Do you struggle with annoying insomnia, anxiety, exhaustion, frequent illnesses, or have digestion issues like constipation or diarrhea? Chronic inflammation could be to blame!
In this blog, we’ll cover:
First, let’s clear up the word “inflammation.” The word “inflammation” is a buzzword, especially with COVID…but is inflammation itself a bad thing? Not exactly.
Inflammation is a normal and healthy part of your immune response. It’s how wounds heal, broken bones recover, and how some infections are overcome by the body. Inflammation plays a role in increasing blood flow to the site of infection to pump in immune cells like white blood cells, to restore the specific area or fight the infection.
Typically once the site heals, inflammation resides, and your body functions normally again. Voila.
However, when this inflammation sticks around at the party for too long, not getting the hint that it’s time to go home…well, that’s when issues occur. When inflammation doesn’t “go home” or turn off, it can cause chronic inflammation.
This can happen if there is a certain stressor(s) in the body that your immune system sees as a threat. It’ll call in for unnecessary backup, signaling in inflammatory chemicals constantly.
So, what can cause chronic inflammation, inhibiting it to turn off? Well, in today’s world…A LOT of things!
When you are chronically stressed, whether mentally or physically, your body releases inflammatory cytokines, contributing to your overall inflammation. Financial stress, toxic relationships, a hectic job, or a go, go, go lifestyle can do this to you.
Gluten, eggs, sugar, and dairy are some of the most common foods that can cause an immune reaction in individuals. Food sensitivities are when your body recognizes certain food particles as a “threat” and sends in your immune fighters to attack them, raising your inflammation.
If you’re not sure if you have a food sensitivity, I recommend having a test done and offer the exact one I’d run on my private practice patients through TDW Community.
You could have underlying infections that you are unaware of, that could be causing or contributing to your immune system always being in alert mode. These could be bacterial & viral infections, SIBO, yeast overgrowth, mold toxicities, and parasites. People can go years without knowing they have these issues, except it could be the culprit causing your inflammation-related symptoms.
COVID can also trigger inflammation and can activate other underlying viruses, like EBV, causing even more chronic inflammation.
The average American diet is a recipe for inflammation disaster! Unhealthy oils, excess sugars, and a lack of nutrients can alter your gut bacteria which plays a role in your immune system response (70% of your immune system resides in your gut!) Eating processed foods, even “healthy” gluten-free processed food, can eventually lead to chronic inflammation.
Poor gut health is one of the most common reasons for chronic inflammation. Whether it’s from dysbiosis, leaky gut, or bacteria overgrowths, they can all trigger inflammation and manifest into other imbalances, leading to even more immune system dysregulation and inflammation.
If you’re not sure if you have a gut issues, I recommend doing a stool test and offer the exact one I’d run on my private practice patients through TDW Community.
But don’t worry! There are things you can do to address your chronic inflammation and experience relief in your symptoms and prevent chronic illnesses while you’re at it.
Glyphosate, which is sprayed over the majority the food crops in the United States, and endocrine disruptors, which are found in everything from plastics to beauty and household products to even our drinking water, can cause damage to your cells and signal your immune system that invaders are in your body and to get them out. Unfortunately, we are exposed to these chemicals every single day without even knowing it, alerting the immune response to ramp up.
If you have elevated cortisol levels or estrogen dominance, it can lead to increased inflammation throughout your body.
High blood sugar fluctuations can not only manifest into metabolic issues and diabetes, but it can cause underlying inflammation in the body. I have in-depth content on this topic in my TDW Community.
Ditch the processed foods, and focus on eating whole foods, especially increasing your intake of anti-inflammatory foods like berries, salmon, greens, turmeric, and olive oil.
Add more omega-3s to your diet by eating more mackerel, salmon, chia/ flax seeds, hemp seeds, seaweed, and walnuts. These are all great sources to reduce chronic inflammation naturally. You can also supplement with omega-3s like I do with this one.
By eating organic, you will be avoiding glyphosate and other nasty chemicals that cause damage to your gut and cells, ramping up inflammation. Cooking with organic ingredients is a simple switch that can have significant benefits in the long run. Lots of recipe inspo for you on my blog.
Remember perfection is impossible, especially if trying to live better on a budget. I encourage you to use the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists to know which produce to prioritize buying organic vs. non-organic.
Throw out your toxic products and swap them out with non-toxic products instead. I love Branch Basics (use code TAYLORDUKESWELLNESS) for non-toxic home cleaning products and Primally Pure (use code TAYLORDUKES) for non-toxic skincare.
It’s also vital to get a high-quality water filter, like Aquasana to avoid toxins, bacteria, and microplastics in your drinking water, and get a quality home air purifier, like Austin Air to reduce any mold and/or toxins floating around in your home.
If you want more guidance on non-toxic swaps and trusted brands, I rounded them all up in this free guide.
Testing can help identify underlying food sensitivities, gut infections, viral titers and hormonal imbalances, mycotoxins, Lyme, parasites, nutrient deficiencies, and more. This is how you can truly get to the ROOT cause of your inflammation. You can even test your inflammatory levels to see where they are at and how your lifestyle changes are paying off and improving your levels.
One of the perks of TDW Community is having access to the best of functional medicine lab testing. My team also offers 1:1 consults to review results, so you never lack clarity around how to optimize your health. I always say, “Test, don’t guess!” and while lab work can be an investment upfront, it can save you money in the long run by knowing exactly what your body needs.
When your detox pathways aren’t working optimally, it can allow excess estrogen hormones and toxins to accumulate in your body, adding to your inflammation. Supporting your detox systems, like supporting your liver with supplements, or encouraging bowel movements can help reduce your toxic burden. Read my popular blog on 12 Daily Detox Practices to Reduce Inflammation.
All these research-backed practices can reduce inflammation in the body. Using one or a combination of these each week is a great way to keep those inflammation levels at bay. There are even options to have these in your home, like an in-home sauna (use code TAYLORDUKES) and LUMEBOX (use code DUKESWELLNESS) for red light therapy. If you are an athlete, you’ll especially love these practices because of their recovery benefits.
We can’t always control our stressful environments, but we can control how we manage our stress. Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, and stretching are all wonderful ways to calm down and release stressful thoughts and emotions. The more you do these, the better stress-relieving results you will see. So keep with it!
If you see that your inflammatory markers are elevated, you may want to consider taking supplements. Turmeric is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory superfoods, but you’d have to ingest a lot to really reap the benefits. That’s why I love Inflammation Support – it’s made only with whole-root turmeric and has a more powerful concentration than just curcumin-based supplements or ingesting raw turmeric root.
Other great supplements to fight inflammation: fish oil, Vitamin D and E, and magnesium. I always recommend buying high-quality supplements to experience the most benefits. I get most of my supplements from either the TDW Shop or my online Fullscript dispensary is a great trusted source with tons of high-quality supplements.
If you need access to functional medicine lab testing, expertise and personalized guidance, TDW Community might be right for you. You also unlock exclusive wellness content on nutrition, detox pathways, nervous system, clean environment and more.
At Taylor Dukes Wellness, we are always working on new ways to serve you on your health journey. Be the first to learn about new healthy living resources, blog posts, and TDW offerings, by getting on my insider list here.
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