Inflammation in Lafayette LA

Many patients of Modern Chiropractic in Lafayette LA ask the following question:

Q: Why do I STILL have..? (fill-in the blank with either one or more from the list below):

1. Arthritis (Osteo and Rheumatoid)
2. Auto-immune diseases (e.g. Lupus)
3. Allergies
4. Asthma
5. Chronic soft tissue injuries (e.g. Tendonitis, Bursitis, etc.)
6. Heart disease, Hypertension, Stroke
7. Obesity
8. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
9. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's
10. Diabetes
11. Psoriasis, Eczema, Acne
12. Fibromyalgia
13. Aging skin, wrinkles
14. Osteoporosis
15. Gingivitis, Periodontitis

A: These questions are so important that they are worth answering over-and-over (AND over again!) Before we get to the "good stuff" - lets discuss INFLAMMATION.

Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury or stress. We're all familiar with the swelling associated with inflammation like when we sprain an ankle, cut ourselves or get an infection. This acute inflammation is a normal immune system response, a natural and necessary part of the healing process. Normally these symptoms subside after a few days, once the immune system has done its job to heal the injured area.

On the other hand chronic inflammation occurs when this normal process goes wrong and starts to target even healthy tissue. Chronic inflammation is generally the result of an immune system imbalance. Decreasing inflammation and restoring balance is absolutely essential for long-term health and will likely help ease many of the problems you may be experiencing.

What causes Chronic Inflammation?

Chronic inflammation is usually caused by a combination of factors. There are often underlying nutritional deficiencies or imbalances, which have taken years to develop. Then there's a trigger, which precipitates an inflammation -some type of injury to the body, or an infection or stress to the body.

The following are 11 factors that predispose You to chronic inflammation:

1. Poor diet (probably the most important)
2. Nutritional deficiencies or imbalances
3. Vitamin D deficiency
4. Gastro-intestinal imbalances
5. Toxicity
6. Hormonal imbalances
7. Excess fat (especially around midsection)
8. Aging
9. Lack of sleep

Stress

Chronic low-grade infections (e.g. yeast or parasites)

Now that we know what inflammation is and some factors that predispose us to chronic inflammation - how on earth do we treat Chronic Inflammation?

Avoid pro-inflammatory foods

• • Avoid sugar and refined foods, processed foods, trans fats, dairy, gluten grains and factory farmed meats, all of which are pro-inflammatory.

Eat foods that cool inflammation

• Lots of spices - in particular, turmeric, ginger, rosemary and basil
• Lots of fruits and vegetables (preferably organic)
  Wild salmon, sardines, herring and anchovies
• Olive oil

Support your body's own anti-inflammatory response with specific supplements

• Vitamin D3
• HIGH quality Omega-3 (Fish oil)
• Probiotics
• GREEN drinks (either freshly juiced or powdered form)
• A good multivitamin

Balance your gut (gut imbalances are a common source of inflammation)

• Avoid food allergens (dairy, gluten & ALL genetically modified foods (GMOs)
• Take probiotics

Decrease toxicity (toxicity will cause inflammation)

• Eat organic foods as much as possible
• Decrease the amount of chemicals you in your body and on your skin
• Decrease the amount of chemicals you expose yourself to in your home

Exercise

• There is lots of research showing that physical activity suppresses inflammation.

Lose weight

• Fat cells are the FUEL for inflammation in your body.

Get plenty of rest and relaxation

• Stress promotes inflammation and therefore decreasing stress will decrease inflammation.

Brush and floss your teeth

• Periodontal disease causes inflammation and flossing prevents periodontal disease

Try Chiropractic

• Apart from being able to calm down inflammation, chiropractic care is a way to generally improve function.

In essence, our method at Modern Chiropractic is to remove what is harmful and add-in that which is beneficial. This means removing as many pro-inflammatory foods and toxins as possible, eliminating foods that cause sensitivities or potentially toxic while, at the same time, supporting your system with the appropriate needs for it to function more efficiently.

So, why should you be aware of Inflammation?

Many researchers from completely different fields of medicine seem to be independently coming to the same conclusion - inflammation plays a key role in the development of what seems like completely unrelated diseases. Arthritis, Asthma, Parkinson's Disease, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, Cancer and many other seemingly unrelated diseases all seem to have chronic inflammation as a key underlying mechanism. Chronic Inflammation is a systemic problem, affecting multiple organs in the body and is starting to be acknowledged as a major issue that many of us struggle with, especially as we age. The Standard American Diet is a prime cause of chronic inflammation - sugar, processed foods, dairy, gluten grains, genetically modified foods (GMOs) and grain fed factory farm animals, being huge factors.

And, why has Western Medicine been slow to recognize the
many problems that result from Inflammation?

This is a great question, but unfortunately the way our medical system is set up, a specialist only looks at the symptoms as they relate to the organ system that he/she has the expertise in. This proves to be an ineffective approach as the symptoms and signs of chronic inflammation are systemic and affect many parts of the body at once. The tools of Western Medicine are drugs and surgery. Surgery obviously can't address such a systemic problem and there are no drugs that treat the underlying problem - drugs only help "symptoms."

Finally… What about Anti-Inflammatory drugs?

Although the anti-inflammatory drugs do work, they don't address the underlying causes and, as we've recently learned, can have serious side effects. So although short-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs may be advised in some cases, long-term use can cause serious problems.

This week's recipe is not only anti-inflammatory, but SO delicious!

Apple Pie Smoothie

• 1 apple, core removed
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1-2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup water

DIRECTIONS: In a high-speed blender, combine all ingredients until completely blended. According to your protein powder brand, use as directed for 1 shake. Be sure to blend completely and if it is too thick for your liking, add more water.