The Inflamed Body: Are you all fired up?

Inflammation in the body at a cellular level is a major disruption to Metabolic health.

It has such a knock on effect to your overall health mentally and physically.

It also sets up the beginning of dysfunction and disease in the body.

Want to know the good news? There is so much we can do to regulate this.

So how did you get here?

• There is a genetic component to this, some people have a predisposition to more inflammation

• Stress is a major

• Toxic overload (pesticides, chemicals, etc )

• Gut health plays a part

• Nutrient deficiency

• A diet high in refined foods

• High intake of sugar and alcohol.

• Declining hormones, this happens with stress and perimenopause.

How it might show up for you

• Metabolic dysfunction: weight gain, prediabetes

• High cardiovascular markers

• High liver markers.

• Fatigue.

• Gut issues

• Recurring infections

• Hormone problems

• Thyroid issues

• Auto Immune

What can we do about it?

Do you want the good news or the great news?

We can do a lot!

Even if you have genetic snips that show more inflammation, (I do) that does not mean you have to play that out.

Ways to put out the fire

Addressing stress is the first on the list, you may have the most "clean diet" but if you are constantly activating the stress response you will produce stress hormones that are inflammatory by nature. Don't get me wrong, some stress is good and we need it.

I am talking about the chronic stress that evenly has this impact on the body.

Addressing your toxic load: All of this has an impact on the body. We are exposed to chemicals and toxins on a daily basis and the body is pretty amazing at filtering them out. But sometimes the chemical load is just too much, the more toxic we are, the harder the body has to work to clear this and keep the inflammation response regulated.

What is your work environment like?

Do you use chemical-free products in your house?

Do you have a water filter?

Do you eat organic? If not do you wash your fruit and veggies?

Creating a Healthy Gut Environment: As a Naturopath we have always known the importance of a healthy gut microbiome to the rest of the body, In short, if your gut is out of balance it will create inflammation in the system. This is a blog topic itself that I will cover in depth.

Supporting declining hormones: Our hormones act like a buffer for so many things, including helping regulate inflammation in the system. So when we are going through periods of high stress our hormones decline. When we are going through perimenopause our hormones plummet.

This is where hardcore self-care comes into play. If you don't start looking after yourself in this time you will get a bit unstuck. ( to say the least)

Eating a well-balanced whole-food diet: Some foods will be more inflammation-causing, so it's about balance. We simply eat too much-refined food and not enough whole food.

Decreasing the high intake of sugar and alcohol. I am not saying cut this out completely. You know there is a but coming.

But we tend to overconsume in this area for many different reasons.

Often we are trying to self-medicate.

We may be tired, sad, anxious, depressed, addicted, bored. Oh and don't get me started with the fact that when our gut gets fed on this, it will learn to send a message via the vagus nerve to the brain saying feed me more sugar! Yep, you heard that right, smart little buggers!!

Exercise Movement: This is an elixir for life! We simply do not move our bodies enough.

If we over-exercise we create too much inflammation in the body.

But most people don't have that problem. It's under exercising and working in a sedentary job and coming home and not having the energy to move that is an inflammatory time bomb.

When making changes here it takes time, start slow and make your goals super achievable and be kind to yourself.

Addressing excessive belly fat: I am not talking about your weight here, your wobbly bits and cellulite. I am talking about the excessive distribution of fat around your belly. This tells us your metabolic system is having a hard time, and in turn, your body will be creating more inflammation.

This is a big topic.

Some tips to start: don't skip meals, and increase protein and fat in your daily diet.

Add in loads more veggie, add in loads more water.

Hot and Cold Therapy: Some very interesting study's in this very old practice.

This stresses the body in a good way, ( our body needs some stress) and it has many benefits.

Some of these are longevity, weight loss, and decreasing inflammation.

So if you have not tried this before please consult with your health practitioner.

Go slow with the amount of time in the heat and in the cold and build this up over time.

I find this so relaxing and invigorating now I am used to it, deep breathing really helps.

We are living in an inflamed world

As a Naturopath I see this picture time and time again, and what most people say to me is they just don't feel quite right. In this space, it is hard to access what fills you up and what brings you joy.

I get a bit excited about this topic, as once you start to become educated about what is happening in your body, you can then start to put some tools in place. Start to listen to your body and help bring it back to balance.

I think it's really important to note that I am not suggesting cutting everything out and living a strictly regimented life. It's really the opposite, add more love, passion, fun, nourishing food, and people that you enjoy hanging out with.

PS This is not me just being a hippy, it's now proven that when you do this, you produce more noninflammatory feel-good hormones as opposed to the more anti-inflammatory stress hormones!

x Coryn