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Your nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) controls and coordinates everything in your body and mind. Pain and inflammation are indications of a health issue. Left untreated, it can lead to chronic and devastating illness. The following steps provide a strong foundation of diet and lifestyle recommendations. Be sure to check with your doctor about your specific situation.
1. Get regular spinal check-ups to remove nerve interference and allow the body to heal and function at the highest level.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. There are five major free radicals that cause inflammation, and it takes a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables daily to stop the inflaming oxidation of your cells. Research is very clear that it takes 10 servings a day. Eating a selection of dark cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, kale, broccoli sprouts, spinach, cranberries, sweet potatoes, onions, pineapples and carrots is an excellent way to reduce inflammation. Organic foods are best, and always thoroughly wash your produce.
3. Eat fish high in omega 3. Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that douse inflammation. Include wild caught oily fish such as wild Alaskan salmon in your diet twice a week.
4. Choose heart healthy oils. Olive, avocado and coconut oils have a rich supply of polyphenols that protect the heart and blood vessels from inflammation.
5. Plant enzymes, especially pineapple and papaya, have anti-inflammatory benefits.
6. Incorporate nuts into your diet. Raw nuts are best but research shows nuts in general are a good choice. They contain specific fatty acids the squelch the inflammatory fires in our body. Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and pecans are good choices. Chia seeds also have a great anti-inflammatory rating.
7. Herbs and spices show extremely good health benefits -- and the best news is that you can just sprinkle on your foods or in your drinks. Turmeric is recognized in the scientific literature as the new king of anti-inflammatory nutrients. Cinnamon, garlic, basil, oregano and ginger are also great choices.
8. Get more sleep. Around 7 to 8 hours of good sound sleep (not chemically induced) a night reduces inflammation-- and interrupting sound sleep by more than an hour or two increases it. Keep your bedroom dark and comfortably cool.
9. Exercise and include whole body exercise and stretches. Although excess exercising and serious muscle building can cause inflammation in the moment, a good sound program actually reduces long-term inflammation and chronic diseases.
10. Incorporate 4 key supplements. With the current stresses of our time –emotional, chemical, and physical – our bodies are continually bombarded. To slow down aging and reduce inflammation and pain, we recommend four daily supplements for everyone: a high-quality fish oil, Vitamin D, Probiotics and a whole food multiple vitamin and mineral.
Chronic low grade inflammation is the great “Silent Killer” that until recently hasn’t been fully understood or talked about. New research studies on many different diseases have all led to the same conclusion -- that cellular inflammation either causes or seriously increases disease and aging in the body. The studies have also identified the main inflammatory markers of foods and lifestyle that create inflammation and the things we can do to eliminate it. Eliminating the toxins and adding the above recommendations will give us a good start to reducing and eliminating our risk for chronic pain and disease.
Check with Dr. Lavender and Dr. Jarman for more details about how you can further improve your health.
Thank you D. Grant of OHS for supplying research information.
