Inflammation

Are you suffering from Inflammation?

When you think of inflammation, you think of pain, redness, swelling and heat associated with an infection or an injury. This is absolutely normal, as it is the body’s natural defense system in taking action.

When your body detects something invading your system and isn’t supposed to be there, some amazing things begin to happen. Your white blood cells and cytokines mobilize to begin fighting off these invaders.

Did you know that there is another kind of inflammation, hidden deep inside your body that occurs when your immune system is out of balance? This inflammation goes wild within your body causing a chronic, smoldering fire which contributes to disease and weight gain. It leads to common conditions such as allergies, arthritis, asthma and autoimmune disease, as well as every single major disease associated with aging and degeneration, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, depression, obesity and even autism, just to name a few.

What causes this type of inflammation? Well, just about everything in your day to day life. A diet consisting of sugars, refined flours, bad fats, processed foods, hidden food allergens, lack of exercise, chronic stress, hidden infections such as yeasts, parasites, viruses or bacteria, exposure to toxins such as mercury, pesticides or molds will trigger this inflammation deep down in your tissues and cells. You can feel healthy and yet, this sneaky condition can still be wreaking havoc, slowly destroying your organs and your ability to function at an optimum level, leading to rapid degeneration or “aging”.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are common treatments, but they interfere with the body’s own natural immune response and can lead to serious and deadly side effects. In fact, there are as many anti-inflammatory drug related deaths each year as there are deaths from asthma or leukemia. Ibuprofen, aspirin and steroids such as prednisone are a few examples of these types of drugs.

Taking drugs is not the answer to eliminating inflammation. The operative word there is “eliminating”. Drugs are designed to relieve symptoms and what is a symptom? A symptom is a message that your body is sending you telling you that there is something wrong. If you suppress the symptom, you are merely interrupting the body’s natural message center, quieting it down and basically, ignoring the fact that you have an issue that needs to be addressed. If you have a headache and you take an aspirin, generally the headache will disappear shortly. Did it go away because you just fed an aspirin deficiency or did it “seem” to go away because the aspirin just quieted down the symptom? If you had an open wound with an obvious infection, would you just put a band aid on it and ignore it? If you did that, you could really be in trouble later on.

It’s imperative that you find out what the root cause of the illness or pain is and then proceed in taking steps to eliminating it. You have to bring the body’s natural immune system back into balance by creating the proper environment for it to thrive.
So let’s get back to the causes of inflammation, starting with foods. There are many foods that contain allergens. It is the allergic reactions to these foods that cause inflammation. Obesity is inflammation. Inflammatory foods are making us sick and fat.

When we think of food allergies, we think of someone who has an “allergy” to something like peanuts. They break out in hives, their tongue swells and they have trouble breathing. They are rushed into the emergency room and treated. Although, this is a serious matter, it isn’t that common and it is known as an immediate allergic reaction. However, this is not the same thing as the type of allergies to foods that result in inflammation.

Look around, everywhere you go. Haven’t you noticed how many people, young and old, are overweight and out of shape, these days? It is an epidemic. People are sicker now than ever before. It is due to the poor diets, stress and lack of proper exercise. We are seeing more diabetes, cancer, heart disease and more.

There are so many “diets” out on the market that claim to be the answer to your weight loss, but these fad diets are actually making you unhealthy. You may lose weight, but it doesn’t mean you are healthy and it doesn’t mean that it’s permanent. You can still be suffering from inflammation, which ultimately will lead to disease and degeneration. Unlike the food allergy that sends you to the emergency room, inflammation is known as a “delayed allergic reaction”. It is very common and creates a lot of suffering…….unnecessary and preventable suffering. Millions of people are now suffering from inflammation and the effects it has on the human body.

Unfortunately, conventional medicine doesn’t seem to recognize this common problem and therefore it is often ignored. The reaction to the food allergens can be delayed for anywhere from a couple of hours to a few days. This makes it difficult for a person to pinpoint what may have contributed to the condition. What you ingest today, may not affect your body for a few days. When you actually do have the reaction, you tend to attribute it to the last thing you ate.

Food allergens cause a wide range of reactions such as brain fog, gas and bloating, constipation or diarrhea, fluid retention, joint pain, sinus and nasal congestion, acne, eczema, mood swings, headaches, nausea, weight gain and more.

The answer to this is to cut out all inflammatory foods, cleanse and balance the body, then slowly reintroduce foods back into your diet to determine what is causing you problems. There are tests that can determine what foods you are allergic to, but if you are ready to start feeling better, simply eliminate the trouble makers for a couple of weeks and see how you feel.

Although everyone is different, there are some things that irritate the system in almost everyone. These are foods containing gluten (wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt and 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). I will add red meat and pork to this list.

As you all know by reading my previous articles, I am a Sunrider and my diet is primarily made up of Sunrider and raw foods, with a few recipes that I still cook. I do not eat red meat or pork. I eat some chicken and fish, but it’s important to get organic, free range chicken and the fish should be wild caught. Halibut, Wild Salmon and Sole are good sources of the Omega -3 oils that we need in our diet. Avoid farm raised fish and predatory fish such as tuna and shark.

I am having so much fun trying new foods. I meet with some of my other Sunrider friends for our “potlucks” and we all bring a raw dish. It is amazing what you can do with food when you use your imagination. Listen, this is not difficult, at all. There are a few ingredients that you haven’t heard of before, but it’s kind of fun to go looking for it.
Once you find them, it is a bit of an accomplishment and then, you find that you almost can’t wait to try your new recipe.

The bottom line is that poor diet is just a bad habit. You can change your diet, quit smoking, start exercising, and eliminate addictions, if you choose to do so. You also know by reading my blogs that I am a hypnotherapist and I can tell you that your behavior can change. Anyone can do it! If you need help with behavior modification, then you may want to contact a hypnotherapist. Take responsibility for your life. Be in control; don’t be controlled by foods, addictions, cravings.