having an intolerance. I’ve done this recently and was quite surprised to my bodies intolerance to several factors. Modern Allergy Management has a fantastically easy test with results within a month!

Eating a diet and adopting a lifestyle that is clean of all the above mentioned food triggers, chemical additives, refined and processed ingredients that do more harm for your body than good. In our diets that is focusing on whole, real foods. Navigating this new world can be overwhelming and frustrating (believe me I know!!!) and that is what I have become an expert in. Navigating food labels, Shopping cleanly with brands I trust for my families overall health and safety.

  • Simple rule of thumb, if it was alive, growing or came from the earth than it is whole. If it was made in a factory then its not whole.

What else can you do? Support your bodies ability to cope

  • Adopt a more clean lifestyle (removing potential contaminates from your cleaning and personal care products. Do this with some guidance because many companies make claims of “natural” however the US FDA does not have a definition for that term. Being diligent on reading and understanding the ingredients in each product is very important.

  • Quit smoking and Limit  alcohol consumption.

  • Manage stress Which is a doozie, there are many methods to do this.

  • Get regular physical activity, even just a ten minute walk outside has amazing effects!

  • Supplement to increase positive factors within your body that are battling the inflammation.  such as omega-3 fatty acids, turmeric, curcumin, green tea, or capsaicin. Magnesium and vitamins B6, C, D3, and E

WellnessMarion Horaninflammation, allergens, stress, acute, chronic, sensitivity, mood, reactionComment