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There are so many benefits to getting rid of inflammation. You will find a reduction in joint pains, have more motivation to enjoy life, and even lose some extra weight!

The rise in Chronic Inflammatory Disease

Did you know that half of the Australian population lives with a chronic disease?

Chronic inflammatory diseases can occur throughout the body and affect all body systems.

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Inflammation of Chronic DiseasesYou may be currently managing one of these conditions in which inflammation is rampant. Conditions such as asthma and allergies, obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, coeliac disease, ulcerative colitis, or cancer.

As early as 2004, The Time Magazine (of February 23rd, 2004) referred to Inflammation as the Silent killer. The article referred to it as The Fires Within and stated:

“Inflammation is the body’s first defense against infection, but when it goes awry, it can lead to heart attacks, colon cancer, Alzheimer’s, and a host of other diseases”

The good news is that by resolving the inflammation that underlies these conditions, you may experience a reduction in symptoms or reduce the risk of these conditions occurring.

Inflammation and what is it?

Inflammation Hip and Knee Pain - Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy

Inflammation is a protection mechanism; the body’s natural and healthy response to injury or threat. When the body is exposed to an injury, microbe, or tissue damage, these are regarded as something the body needs to get rid of.

It does this by calling the inflammatory ‘troops’ to the area to help address the issue.

What happens then, is that inflammation surrounds the area and what it does is prevent further injury by causing:
• Swelling – this protects and contains the area so further damage does not occur.
• Pain – reminds the brain to protect the area and forces the body to stop and rest; and
• Redness – increased blood flow to the area to aid healing.

This Process is Beneficial for Short Periods

In small amounts and for a short-term period, inflammation is a beneficial process that prevents further injury and assists in the healing process.

No doubt, you may have experienced times when this healing process fails and the inflammation lasts so much longer. In this case, you may have used something like Nurofen or other medication to help quickly.

Now if this does not happen fast, you may find yourself needing to take these for so much longer.

But what if I tell you there may be another way to resolve this discomfort?

A way to reduce the ongoing presence of pain, redness, and swelling that has created a new problem: the development of Chronic Inflammatory Disease.

SPMs that help switch off Inflammation

You see, the body is very effective at switching inflammation ‘on’, but how does it switch it ‘off’?

It does this by creating specific messenger cells called Specialised pro-resolving Mediators (SPMs) which migrate to the inflammation source in the body and help turn off or resolve the inflammatory process.

The SPMs are actually made from omega-3 essential fatty acids, mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), obtained from fish oil. (My guess is, that you have already been told about just how good fish oils are for you) And if all goes well this EPA and DHA on its own may well help you.

Now, unfortunately, during chronic inflammation states, your body’s ability to produce these SPMs is compromised.

This leaves the inflammation switch in the ‘on’ position, leading to chronic pain and other symptoms.

How you can naturally Fight Inflammation?

Fish Oil - Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

Fish oil and SPMs work together to reduce inflammation.

While derived from fish oil, SPMs have unique properties that differ from those of fish oil.

Fish oil is the perfect first line of defense when it comes to combating inflammation generally, especially if dietary intake is inadequate or if there is increased demand (e.g. pregnancy).

SPMs may be considered the second line of defense and have a key role in resolving existing chronic inflammation.

As they have complementary actions, there is a benefit in taking both fish oil and SPMs together – fish oils can prevent new inflammation from occurring while SPMs resolve existing inflammation; making it perfect for targeting the chronic disease conditions mentioned above.

Further Ways to Help Reduce Inflammation is to live an Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle

Inflammation - Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy The following tips can help reduce inflammation in your daily life, for better health:

  • Adopt an anti-inflammatory diet: The food you consume can help to reduce the overall inflammatory load on the body.
  • Get creative by experimenting with some of the following foods in your daily diet: oily fish, olive oil, avocado, walnuts, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, dark leafy green vegetables, blueberries, purple grapes, broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, and carrot.
  • Incorporate gentle movement: Moving your body increases emotional resilience, and improves pain management, and range of motion.
  • Try low-impact activities such as yoga, tai-chi, walking, cycling, water aerobics, and swimming.
  • Stay hydrated: Dehydration causes your muscles and joints to shrivel up, so it makes sense that having well-hydrated ‘juicy’ and fluid muscles and joints helps ease the pain.
  • Aim to drink 30 mL of water per kilogram of body weight each day.
  • Sleep soundly: Your body does its best repair work when you are solidly sleeping. Ensuring you are getting adequate rest is vital to healing the inflamed parts of your body.

Do you need help putting out the Inflammation fire?

Talk to Your Wellness Centre naturopaths today if you are stuck in the cycle of Chronic Inflammation with recurring pain and symptoms.

SPMs and other natural medicines can help resolve the underlying inflammation and support your body’s ability to heal, to provide you with greater relief.

We are here to help if you are stuck in the cycle of chronic inflammation with recurring pain and symptoms.

 

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

 

We know that pain should not be chronic and it should go away. When it doesn’t, we have an Inflammatory snowball effect. It’s a bit like if you kept injuring yourself in the same location repeatedly. The result would be unresolved ongoing inflammation.

Pain and Inflammation - Your Wellness CentreHowever, not all inflammation has a visible injury. For example, if there is inflammation in your gut, the only symptom may be some niggling gut issues, yet you cannot ‘see’ the problem.

Nevertheless, there may be an inflammatory snowball effect occurring inside.

Unresolved inflammation, visible or not, becomes more problematic the longer it keeps interfering with the normal functioning of your body, and has been linked to many types of chronic disease such as arthritis and type 2 diabetes.

At Your Wellness Centre, we can help with any ‘niggling’ issues, such as gut or maybe joint discomfort, to avoid the snowball effect occurring and so stop inflammation going ‘through the roof.

Nobody wants to be in pain, and for optimal health, it is important to stop abnormal inflammation in its tracks. Pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories are commonly used to help relieve persistent pain, however, some medications may be accompanied by unwanted side effects if used ongoing.

Fortunately, Your Wellness Centre Practitioners have a range of natural anti-inflammatory and pain relief solutions that can be individualised for your situation, whether you need acute care or more ongoing support.

Safe and Natural Solutions for Inflammation

Many people are aware that fish oils reduce inflammation and can assist with joint conditions such as arthritis. However, let’s also look at the other herbal ingredients that offer safe and effective anti-inflammatory support, for example:

Turmeric - Curcuma - Your Wellness CentreTurmeric – this traditional anti-inflammatory Ayurvedic herb has a long history of use for injuries, whilst recent research demonstrates it also helps reduce the swelling and pain of arthritic conditions. BCM-95® Turmeric has significantly enhanced absorption, meaning you get the benefit of this powerful herbs’ anti-inflammatory properties when you need it.

BosPure® Boswellia – another Ayurvedic herb, Boswellia has analgesic, anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory qualities. Boswellia can be used for all types of pain, but particularly arthritic or traumatic pain associated with inflammation.

• The herbs’ Devils claw and Jamaica dogwood, when combined, not only help reduce pain, but decrease spasms and improve blood flow, and in so doing support the healing process.

• These anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving herbs are ‘gut friendly’ and safe for long-term use. Your Wellness Centre Practitioners can recommend the best anti-inflammatory combination for your needs.

Factors that Sustain Inflammation

It is important to learn which diet and lifestyle behaviours may be adding to inflammation in your body, such as:

1. Smoking;

2. Being an unhealthy weight;

3. Eating a diet containing refined/processed carbohydrates (e.g. white bread, pasta, white rice, cereals);

4. Consuming ’trans’ fats (e.g. fried or fast foods, packaged baked goods, vegetable fats used in some margarine);

5. Being sleep deprived;

6. Regularly consuming alcohol, coffee, excess sugar and/or salt;

7. Experiencing ongoing digestive issues that upset the balance of ‘good’ bacteria (e.g. stomach pain, bloating, diarrhoea); and/or

8. Experiencing ongoing psychological stress (unhappy employment situation, social isolation, caring for a loved one with a serious disease).

Modifying any or all of these is an important step in a holistic approach to reducing inflammation that may be contributing to your pain or illness. If you relate to any of the above factors, speak with Your Wellness Centre Practitioners who can offer you support.

Put an end to Inflammation!

Don’t let visible or invisible inflammation be a perpetuating problem! Your Wellness Centre Practitioner has a range of safe and effective natural medicines, along with the knowledge needed to help you address any pain and inflammation you may have.

Addressing inflammation can not only improve your quality of life now, but reduce your risk of chronic disease in future.

Take the step toward a healthier you!
Call 9879 9596 and book an appointment today!

 

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

 

Pain and Inflammation - Your Wellness CentreIs poorly managed pain and inflammation slowing you down and impairing your quality of life? The feeling of pain is your body’s way of telling you that there is inflammation present.

It is associated with the classic symptoms of pain, redness, heat and swelling. It frequently accompanies injury and tissue trauma, such as sprains, strains, cuts, bites and stings.

However, what you may not realise, is that it can be a contributing factor to many health conditions and is a key component in the joint pain of arthritis, back pain and muscular aches, digestive disorders such inflammatory bowel disease, period pain, and many types of headaches.

The Firelighters Within

The term inflammation comes from the Latin word, ‘Inflammation’ which means to set on fire.

It is like a small biological fire designed to ‘burn away’ harmful stimuli such as pathogens, allergens, injury or other irritants.

A protective mechanism is designed to remove these causative factors and initiate the healing response.

It can also be the result of diet, lifestyle factors and stress which can ignite, and keep this fire burning.

Inflammation Inside and Out

You can identify when there are external signs of pain from arthritis, or joint and muscle injuries.

However, inflammation can be occurring inside the body even when the warning signs are less obvious.

For example, did you realise that obesity is an inflammatory state? Many digestive disorders such as food intolerances, irritable bowel disease, and coeliac disease are inflammatory conditions.

Putting Out the Body’s Fire

For optimal health, it is important to dampen down the inflammatory response and put out this fire.

Pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories are commonly used to help relieve pain and inflammation, however many of these carry risks such as causing damage to your digestive tract.

Fortunately, there are some safe and effective natural anti-inflammatory and pain relief solutions available:

  • Turmeric - Curcuma - Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy MelbourneTurmeric – This Ayurvedic herb has been used traditionally for the treatment of traumatic injury, and to reduce swelling and pain in arthritic conditions.
  • Boswellia – Has analgesic, anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory actions, as well as being effective for arthritis and traumatic pain, it may also assist with inflammatory conditions of the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and skin.
  • Omega 3 essential fatty acids from fish oil containing EPA and DHA, may reduce acute and chronic pain and inflammation.

Food Can Produce or Reduce Inflammation

The typical Western diet may actually promote inflammation; high amounts of sugar and refined carbohydrates break down quickly into glucose and have been shown to induce inflammatory changes that are linked with many chronic diseases.

In some susceptible people, foods such as dairy products and gluten-containing grains can trigger an inflammatory response within the digestive tract and throughout the body.

Foods that Decrease Inflammation

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Good fats from fish, nuts, and seeds
  • Herbs and spices such as ginger, turmeric
  • Organic foods where possible Eat mostly whole foods

Foods that Increase Inflammation

  • High intake of sugar and processed foods
  • Trans and saturated fats
  • Artificial flavours, colours, and preservatives
  • Excess coffee and alcohol
  • Allergenic foods – dairy, wheat, and gluten

Simple Tips to Reduce Inflammation

As well as taking the right herbs and nutrients, there are simple diet and lifestyle changes that you can make that can help to reduce your inflammatory load:

  1. Fresh veggies and nuts - Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy MelbourneEat a diet plentiful in fresh fruit, a variety of vegetables and good fats from fish and nuts.
  2. Minimise your intake of refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, white rice, cereals.
  3. Minimise your intake of red meat and opt instead for fish, chicken or vegetarian protein sources such as chickpeas or tofu.
  4. Reduce your intake of alcohol, coffee, sugar, and salt.
  5. Avoid foods you may be reactive to, such as wheat and dairy foods.
  6. Quit smoking.

The End to Inflammation

Don’t let pain and inflammation reduce your quality of life! Talk to Naturopaths at Your Wellness Centre today about safe and effective natural medicines and simple dietary and lifestyle measures to reduce pain, and address the underlying causes of inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory herbs and nutrients are friendly to your gut and safe for long term use.

Take the step toward a healthier you!
Call 9879 9596 and book an appointment today!

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne