You worry so much about doing the right things for your family. You’ve heard so much lately about the dangers of toxins in the home and how they can cause so many health problems that you’ve tried to create a toxin-free environment for your family by getting rid of dangerous cleaning supplies.
Now you’re hearing that the food you’re feeding your family may be just as dangerous. There has been so much talk lately about inflammation and avoiding foods that cause inflammation, that you’re beginning to wonder if that’s something you need to look into as well.
What is inflammation?
Have you ever sprained your ankle and had it swell up in response to the injury? Have you ever hit your head and ended up with a bump? These are basic inflammatory responses that we all experience from time to time: an injury occurs; blood flow increases to that particular area as a healing mechanism, causing swelling; the extra fluid and white blood cells compress nerves and release chemicals, sending signals to the brain that injury has occurred; pain ensues.
This is what people generally think of when they hear the word inflammation. But inflammation occurs as a result of so many other triggers.
Toxic chemicals, some foods, stress, infections, and diseases are just a few of the threats the body responds to by activating the immune system and C-reactive proteins that can protect tissues. In small amounts, inflammation is good–it helps us fight infection, but after the infection is gone, or once the injury is healed, if inflammation continues, problems arise.
What are some of the health risks of too much inflammation?
We see the effects of too much inflammation throughout our bodies: in our joints, heart, gut, lungs, and even our brains. The risks to our long-term health are profound.
Joints: Inflammation in the joints can severe pain and discomfort. If the inflammation is chronic or connected to an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, the effects can be permanent and crippling.
Heart: Inflammation of the heart due to conditions such as pericarditis or endocarditis cause chest pain, shortness of breath, swelling of the feet, fatigue, etc.; long-term effects of chronic heart inflammation include heart disease, and subsequently, an increased susceptibility to heart attacks.
Gut: Inflammation in the gut is at the root of so many issues: acute and chronic diarrhea, cramps, and ulcers; and chronic, autoimmune conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease. Many mental conditions such as OCD and chronic anxiety are also linked to chronically poor gut health.
Lungs: Inflammation in the lungs causes fluid buildup and narrowing of the airways, making it difficult to breath and even causing death in some instances. Many environmental triggers such as smoke, chemicals, and air pollution cause lung inflammation, as do acute infections such as pneumonia, and chronic lung conditions such as emphysema and bronchitis.
Brain: Most people don’t realize that the brain can be affected by inflammation, but it can. And this inflammation of the brain can cause headaches, speech problems, depression, anxiety, memory loss, and even psychosis. Some individuals with lupus (a systemic autoimmune disorder) experience inflammation in their brain as their bodies attack their own central nervous systems.
How to prevent inflammation
You now know what inflammation is and how detrimental too much inflammation is to your health. But how can inflammation be prevented?
Besides avoiding injury, because inflammation is also caused by toxic chemicals, some foods we eat, stress, infections, and diseases, in order to prevent inflammation in our bodies we need to remove toxic chemicals from our homes and replace them with non-toxic alternatives such as all natural cleaners. We need to avoid inflammation-inducing foods; we need to find ways to de-stress our lives; and we need to consult a doctor if simple illnesses linger and chronic conditions emerge.
Inflammation is definitely a big deal. As more and more far-reaching health consequences of inflammation are uncovered, it is clear that we need to do all we can to protect ourselves and our families from its devastating effects.
You may have already removed toxic chemicals from your home, and that is a tremendous first step. Now, it’s time to look at the food you’re eating as well. It’s time to take control of your life and your health, and the lives and health of those you care about.
