Are you inflamed?
You probably quickly answered NO to this question. But, how do you know you are not inflamed? We think about inflammation when we have an injury and the part of the body that is injured is red and swollen. The injured area is inflamed because the body is trying to heal the wound. This type of inflammation is called acute inflammation.
Acute inflammation is good because your body is just protecting you. But, there is another type of inflammation that can be really bad for your health. This type of inflammation, also known as chronic inflammation is internal and you probably don't know is there. Chronic inflammation causes a lot of the chronic diseases affecting millions of human these days.
So, how do you know if you have chronic inflammation? Several signs can tell that you may be inflamed. Here are some to name a few:
- Brain fog - You can't recall things as you used to and it is hard for you to concentrate. And no, it is not normal that you forget things as you age. Your mind can be as sharp as you want it to be.
- Joint pain and stiffness - You wake up with pain in your joints for no specific reason.
- Bloating - You feel bloated after eating.
- Rashes - You get red patches that itch and they come and go with no explanation.
- Tiredness - You are always tired even when you slept through the night.
The root cause of inflammation can go from having a sedentary life to being dehydrated, to living a stressful life and having unhealthy habits such as smoking or drinking. Having chronic inflammation is really a big deal because if you don't address it, this can develop into a chronic disease including diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, etc.
If you think you may have chronic inflammation, know that there are ways to reduce the inflammation in the body. Here are a few tips to help you start:
- Eat whole foods - Stay away from processed food as much as possible.
- Move - You don't have to run marathons, start small and add time as you go. Variety of movement is also very important.
- Use clean products - Our bodies don't know what to do with chemicals in our deodorant, perfumes, body lotions, cosmetics, etc.
- Drink water - Are you drinking 1/2 your weight in ounces? If not, you need to drink more water.
The time to act is now. Please don't wait until your body sends you the bill. Also, remember that nothing is going to change until you take the first step. You can start by talking to your doctor about chronic inflammation and start applying some of the tips listed above.