The body responds to harmful stimuli via a response mechanism called inflammation. The cardinal symptoms of inflammation are heat, redness, pain, swelling, and LOSS OF FUNCTION.
Many of us realize that infections and injuries can cause inflammation. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. So many other things can cause inflammation. While an inflammatory response is an essential part of the immune system, too much inflammation is harmful to our health and well-being.
The following are triggers for inflammation that most people do not consider:
1. Obesity / overweight – extra fat is an organ of its own. It produces lots of estrogen and inflammation.
2. Unhealthy food – so much of the processed foods we eat are inflammatory and lack any useful nutrients. Additionally, big food production sprays chemical pesticides and herbicides all over our crops that are toxic and banned in other developed nations.
3. Stress – this is being linked to numerous chronic diseases, everything from depression to heart disease.
4. Negative thoughts – thinking negatively hurts our brains and predisposes us to dementia and mental health illness.
5. Lack of exercise – exercise keeps are bodies inflammation in check. It is the first line treatment for every medical condition without exception.
6. Negative social interactions – bad interactions can ruminate in our brains and disrupt our normal thought patterns.
7. Drugs and pharmaceuticals – Alcohol, tobacco, other illicit drugs, and even many pharmaceuticals can cause inflammation. Sometimes even the pill you got from a trusted physician can be hurting you.
8. Poor sleep – sleep is our bodies time to heal. If we do not sleep, inflammation can spiral out of control. Sadly, many of the pharmaceuticals that make us “sleep” do not deliver the right kind of sleep needed to heal.
9. Unhealthy balance between work and life
Many people’s chronic health conditions are actually driven by inflammation. Sadly, western medicine’s pill-pushing mentality does not help this problem and, often makes it worse. There are no quick fixes for inflammation. Pills are almost never the answer for chronic inflammation.
Instead, take the hard, but necessary road. Start exercising, eat healthy, reduce stress, build positive relationships and avoid negative ones, do not abuse drugs and pharmaceuticals, and lose weight. All of these things are hard. But they can pay dividends.
Instead of looking for pills to help, look at food as your medicine. Shoot for an array of fruits and vegetable with a rainbow of colors. Stop putting trash-processed food in your
body.
Additionally, if your body's inflammation seems to be out of control, consider kicking off your wellness journey with some IV therapies at Wonder Medicine. Our IV glutathione, taurine, and Vitamin C can be particularly useful for this. Glutathione is especially good for brain inflammation.
Want help from a clinic who cares about you? Schedule your Wonder Medicine appointment or infusion here.
Wonder Medicine’s Longevity and Performance Program improves your lifespan and healthspan with a research-driven proactive program that focuses on the big picture of your health so you can perform at your highest potential.
References
- Wikipedia – inflammation, glutathione, vitamin C
- Agita A, Alsagaff MT. Inflammation, Immunity, and Hypertension. Acta Med Indones. 2017 Apr;49(2):158-165. PMID: 28790231.
- Furman D, Campisi J, Verdin E, Carrera-Bastos P, Targ S, Franceschi C, Ferrucci L, Gilroy DW, Fasano A, Miller GW, Miller AH, Mantovani A, Weyand CM, Barzilai N, Goronzy JJ, Rando TA, Effros RB, Lucia A, Kleinstreuer N, Slavich GM. Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nat Med. 2019 Dec;25(12):1822-1832. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0675-0. Epub 2019 Dec 5. PMID: 31806905; PMCID: PMC7147972.
- Niu X, Zheng S, Liu H, Li S. Protective effects of taurine against inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in brain injury. Mol Med Rep. 2018 Nov;18(5):4516-4522. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2018.9465. Epub 2018 Sep 6. PMID: 30221665; PMCID: PMC6172387.
- Irwin MR. Sleep and inflammation: partners in sickness and in health. Nat Rev Immunol. 2019 Nov;19(11):702-715. doi: 10.1038/s41577-019-0190-z. PMID: 31289370.
