In the last two issues I reviewed some of the dietary factors that influence chronic inflammation in your body, the foods to avoid and the foods to include in your meals. This subject is so incredibly important to your survival, not just good health, than I feel all of us should do all we can to learn and be knowledgeable.
It is a huge challenge to even try to keep up with the information coming in. Finally, so many mysteries are being solved as to how our total lifestyle can and should be altered to make optimal health possible. Science has discovered how the way we think and our happiness affects our health and much more. It has found how our thoughts and feelings can effect our aging as well. Our ability to perform in our work and endeavors as well as our intelligence can be affected. Finally we are finding out what the actual chemistry causes these things to happen.
In this issue, because space is limited, I will concentrate on what most of us think are the causes and how to find out if you are in trouble.
Normal causes are:
- Poor diet
- Lack of exercise or excessive exercise
- Stress – not just the external stress, like work, but the stress of hurt feelings, dwelling on negatives, childhood abuse, lack of support and more. Being unhappy with yourself is not healthy.
- Hidden or chronic infections (parasites, yeasts, bacteria, etc.)
- Hidden allergies (food or environment, molds and yeasts)
- Toxins such as heavy metals or chemicals
- Neglected teeth and gum disease
- Obstructive sleep apnea
Here are some things you can do about it:
- Follow the guidelines for what to avoid and what to eat in the October and November issues of Alive
- Regular exercise- there is so much value to your body and your emotions, along with your heart and immune system. Advice on what to do and how much from an expert is highly recommended.
- Relax – meditation has been scientifically proven to improve areas of your brain.
- Take supplements – a good multivitamin with chelated minerals and, past 40, probiotics and antioxidants.
- Avoid any foods you are allergic to. If you are following an anti-inflammatory diet already gluten and dairy are out.
- When you are in for a physical exam ask for a “C-reactive protein” test to be included. This test reveals the presence of inflammation. Ask the doctor what he/she thinks about chronic inflammation and any other test they might use. You should also enquire about the health of your intestine, especially if you are irregular or have spent a lot of time in not so clean countries. If a stool sample reveals a parasite it must be treated.
One can feel totally healthy and have a raging inflammation going on. Sometimes, due to symptom reducing drugs for diseases like arthritis or asthma the inflammation is hidden allowing it to produce damage and disease in other areas. The answer is not anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin or steroids. Again, you are just masking the symptom while the problem gets worse and many die from these drugs.
It is becoming more apparent that the many facets of medicine are so specialized that true diagnosis and proper treatment plans are hard to come by. These new discoveries, I hope, will force doctors into a more integrated approach to medicine where they more understand the underlying cause of the symptom that appears in the area of their specialty.
In treating more than the symptom known to their specialty and going after the cause, your doctor could be saving you from problems in other areas. Even if you know someone who already has a disease like cancer or heart failure, it is extremely important to control and eliminate the biggest single factor that caused it –chronic inflammation. Their chances of survival can be greatly increased.
Robert Brown, DDS has a TMJ, orthodontia, and sleep apnea practice in Danville and thoroughly enjoys discussing holistic medicine. You can contact him at 925-837-8048, at info@aodtc.com, or visit his web site at www.aodtc.com.
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