A natural response to anything that is trying to harm your body, inflammation occurs as the white blood cells are sent to attack the pathogen. Chronic inflammation happens when those white blood cells remain at the infected or injured site. Chronic Inflammation has many possible causes.
1. Lack of Cortisol
Cortisol is a potent anti-inflammatory hormone that ensures correct balances in your body. If your body does not produce enough cortisol to suppress inflammation this can cause that morning arthritic joint pain and stiffness. Exercise, stress or just waking up makes the pituitary gland respond by sending a signal to the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Stress modifies genes in the bone marrow, which then generates inflammatory immune cells in your blood. If the stress never abates this leads to chronic inflammation.
2. Allergies
Some people are allergic to the casein in dairy products, or gluten (the protein in wheat), or are lactose intolerant, or environmental triggers like pollen. Diseases like Hashimoto’s, Lupus or MS are an allergy to your own tissue, making your immune system work against you.
3. Chronic Infections
A virus can lie dormant in your body. You could be in remission and the virus activates repeatedly. Lyme’s disease is a latent virus. So too are herpes and shingles. More often they reactivate in times of stress when your immune system is at a low ebb.
4. Gut Inflammation
Lots of factors can impede your gut from working correctly. Food allergies, constipation or antibiotics that wipe out friendly bacteria. 70% of your immune system is in your digestive system.
5. Sugar/Glucose
Carbohydrates and sugar raise glucose levels in your bloodstream, activating one layer of cells in your arteries to become damaged, causing inflammation. The body tries to heal by clotting or producing plaque. This leads to vascular blood supply loss. Cataracts are one symptom, as is dementia. If the blood supply through the capillaries is affected, this will be felt through the nervous system, with tingling and paralysis. Following a high-carb diet will keep your body in an inflamed state. So does constant snacking.
6. Fat Cells
Insulin resistance is created by being overweight. The fat cells release false distress signals which disrupt your immune cells, causing inflammation. Saturated fatty acids stimulate body fat to release inflammatory intermediaries.
7. Old Injuries
Stiffness and inflammation arise in old internal injuries, which may have been trauma such as a broken bone or an operation whereby blood vessels, bones, nerves or muscle may have been torn or crushed. This injured site will become inflamed, and the nerve endings will be sensitive. When your body detects cell damage it creates inflammation. This is a normal response. It is chronic inflammation that creates all sorts of problems. Your body has asked the white blood cells to attend the old injury when it is inflamed, but this becomes chronic when the white blood cells remain at the injury site. Unfortunately, white blood cells are known to attack healthy cells and rouse the pain of the injury. Scars may be your warrior lines, but they do plague you in later life.
8. Bile Ducts
Sludge and stones in your bile ducts cause inflammation. Comprised mostly of cholesterol and calcium salts, bile sludge can remain in the gallbladder for too long. That inflammation is called cholecystitis and can cause infections, which are commonly treated by surgically removing the gallbladder.
9. Low Vitamin D
Renown as a powerful anti-inflammatory. A daily dose of 20,000 IU’s is recommended if you are unable to spend 15 minutes a day in the sunshine. Low vitamin D is linked to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, and bowel disease.
10. High Omega 6
Omega 6 and Omega 3 are essential fatty acids that your body cannot make. Avoid oils that are high in Omega 6 such as cottonseed, canola, corn or soy. A diet high in Omega 6 promotes inflammation and auto-immune diseases. Consuming Omega 3 has suppressive effects on Omega 6. If you are low in Omega 3, your need to eat food like eggs, avocado or salmon. Salad dressings should be made from olive oil or avocado oil.
11. Environmental Toxins
Air, food and water carry environmental toxins. Pesticides, cleaning products, mould, air pollution, dirty water and synthetic hormones are just some instances in a very long list. Chemicals are in everything we eat and use and are known to trigger diseases. They have serious negative effects by causing inflammation on all your body’s systems from a sensitivity overload.
12. Too Much Iron
Your body gets iron from your food and drink intake, and it is the intestines that reduce the absorption. Your body cannot excrete iron and if you have excess levels the iron will get stored in your liver, heart, and pancreas, causing inflammation. When you have an infection in your body, the pathogens compete for the iron, thus depleting your iron levels. It is important to have regular blood tests for all minerals and vitamins.
SUGGESTED REMEDIES:
- The most powerful natural antioxidant and the anti-inflammatory product is turmeric. Available from Turmeric Australia and renowned for centuries, turmeric can also lower cholesterol and improve blood pressure. Beat that joint pain inflammation with turmeric. Free radicals cause damage to your DNA and other cells. Antioxidants hunt down and devour those free radicals.
- Vitamin E will also help to clean up free radical damage.
- Controlling and absorbing the calcium levels in your blood, Vitamin D is the hormone most revered to keep disease at bay and maintain optimum health.
- Avoid allergy triggers. Keep a food diary to ascertain what they are.
- Fasting strengthens your immune system.
- Monitor your iron levels.
- Bile salts assist in breaking down fats and eliminating toxins.
- Consume more Omega 3 in your diet.
- Gut inflammation is best combatted by eating fermented cabbage in sauerkraut. Coleslaw made with white and red cabbage is great too. Try wheatgrass juice. Note that there is no gluten in wheatgrass powder.
- Zinc L-carnosine for gastrointestinal support. With a well-established health record of gut health, zinc deficiency is a risk factor for gut diseases.
