Could Inflammation Be the Key to Unlocking the Mystery of Chronic Diseases?

by Dr. Nick Zyrowski January 31, 2023

You may hear government leaders talk about how to reduce healthcare spending, but many of them are telling you that your wellness comes from a vaccine or pill. What is it that so many medical professionals and political influencers are not telling you?

In this article, we’ll take the science of chronic disease and show you exactly what causes so many people to suffer from these debilitating issues. You may not read about this anywhere else, but we want you to know the truth so you can take control of your health. Keep reading to learn more about inflammation and how it contributes to chronic diseases and many health issues.

Inflammation is not random

Until recently, people didn’t hear much about inflammation being a problem. In fact, if you did, it was probably a television commercial advertising the latest pharmaceutical drug. Lots of people have chronic illnesses, inflammation in their joints and suffer from headaches and pain of all kinds. The old standby treatment was to take medicines like aspirin or ibuprofen and keep going.

The problem is that we don’t think enough about why our bodies are inflamed. It may not be that old high school football injury or simply getting older. There are other reasons why you may be inflamed throughout your body and safer ways you can treat it.

Understanding the inflammatory pathway

Understanding inflammation is crucial because it contributes to every chronic disease imaginable. People with cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and even depression all have a commonality of inflammation somewhere in their bodies. (1)

If we can get to the root cause of inflammation, we stand a much better chance of fixing our health issues. When you have acute inflammation, it disrupts all the systems in your body.

When your immune system gets stimulated, you have an inflammatory response. That’s natural, but when you have chronic inflammation, your immune system gets overstimulated. That puts your body into a fight or flight mode attempting to fight off whatever is causing the threat. When you are chronically inflamed, your body’s communication systems get confused, and it becomes overactive, causing health issues like autoimmune diseases and other problems like high blood pressure and cellular inflammation.

An easy way to think of chronic inflammation is to imagine your immune system being under attack, so it tries to fight back. Since the communication processes get distorted, the inflammation may smolder in the background going unnoticed until you’re diagnosed with a specific health condition. (2)

Acute vs. chronic inflammation

When you think of inflammation, you may think about how your finger swells or hurts after a cut or bruise. That’s an example of acute inflammation. Your body has sudden damage, and to heal the injury, it sends inflammatory cells to the area. That starts the healing process.

Chronic inflammation is when your body sends inflammatory cells continuously, even when there is no injury present. Many people suffering from chronic diseases have inflammatory cells that attack tissues, which can cause pain and sometimes debilitation. (3) Some of the signs of chronic inflammation are:

  • Skin rash
  • Joint pain
  • Fatigue
  • Chest pain
  • Fever
  • Abdominal discomfort
  • Low mood
  • Headaches
  • Sleep disorders
  • Weight loss resistance

Causes of inflammation

You may be exposing yourself to different things that contribute to chronic inflammation without knowing it. Lifestyle factors are also associated with developing chronic inflammation. There are steps you can take to prevent and help reverse your inflammation. These are some of the signs to watch for:

  • Drinking too much alcohol
  • Obesity
  • Eating an unhealthy diet
  • Chronic stress
  • Smoking
  • Exercising intensely too frequently, too soon
  • Exposure to environmental toxins (beauty products and household items)

If you do any of the things we’ve listed, making changes now can dramatically impact your inflammation levels. Knowing the root cause of your health issues can help address how you make changes to feel good again.

Treating chronic inflammation

There are many steps you can take to treat your chronic inflammation. Since pain and inflammation go hand in hand, you may be surprised at how much better you feel when you make these lifestyle adjustments. The bottom line is if you want to reduce your pain, you must reduce your inflammation.

Detoxing your body

When you are inflamed, it could be due to toxins in your home. Many people are exposed to tons of toxins before they leave for work each day. (4) A cellular detox will remove the unwanted toxins in a three-step, 90-day process. This is a thorough way to support and detox your body at the cellular level to help you heal naturally.

Supplements

You probably know people who take handfuls of supplements and don’t seem to feel any results. This can be attributed to the kinds of supplements taken and if they’re the proper doses. When you buy a supplement, you want to know it's going to benefit your health so that it’s not a waste of money.

Turmeric - Turmeric is such a powerful natural anti-inflammatory that many Rheumatologists are recommending it to their patients. It also has proven scientific benefits for preventing heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. (5)

Omega-3 fatty acids - Omega-3 fatty acids promote healthy inflammation levels and support brain health. They also boost your immune function. When you buy an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, be cautious of the purity standards. Many grocery store fish oils are rancid and won’t benefit your health. This is the one we use clinically.

Ginger - Many people use ginger in their cooking, but it’s also great for inflammation. It’s been used in natural medicine for years to treat nausea, indigestion, pain, and immune function issues. Ginger has also been shown to reduce inflammatory markers. (6)

Resveratrol - This antioxidant is in foods like grapes, blueberries, and dark chocolate. It’s been studied for inflammation and shown improvement when testing inflammatory markers. It also supports healthy blood sugar and may lower body fat. (7)

Diet and lifestyle

One of the most impactful ways to change your body’s inflammatory response is to eat a healthy diet. You want to cut out things like sugar and processed carbs. Eat natural foods, like meats, fish, veggies, and low-sugar fruits. You don’t have to spend a fortune at the store. Shop the outside perimeter and buy frozen veggies to keep them from going bad too soon.

Exercise is crucial for keeping inflammation down. Some people make the mistake of jumping into an intense regimen too soon and then giving it up when it seems too hard. You don’t want to stress your body too much at first. Take a 30-minute brisk walk each day or do something physical that you enjoy. It can be playing sports or working outside. The key is to get active.

Don’t settle for being unhealthy

If you’re tired of going to doctors only to get more prescription medications that don’t fix the problem, we understand. When you don’t get to the root cause of an issue, you’re simply covering up the illness instead of treating it properly. That’s why we use protocols and supplements backed by scientific research and proven to promote healthy outcomes. We look into the latest natural methods that improve wellness so you can get back to having an active, healthy lifestyle. Our highly-trained specialists provide patients with individualized care every day. If you’re interested in a consultation, contact us today to see which of our services is the right fit for your healthcare needs.

References :

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chronic-inflammation-cancer/

https://drhyman.com/blog/2022/10/13/podcast-ep614/

https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/center/index.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3535097/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-anti-inflammatory-supplements#8.-Green-tea-extract

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6357128/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26855719/

https://www.novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/chronic-inflammation-why-its-harmful-and-how-to-prevent-it#:~:text=Left%20unaddressed%2C%20chronic%20inflammation%20can,cancer%20or%20Type%2D2%20diabetes.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21660-inflammation

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4492068/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.570083/full

https://www.levelshealth.com/blog/how-environmental-toxins-impact-metabolic-health

Dr. Nick Zyrowski
Dr. Nick Zyrowski