I have had many chats with clients about inflammation this week, especially with those who are struggling with pain and healing is going in a relatively slow pace. Everyone will have different levels of inflammation in their body depending on the day. It is influenced by  body’s fighting mechanisms against something (like viruses, bacteria), high levels of stress, or healing injuries. It is normal and necessary for our normal function, however, if we reach the stage where high levels of inflammation are prolonged, it becomes chronic. Now chronic inflammation is where often all the troubles start.

Typically,chronic inflammation shows as general aches/pains in the body , swelling, body can feel hot and tender and you start noticing reduced levels of normal function- your body feels more fatigue, less balanced, stressful experiences tend to affect you more than before, your immune system seems not to fight as well or the other way around-goes into overdrive which can lead to autoimmune diseases etc.

So where do we get it from? Honestly? Life. So many things. But I will cover the majority of reasons below.

1. Stress!!!! Surprised? Me neither. Long term stress is connected with prolonged release of inflammatory processes in the body, which then leads to altered brain function, increases risk of depression, autoimmune diseases, thyroid issues, IBS/IBD, well, pretty much most of the body issues you can imagine. There are so many clients I see that are working non stop, not getting enough sleep, not eating well, not moving/exercising and just feeling miserable and then wondering why their recovery process is taking so long.
2. Food/diet. The worst bits in our diets that I have picked up from the clients would be high intake of sugar (sweeteners included!!!), processed foods, lack of good fats in the diet substituted with cheap/ harmful oils (vegetable, sunflower, canola and margarine), lack of water intake, alcohol and coffee overdose. I also talk to clients who are ‘’too busy’’ to eat during the day. Unfortunately, undereating will increase the stress response in the body, but also shut the normal brain’s signaling for wanting food for the future. All of these will also alter how balanced our hormones are (especially females as our cycle during the month is changing week by week).
3. If you think your 1 pound shower gel won’t do any harm, think again. Triclosan, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, parabens, diethanolamine and all the ingredients you cannot pronounce, will have an effect on your hormones, skin health and immune system. So do your research before jumping into Poundland. Don’t get me wrong, Poundland has some exciting stuff, but leave the body care products on the shelves.
4. Issues with your spinal health. Let’s make a very simple explanation here. If you lack a normal mobility in your spine (due to injuries, sitting at the office the whole day, having a physically demanding job or have a bad posture,which your relatives mention everytime they take a picture of you at the family gathering), your body naturally works harder to try to correct things or fight the issues that come with spinal dysfunction (breathing, digestive issues, disc bulges/prolapses, nerve irritation etc) ,which means- it increases inflammation to aid in healing these things quicker.

 

Now I hope this post makes you think a little bit more about your body and also helps to increase the rate of your recovery with us here at Complete Health and keeps you safe and healthy for the future. Because your future is beautiful if you make it that way.