If inflammation is the root of all disease, then it makes sense to calm the fire as much as possible.
Inflammation is a complex immune response to a variety of inputs.
Sometimes it’s a bacterial or viral infection, in which case inflammation is protective. Maybe you're asking questions now such as: How do I know if I have inflammation? What are the symptoms and signs of chronic inflammation?
Inflammation can take on many different forms and it exhibits itself with symptoms such as:
- Brain fog
- Joint pain
- Body pain
- Depression
- Weight gain
- Frequent infections
- Gastrointestinal complications
But when inflammation goes unchecked for extended periods of time, that opens the door to many chronic diseases.
Think of chronic inflammation as a failure to resolve inflammation. In this case, it’s important to balance and resolve the underlying inflammation in the body.
This is precisely where resolving the underlying factors of inflammation come into play. Here are 4 of the most common factors to consider when addressing the root of inflammation:
- Leaky gut- a dysbiosis or imbalanced gut microbiome is often at the root.
- Metabolic endotoxemia- persistent low-grade inflammation from circulating endotoxins.
- Pro-inflammatory diet- a diet high in processed foods, lacking veggies and healthy fats.
- Low omega-3 intake- not enough wild-caught fish consumption or omega-3 supplementation.
Maybe you're thinking, can I test for chronic inflammation? Usually, basic labs like a CBC (to assess white blood cells) and ESR (sed rate) are normally used to investigate inflammation. However, more detailed specialty lab testing is often needed to better determine the underlying root cause. For example, instead of just running a basic blood work showing 12-15 markers (which often doesn't show any problems), I like to run a comprehensive blood work that shows 67 markers. If you've been looking for more thorough testing to help uncover underlying root problems, let's talk.
Click here, for a free Discovery Call with me to learn more and assure you're a good fit.
Blood tests like: C-RP, omega-3 fatty acid panel, vitamin D and homocysteine are more helpful. When indicated, a detailed stool test (GI Map) can be extremely valuable since the gut microbiome is so vital in the leaky gut picture.
What foods and supplements help calm inflammation? One major goal is to increase omega-3 intake, while reducing inflammatory omega-6 intake. Several diet factors to consider here are diets high in sugar which promote high blood sugar and insulin, high intake of omega-6 fatty acids and a pro-inflammatory diet. Unfortunately these 3 things are very common with the Standard American Diet (SAD).
To combat this trifecta and reduce inflammation it’s important to make the following lifestyle changes: consume an anti-inflammatory diet, eat less sugar and carbs to lower insulin and blood sugar, eat more fish (wild caught, not farm-raised) and at times additional anti-inflammatory supplements like omega-3’s, turmeric and resveratrol can be very helpful.
Not sure where to start when it comes to eating clean? Email me chris@doctorchrisjones.com and put "7 Day Gut Health Protocol" in the subject line for my free guide.
If you'd like to talk to me about how specialty lab testing could finally provide answers, please check out our Free Initial Consultation. We offer in person, phone as well as webcam consults to people across the globe.
