What is Inflammation?

When you immune system recognizes a foreign invader (bacteria, virus, toxin, allergen, etc.), it will initiate an immune response. An immune response consists of an army of cells that will attack and remove the foreign invader, which is a natural and necessary response in order for survival.

 

The immune system response becomes a problem when it gets out of control and it starts attacking itself.

 

There are two types of inflammation:

  • Acute inflammation – initial response to harmful stimuli. It initiates the healing process, healing occurs, and inflammation will go away. An example would be a sprained ankle or a cut on your finger.
  • Chronic inflammation – long term immune response that does not go away and healing never occurs. An example is chronic allergies or gastrointestinal symptoms (gas, bloating, and diarrhea) that go on for an extended period of time.

 

Diseases Associated With Inflammation

Most chronic diseases are rooted in inflammation.  Here is an example of diseases that are caused by inflammation:

  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Autism
  • Depression
  • Allergies
  • Asthma
  • Lupus
  • MS
  • Psoriasis
  • Celiac Disease
  • Thyroid Problems
  • Heart Disease
  • High Blood Pressure

You can read more about auto-immune diseases on my website here.

 

The Functional Medicine Approach to Inflammation

 

Functional Medicine practitioners, such as myself, look for the cause of the problem. We do not just look for the symptoms of a disease and then cover up the symptoms with medications. Functional Medicine practitioners look at the lifestyle of the patient, environmental factors, and the diet.

 

Using that information and combined with proper blood testing, we can then look further into the health of the patient with specialized Functional Medicine laboratory testing.

 

An initial test the Functional Medicine practitioners look at that is specific for inflammation is the C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test. This test will tell the levels of inflammation in the body. It will not tell exactly where the levels of inflammation are high in the body, however.

 

Most doctors, who are not trained in Functional Medicine, may see the CRP levels are high and will recommend an anti-inflammatory drug, such as Motrin, Advil, or a Steriod to the patient. The problem with those medications are the side effects. The side effects of those drugs are damage to the stomach, liver, and kidneys.

 

With lifestyle, diet, and supplement recommendations (based on the laboratory testing), we will see a significant reduction of CRP levels and the patient will get rid of the symptoms that they are experiencing.

 

I would like to point out that the CRP levels considered normal by typical laboratories are not levels that Functional Medicine practitioners consider normal. Laboratories get the “normal” ranges by averaging all patients’ levels. The problem with this method is that they are using mostly sick individuals to get their normal ranges. Functional Medicine practitioners use healthy individuals’ levels to get the normal values.  Additionally, every laboratory will have different normal ranges.

 

Ways to Naturally Reduce Inflammation

If you have been diagnosed with a chronic disease or are experiencing symptoms that are associated with inflammation, I recommend you contact a Functional Medicine practitioner to get the proper testing done. I do not believe that taking supplements blindly to “cure” a disease or reverse symptoms is a wise way to manage health. I believe that using Functional Medicine testing to find exactly where the deficiencies lie is the proper way to approach dis-ease. That way, you will have a baseline and can retest to see when the levels return to normal. It helps to know exactly what supplements (if any) are necessary and the proper dosages.

 

That being said, once you have determined, through lab testing, what the actual problem is, you can reduce inflammation in the body naturally using these methods:

 

  • Eat a whole foods, plant based diet that is free of processed foods and low in sugar
  • Exercise (because it naturally lowers inflammation)
  • Reduce/Eliminate stress
  • Get plenty of good quality sleep
  • Take a good quality multivitamin
  • Take a high quality Omega 3 Fatty Acid Supplement
  • Eliminate dairy from the diet
  • Take a good quality probiotic supplement
  • Optimize Vitamin D3 levels
  • Optimize Vitamin B and C levels

 

Diet Plan to Lower Inflammation

 

If you are looking for a diet plan to follow that will lower your inflammation levels, I have a free 5-day challenge that you can download here. I designed the program to normalize hormones and balance blood sugar. It is a ketogenic diet, therefore, it will help to lower the inflammation in your body.

 

If you would like to learn about ways you can work with me, you can get information about that here.