Are you inflamed?

It’s usually pretty easy to tell if you are experiencing acute inflammation. If you get a cut or a scrape, the affected area turns red, puffy and hot as your immune system rushes to assess the injury and fight any pathogen that might have entered your body.

Now, a healthy inflammatory response should flare up and die down again a short time later, as the healing process resolves the inflammation and the injury heals.

Pain and inflammation should not be chronic, it should go away – but what if it doesn’t?

Inflammatory snowball effect

Imagine if you kept injuring yourself in the same location repetitively. The result would be unresolved ongoing inflammation. However, not all inflammation has a visible injury. If there is inflammation in your gut, the only symptom may be some niggling gut issues, yet you cannot ‘see’ the problem. Nevertheless, there may be an inflammatory snowball effect occurring inside.

Unresolved inflammation, visible or not, becomes more problematic the longer it keeps interfering with the normal workings of your body, and has been linked to many types of chronic disease such as arthritis and type 2 diabetes.

That’s why it’s important to regularly see a Naturopath, so that they can treat those ‘niggling’ issues, such as gut or maybe joint discomfort, to avoid the snowball effect occurring.

Signs of chronic inflammation

Chronic inflammation can reveal itself in a variety of way, but these are some of the most common signs to watch out for:

• Excess belly weight

• Digestive issues like IBS, bloating or constipation

• Constantly tired

• Skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis

• Allergies

• High blood glucose levels

What’s making you so inflamed?

There are many factors that fuel inflammation, and it’s important to learn which diet and lifestyle behaviours may be adding to inflammation in your body. These may include:

• Smoking

• Being an unhealthy weight

• Eating a diet of refined/processed carbohydrates (eg. white bread, pasta, white rice)

• Consuming ‘trans’ fats

• Lack of sleep

• Regularly consuming alcohol, coffee, excess sugar and/or salt

• Experiencing ongoing digestive issues that upset the balance of good bacteria

• Ongoing psychological stress

If any of these ring true for you, this is a good place to start to reduce inflammation that may be contributing to your pain or illness.

Stop inflammation going ‘through the roof’

Nobody wants to be in pain, and for optimal health it is important to stop abnormal inflammation in its tracks. Fortunately, your Practitioner has a range of natural anti-inflammatory and pain relief solutions that can be individualised for your situation, whether you need acute care or more ongoing support.

Many people are aware that fish oils reduce inflammation and can assist with joint conditions such as arthritis; however there are also herbal ingredients that offer safe and effective anti-inflammatory support, including:

• Turmeric – this traditional anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herb has a long history of use for injuries, whilst recent research demonstrates it also helps reduce the swelling and pain of arthritic conditions.

• Boswellia – another Ayurvedic herb, Boswellia has analgesic, antirheumatic and anti-inflammatory qualities. Boswellia can be used for all types of pain, but particularly arthritic or traumatic pain associated with inflammation.

• Devils claw and Jamaica dogwood, when combined, not only help reduce pain, but decrease spasms and improve blood flow, therefore support the healing process.

Your Practitioner has a range of safe and effective natural medicines, along with the knowledge needed to help you address any pain and inflammation you may have. Addressing inflammation can not only improve your quality of life now, but reduce your risk of chronic disease in future.

If you believe you may be inflamed and would like some advice, book a free 15 minute phone chat with a qualified Naturopath. Click here to book now.

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