Putting Out the Fire of Inflammation

Heart Disease. Cancer. Obesity. Diabetes. Arthritis. Autoimmune disease. Stroke.

Together these diseases represent close to 80% of all deaths in Western Civilization. So I ask, what do they all have in common? Inflammation! Not the big obvious kind like when you sprain your ankle or jam your finger. We’re talking about the smoldering, low-level, chronic stuff that goes on all the time in our cells.

So how do we put out the fire? Can we just take some ibuprofen and call it good?

Actually, that is one of the biggest myths out there. In fact, chronic use of NSAID drugs causes damage to the GI tract and can lead to additional health problems. So is there some other approach that knocks out this nasty inflammation without causing additional damage? You bet there is. Here is a short list of things that are easy to implement.

Put out the fire of inflammation

1. Decrease the processed fats (industrial seed oils like, vegetable oils, canola oil, safflower, etc) in your diet. Replace them with cold-processed fats like avocado oil for high heat cooking and baking, coconut oil for medium heat cooking and baking and olive oil for making salad dressings and drizzling over steamed veggies.

Eliminate processed sugar and decrease natural sugars and other carbohydrates like grains, potatoes, excess fruits and fruit juices are “pro-inflammatory”. Drastically reducing your intake of these inflammatory foods or eliminating them all together can make a huge difference in your total body inflammation levels.

2. Essential Fatty Acids are another critical piece of the puzzle. Particularly beneficial are the Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA from fish oil and Alpha Lipoic Acid from flax oil. Borage oil contains healthy omega 6 fatty acids that can be supportive in balance. Adults should be getting 3 grams of EPA and DHA each day. Studies have continually shown that these simple fatty acids are more effective at controlling inflammation than most NSAIDS and COX2 inhibiting drugs. One of my favorite products is called OmegaAvail from Designs for Health. (Log in to our virtual dispensary here, then search for this product number (DFH-OVU120).

3. Herbs like Turmeric or Curcumin are also very powerful anti-inflammatories. Not only can they be incorporated into your cooking but they can easily be taken in supplement form. My favorite formula is called Inflammatone from Designs for Health. (Log in to our virtual dispensary here, then search for this product number (DFH-INF060).

People are consistently amazed at the improvements that can be made in their overall health just by adding these simple strategies.

Give them a try for 30 days and report back with your results. We’d love to hear how much better you are feeling.