From redness to swelling to pain, these are all common signs of acute inflammation. 

But what about colitis? Rheumatoid arthritis? Or diverticulitis? These conditions, along with many others, are more chronic issues and if not treated with the right nutrients, foods, supplements and specific care, can lead to more problematic issues. 

With more and more people working desk jobs and spending half their day sitting in a chair plus eating fast food and getting in their daily energy fix with high sugar drinks and lattes, we’ve got ourselves a big problem!

These issues can all lead to chronic inflammation. 

Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, acute inflammation is normal for your body — such as when you suffer a painful cut or bruise and your body fights to heal itself. The real trouble begins when inflammation becomes chronic. When this occurs, your immune system begins fighting against its own cells, leading to harmful effects on your health.

And your diet and lifestyle can have a dramatic impact on chronic inflammation. Not getting in the right supportive nutrients and foods can exacerbate symptoms, making inflammation worse and causing you to have a weaker immune response.

Let’s look at sitting in a desk all day. By not stretching or working out on the regular, you’ll develop tight hips, back aches and neck pain, which over time leaves you walking around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame with cracking and popping joints. Not to mention, sitting is the new smoking and can lead to heart disease. 

So now you have joint pain, the beginning signs of arthritis and are a potential candidate for heart disease. That’s inflammation doing it’s job!

And what about your diet? Well, if you’re eating fast food at work or stuck eating out all the time, there’s a good chance your meals contain excess sugar and salt, gluten, additives, poor quality vegetable oils (which are PRO-inflammatory) and antibiotics and hormones.

I can bet you feel fatigued, moody and hungry eating foods like that?!

Here are some signs and symptoms to pay attention to that may indicate chronic inflammation:

• Headaches and migraines
• Bad breath, gingivitis and tooth decay
• Indigestion, IBS or Leaky Gut
• Sleep disorders
• Mood swings and anxiety
• Fatigue
• Arthritis or stiff joints

Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to combat inflammation and take back your health!

Here are my tips:

1. 1. Take fish oil – Loaded with Omega 3’s, fish oil can in fact lower your chances of getting a heart attack by 50%. Not one pharmaceutical on the market can do that for you. Omega 3’s protect your heart, fuel your brain, lubricate your joints and moisturize your skin from the inside-out. Clearly they do alot!
   2. Turmeric – which contains the active ingredient Curcumin, is an anti inflammatory powerhouse that helps to ease muscle and joint pain, protect the heart and reduce inflammation as a whole. So if your dealing with any type of “itis,” such as colitis, arthritis, cystitis, burstis… you get the idea; turmeric can help! The Inflammation Support from NULife Therapeutics contains BOTH fish oil + turmeric all in one! It’s the perfect supplement to combat chronic inflammation and is safe to take long term. 
   3. Limit your sugar intake – probably not what you wanted to hear but sugar increases inflammation, suppresses your immune system and slows down liver detoxification. Cut out sugar or eliminate your intake altogether.
   4. Drink more water – your body is 70% water. If you just drank enough water daily (and good quality water, like spring water), that is 70% of your health RIGHT THERE! Sounds easy right? it tends to be one of those things we overlook. Staying hydrated will support your joints and help flush excess toxins out through your bowels. 
   5. Load up on fruits and veggies – nothing beats loading up on bright coloured fruits and veggies. Eat the rainbow – which I’m sure you’ve heard before! Think of your veggies as your multi-vitamin. Get in a variety and eat them often. This is where you will get all your vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. As for fruits, choose low glycemic ones, such as berries, apples and pears and try to eat fruits and vegetables that are local and in season.
   6. Move your body – this doesn’t mean you have to join the gym and get a membership, but you do need to commit to daily movement. Walking, biking, swimming, dancing can all be apart of your active routine. Moving your body and exercising regularly will keep you agile well into your senior years. 

I’d love to hear from you!

Are you suffering with chronic inflammation?

What steps are you currently taking to heal your body? Share in the comments below.