Health Epidemic: Chronic Inflimation

By Dr. Beth Blakely

Chronic inflammation is now a mass epidemic. I should know, as it’s one of the things that I’m seeing that’s impacting the lives of more and more of my patients.  A number of factors are driving this growing trend, including aging, diet, environment and stress. Chronic inflammation is nothing to be trifled with as it can lead to a number of serious health consequences down the road. It’s bad for our digestive system, our joints, our heart and our arteries, just to name a few.

What are the most common symptoms of chronic inflammation? Oftentimes, people have no idea that they are experiencing chronic inflammatory issues. Some people will have pain, which may be a sign that they have inflammation but many people have digestive inflammation for years and never know it.

In other cases, people have digestive issues that they’re aware of and some may perceive inflammation as joint pain or back pain. Why? Because an inflamed gut can cause a variety of neurological problems. Over 20 plus years of medical research bears this out. Dr. David Pernutter, an M.D. and Neurologist document’s this in his recent book Brain Maker.

There are just so many things that can set off chronic inflammation but a common culprit is a diet that’s high in inflammation. Inflammatory foods can cause serious problems, especially when consumed frequently over a number of years. The foods that cause the highest levels of inflammation include dairy products, beef, foods high in trans-fats, fried foods and sugar.

You want to stick to a natural diet that’s mostly based on fruits and vegetables, lean meats like chicken and fish, healthy fats, olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds. These foods are easier to digest and they don’t trigger the inflammatory response in our body the way unhealthy foods do. Our body reacts to it by creating this inflammation and can trigger an immune response.

If you go to the doctor with complaints, chances are good that your doctor will either issue you a prescription or an over-the-counter anti inflammatory medicine for inflammation. If this happens to you and you’re not content to merely cover up your symptoms, stop in and see us. I’ve researched the market extensively and have found a few extremely effective and affordable supplements that treat the root cause, without all the nasty side effects.