When I was a kid, I can remember watching my grandfather spread green rubbing alcohol on his knee. There was no cut or anything. He hadn’t recently injured it, so when I asked what was wrong, he’d say “my Arthur-itis is acting up.” As that strong menthol smell filled the room, he told me it helped soothe pain long enough for him to get some rest. I couldn’t really grasp what he meant, at the time, but now that I’m older I know exactly what he was speaking about.
Before I started my health journey, there were times when nearly every joint in my body ached. Instead of grabbing the rubbing alcohol, I’d grab some pain meds. When I’d tell my doctor about it, she’d explain that those episodes were caused by inflammation. Nothing serious, just arthritis. Nothing that a little ibuprofen couldn’t help. There was nothing else to do but treat the symptoms. So that’s all I did. From this, I developed the understanding that chronic inflammation wasn’t that big of a deal. Just treat the pain, add an ice pack or a warm compress to help swelling go down and keep it moving.
That’s before I gained an understanding of what’s really happening in my body when there’s chronic inflammation. That was before I learned how damaging uncontrolled inflammation can be.
Healthline.com defines inflammation this way:
Inflammation refers to your body’s process of fighting against things that harm it, like infections, injuries, and toxins, in an attempt to heal itself.
When something damages your cells, your body releases chemicals that trigger a response from your immune system… Chronic inflammation happens when this response lingers, leaving your body in a constant state of alert. Over time, chronic inflammation may have a negative impact on your tissues and organs. Some research suggests that chronic inflammation could also play a role in a range of conditions, from cancer to stroke.
https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-inflammation
What this means is that when there’s chronic inflammation in an organ such as your heart, it could lead to heart disease. When there’s inflammation in your brain, it can lead to issues such as depression and even contribute to dementia. Simply treating the issue by reducing the symptom of inflammation isn’t a cure or even addressing the cause.
So what’s the cause?
Inflammation can be caused by injury, an autoimmune disorder or by long-term exposure to toxins.
Of course, we don’t have control over all of these things, but the one source of toxins we can control are the ones we put in our mouths.
Certain foods contain lectins, a toxin that can lead to chronic inflammation. Some of these foods have been promoted as healthy, but to those of us who are sensitive, foods like oatmeal, wheat bread, or tomatoes can really do some damage. Not only do most of these foods convert to sugar and keep our bodies in fat storage mode, but they also add tissue/organ damaging chronic inflammation.
So that’s why you’ll want to avoid “No List” foods. That’s why it’s so important to watch what you eat and consistently adhere to healthy habits. If you’re tired of suffering from chronic inflammation, try switching your diet and see how quickly you’ll notice a difference in how you feel.
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