9 mins
Inflammation of the body: what solutions to remedy it?
The article in a few key points
Inflammation is a natural and automatic reaction triggered by our body to defend itself against various attacks (infections, diseases, injuries, foreign bodies).
There are two types of inflammatory reactions: acute inflammation and chronic inflammation. The latter is harmful to the body and must therefore be controlled.
To limit the risk of inflammation, it is essential to improve your lifestyle, paying particular attention to diet.
Taking omega 3 fatty acids, with anti-inflammatory properties, is particularly beneficial for maintaining good health.
Have you ever complained of chronic joint pain? Do you experience intestinal or abdominal pain on a fairly regular basis? Do you have skin problems?
These different symptoms often reflect a sign of an auto-inflammatory reaction. There are many factors that can induce and increase the risk of developing these types of reactions.
What are they and how to fix them? That’s the whole point of this article!
What do we call inflammation?
Have you ever noticed redness on your skin when you may have cut yourself? A pinkish to red color usually accompanied by swelling and a feeling of heat from a splinter? This is called an inflammatory reaction.
When these sensations last a few hours, everything is normal! This is a sign that your body is functioning perfectly well.
This reaction is a natural and automatic process triggered by our body to defend and heal itself in the face of aggression (infections, illnesses, injuries, foreign bodies).
Faced with this danger, the body will raise an army of soldiers to protect itself. It will begin to produce more white blood cells, immune cells and cytokines to fight infections. This is what causes the symptoms I mentioned to you at the start. This phenomenon is called acute inflammation.
“Intelligent you are going to tell me? !” Yes of course ! Our body is a wonderful machine!
When this process continues for several weeks to several months, everything becomes much less fun. This is what we call chronic inflammation. This is exactly what happens with stress. Acute stress is vital because it allows us to move, to flee from danger, and it is thanks to it that the human species has been able to survive to this day. But lasting stress becoming chronic is absolutely not your friend!
Chronic inflammation is like chronic stress, it is best to do without it and limit it. And we'll tell you how.
How to recognize an inflammatory reaction?
Acute inflammation
Such a reaction is notable for redness, swelling, quite sharp and intense pain, and heat in the area affected by the inflammation. Typically, this is what happens when you get bitten by a mosquito. It's red, itchy and it can swell (depending on your sensitivity).
Chronic inflammation
This reaction is sneaky because it starts by being silent. You see this sandal that you are so happy to put on when the sunny days are around the corner. This beautiful pair of shoes that seems to suit you perfectly. But after a few hours of walking, you start to feel a little pain, which is completely bearable. Until you see a blister that will completely prevent you from walking.
Chronic inflammation is silent at first, it says nothing. This is why we continue in this “bad” direction because we are not aware of it! But she is settling in very comfortably and one day, she too will show up.
Repetitive abdominal pain, skin problems (such as rashes), cycle pain for women, vision problems. But also diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, intestinal disorders and certain cancers.
An inflamed body carries the risk of developing health problems. Isn't it time to reduce this little flame before it burns out?
Where does chronic inflammation come from?
Chain reactions, uncontrolled, silent at first then painful and persistent thereafter... This is exactly the definition of chronic inflammation.
So-called chronic inflammation can last several months or even several years if you do nothing to prevent it from developing. Imagine your car driving at 130 km/h for days and days without stopping. It is very likely that initially everything will be fine. Then you arrive at reserve and at the same time the engine light indicates overheating. But you persist and you keep rolling. What do you think is happening? Your car does not operate in the “normal” context for which it was designed. And it’s a guaranteed breakdown! It's exactly the same thing with your own machine that is your body.
An unsuitable diet, overactivity, intense and lasting emotions such as chronic stress or even possible nutritional deficiencies are all factors that will cause your body to overheat. After a certain time, a variable duration depending on the attacking factors and depending on your state of vitality, your body risks giving up. The pains that were dormant yesterday are now reawakened but still bearable until they become too intense to live with...
But let's remain optimistic! We have several solutions to offer you to integrate into your daily life to improve your lifestyle and reduce the risk of developing chronic inflammation.
Our 3 tips to limit inflammation in your body
Tip #1: Limit pro-inflammatory diets
It is made up of what we call pro-inflammatory foods, that is to say foods which tend to keep the flame burning or even rekindle it.
We are talking here:
• cow's milk products: yogurts, white cheese, milk and cheeses.
• meats, especially red meats which disrupt the acid-base balance of the body by making it acidic. This acidification of tissues promotes inflammation.
• saturated, processed and hydrogenated fats found in processed and ultra-processed foods such as: pizza, burgers, prepared meals, industrial cakes, chips, etc. Also so-called “healthy” and “gluten-free” processed products.
• industrial sugars which are also found in ultra-processed products but also white sugar.
Consumed occasionally, these foods will not be problematic. But on a regular to daily basis, they will act like alcohol put on the fire!
Our solution: to avoid them, be sure to read the list of ingredients carefully, keeping it as short as possible. Also, remember that ingredients are listed in descending order of their presence. In other words, a product whose list of ingredients begins with sugar or palm oil is not a very good sign...
Tip #2: Opt for an anti-inflammatory diet
Unlike pro-inflammatory foods, these will smother the flame and thus limit inflammatory reactions. Here is a small list of the main anti-inflammatory foods to consume regularly:
- Consume raw, unprocessed foods that are as natural as possible.
- Consume foods rich in antioxidants such as: red fruits (blackberries, blueberries, blueberries), apples, green tea, beets, broccoli, red grapes, gogo berries, spinach, cabbage and even celery. . In short, a maximum of fruits and vegetables in short. To increase your portions of fresh vegetables, you can try vegetable juices, real vitamin and nutrient bombs which, unlike meat, will alkalize the body and therefore help maintain an optimal acid-base balance. A glass of fresh vegetable juice every day, the ultimate anti-inflammation gesture!
- Consume foods rich in omega 3 to counterbalance the excess of more inflammatory omega 6, such as: walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, small oily fish.
- Consume virgin vegetable oils of first cold pressing and organic origin rich in omega 3, such as: linseed oil, rapeseed oil, walnut oil, camelina oil or even hemp. These oils should be kept in the refrigerator and consumed as seasonings because omega 3 does not resist heat or light. If you do not eat small oily fish, you can consume 1 to 2 tablespoons per day of one of these oils of your choice to give pride of place to omega 3.
- Choose semi-whole or whole grains instead of their refined white version: whole wheat flour, whole or semi whole rice, buckwheat, quinoa, rye, whole grain semolina, millet, small spelt, etc.
- Consume spices like turmeric regularly! It is an essential spice for reducing inflammation thanks to its anti-inflammatory active ingredient: curcumin. Consider pairing it with a little pepper or ginger to assimilate it properly. Much more effective than ibuprofen! We advise you to try golden milk, a comforting hot drink made from turmeric which makes it a delicious and anti-inflammatory drink.
We regularly observe an imbalance of lipids in our diet. Very often, our eating habits lead us to consume too much omega 6 and, on the contrary, not enough omega 3. It can sometimes be difficult to consume enough, especially when you are vegetarian or vegan.
To restore this balance, in addition to adjusting your dietary hygiene as mentioned above, it may be wise to also take an omega 3 food supplement rich in EPA and DHA fatty acids in the form of a 3 to 4 month course. during this year.
In summary, to reduce the risk of developing a chronic inflammatory reaction, the equation is relatively simple: limit the consumption of pro-inflammatory foods and integrate anti-inflammatory foods into your diet daily.
Tip #3: Act on chronic stress
Chronic inflammation induces physiological stress in our body. But it is also valid the other way around. However, who among you hasn't already felt overwhelmed? Invaded ? To brood? Exhausted ? If this is your case, don't miss this last tip.
It is well known that our current lifestyle is a source of stress. We live more and more in polluted environments, in environments conditioned by speed and reactivity with the famous “action/reaction” that everyone knows so well.
Chronic nervous stress rekindles this little flame which grows day after day. Here are some ways to learn how to better accept your stress, experience your emotions and thus stifle the flame of inflammation that lies dormant within you.
Learn to relax
- Make “stops” in your life: reduce the use of the famous To Do List, beneficial for the organization but which can also have its limits if it is used excessively… We advise you to focus on 3 to 4 maximum tasks in your day so as not to let yourself be overcome by this desire to want to do too much, which is very guilty.
- Do regular physical activity that you enjoy. No need to run a marathon every day! Getting the body moving like yoga, pilates, walking, swimming or even gardening! 20 to 30 minutes of movement per day will already be very beneficial for your body and your mind.
- Reconnect a little more with nature, in an enlightened way. Nature has a strong healing power over us that we are far too unaware of.
- Try guided meditation or alone: 5 to 10 minutes of meditation per day will do you a lot of good! Applications like 7Mind, Petit Bambou and Meditopia offer very interesting guided meditations and visualization exercises.
- Really breathe! Test cardiac coherence for example which is an excellent tool for reducing blood pressure. Applications like RespireLax are very useful in guiding us in the breathing rhythm to adopt.
- Do stretches in the evening before going to bed or in the morning when getting up, in a calm and subdued atmosphere.
Some anti-stress plants
In aromatherapy, you have the essential oils of sweet orange, true lavender, and the small grain of bitter orange which help to regulate the effects of stress. You can use them in diffusion in your living room or in your bedroom, 30 minutes before going to bed.
In herbal medicine, some plants to consume as an infusion throughout the day such as: valerian, passionflower, linden, lotus flowers, hawthorn, laurel, poppy, St. John's wort.
Plants and essential oils are powerful. Do not hesitate to contact a therapist (Naturopath and/or Aromatherapist) to advise you on which ones to use according to your case.
Conclusion
You are now ready to take the reins in hand to extinguish the flame of inflammation while rekindling the flame of your heart. Do not hesitate to adopt the method of small steps: choose only a few actions to implement. Once you are well established, you can then move on to others. Progress and patience are the keys to full natural health.
Alexandra Portail
Naturopath - Natural health guide
www.hygiene2vie.fr
