Inflammation is an immune response which sends white blood cells to surround injured, ill or infected tissue. This is called acute inflammation. Swollen tonsils from tonsilitis, redness around a torn hangnail, and fever from an ear infection are all a type of acute inflammation. Acute inflammation presents quickly, lasts only a few days at most, and is necessary to healing.
On the other side is chronic inflammation which occurs when the immune system is in a constant state of alert due to signs of distress and releases white blood cells in a near constant response. This type of immune response is most often caused by foreign matter in the bloodstream, an overactive immune system or autoimmune disease, or the leftover pathogens of a virus.
Finding no infection or illness, the white blood cells form an autoimmune reaction and, instead of healing, they begin attacking healthy tissues. Over time, this causes serious tissue damage, debilitating symptoms, and can lead to numerous serious diseases. As its name suggests, chronic inflammation has a slow onset and can last for months, years, or even permanently.
A Note on Leaky Gut
The most common cause of chronic inflammation is a condition called Leaky Gut, also known as “intestinal permeability.” When damage occurs to the intestinal lining, especially in the tight junctions of the intestine, microscopic tears develop, releasing undigested food, waste, and foreign matter into the bloodstream. The body signals a need for an immune response to attack the foreign matter, and this constant wave of immune stress and flood of inflammatory cells leads to chronic inflammation.
An added issue with leaky gut is that a damaged intestine is less effective at digesting food properly, leading to an inability to absorb vital nutrients and vitamins. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies lead to additional serious concerns, along with hormone imbalance and poor immune health.
Leaky gut is most often caused by the food we eat. While sugar, gluten, dairy, and
processed, chemical-laden foods are the biggest offenders, while eggs, seeds, and nuts can cause damage leading to leaky gut in less frequent cases. We’ll look deeper into food when we discuss how to heal from inflammation.
Why is Chronic Inflammation a Problem?
Chronic inflammation on its own is dangerous because it leads to long-term, painful symptoms. More concerning is that chronic inflammation is at the root of numerous dangerous illnesses. The ongoing stress of your immune system being on “high alert” leads to damage throughout your body, and over time, those who suffer from chronic inflammation are at higher risk for the following health problems:
Heart disease
Cancer
Digestive health issues, including irritable bowel disorder
Obesity
Diabetes
Depression
Alzheimer’s Disease
Autoimmune diseases (We will look deeper at those later in the book)
The Compromised Immune System
When the immune system is working overtime sending out inflammatory cells and antibodies, wires will get crossed, and those cells will begin attacking healthy tissues.
Sometimes those tissues are specific to one system or organ, other times, the immune system will attack the whole body. Autoimmune diseases are very serious and on the rise. With over 100 diseases being directly related to autoimmune or rooted in autoimmune reactions, it is estimated that 50 million people are suffering from some type of autoimmune disease. Of those diagnosed with autoimmune disease, 78% of them are women.
Common Autoimmune Diseases
Diabetes - Affects the pancreas and damages the cells that produce insulin, may cause increased thirst, frequent urination, dizziness, and fatigue.
Lupus - Affecting the entire body, lupus causes joint pain, skin rashes, and fatigue, and can affect the heart, brain, and kidneys. It’s known for the butterfly shaped red rash that can go across the nose and cheeks of sufferers.
Hashimoto’s Disease - Cells attack the thyroid and cause thyroid activity to slow, leading to weight gain, fatigue, dry skin, and hair loss.
Grave’s Disease - Cells attack the thyroid and cause thyroid activity to speed up, leading to weight loss, heat sensitivity, anxiety, and digestive troubles.
Rheumatoid Arthritis - Specifically affects the joints, leading to swelling, damage, pain, and stiffness.
Psoriasis/Psoriatic Arthritis - Skin cells grow to quickly and don't shed, leading to a buildup of scaly patches, called plaque, along with redness, itching, and pain at the sites.
Celiac Disease - An autoimmune disease triggered by ingesting gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that causes severe intestinal inflammation and digestive symptoms, rashes, and pain.
Multiple Sclerosis - The myelin, a coating that covers nerve cells, is targeted, leading to a disruption of communication between the brain and the body. This causes paralysis, numbness, weakness, and mobility issues.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Including chronic illnesses like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, these are painful conditions in which inflammation of the digestive tract occurs causing diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and pain.
Chronic Inflammatory Symptoms
You don’t need to have an autoimmune disease or chronic health condition to suffer from chronic inflammation. By itself, it comes with a wide array of symptoms that can cause a serious, negative impact on your life.
Commonly experienced symptoms of chronic inflammation include:
Frequent digestive problems - constipation, diarrhea, gas, and bloating
Fatigue - waking up tired and feeling exhausted by the end of the day
Joint pain and aching
Dry skin, eczema, or dermatitis
Depression, anxiety, or “brain fog”
Excess weight around the belly
Allergy symptoms - runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes
Frequent illnesses, including colds and stomach bugs
Each of these symptoms or a combination of symptoms that you experience frequently can be a sign that inflammation is damaging your body. While your healthcare practitioner can do a blood test to check for inflammatory cells in the blood, even if the test shows negative, you may still experience signs of inflammation.
Fortunately, you can begin the healing process today with simple, yet powerful lifestyle changes.
Inflammation and Diet - Foods That Hurt and Foods That Heal
What we eat plays a vital role in inflammation in our bodies. While many foods heal and prevent inflammation, other foods directly lead to chronic inflammation.
In order to reverse damage caused by inflammation and recover from the symptoms of autoimmune disease, let’s look first at foods to eliminate from your diet.
Sugar
Sugar, this includes refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, and high-fructose
sweeteners, are major contributors to chronic inflammation. Sugar irritates the gut,
leading to leaky gut syndrome, causes spikes in blood sugar, and can lead to excess
body fat, all of which are common causes for chronic inflammation in the body. Even high levels of natural sugar, such as fruit juice or raw sugar, can have the same effect on gut health and blood sugar.
By eliminating simple and refined sugars, along with chemical artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame, you can experience stable blood sugar, weight loss, and better gut health.
Consider removing these from your diet:
Refined flours - white bread, white pasta
Desserts - cookies, cakes, brownies, candy
Soda, fruit juice, and sports drinks
Breakfast cereals (especially “kid-friendly” options) and flavored oatmeal
Flavored yogurt
Protein/Nutrition Bars
Many foods have “hidden sugars” so be sure to check the labels and see what you’re eating!
Gluten
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye; it’s what gives bread it’s chewy
texture and pasta its firmness. It also gives many people serious health problems and is one of the leading causes of chronic inflammation! While most people only think people with Celiac Disease should avoid gluten, in truth, many people suffer from non-Celiac gluten sensitivity. This means that people may have a serious reaction to gluten exposure without having the positive markers that people with Celiac have.
Gluten is also highly inflammatory because it damages the intestinal lining and leads to leaky gut. If you suffer from inflammation, foods with gluten should be eliminated. Bread, pasta, and any food made with flour is usually an easily spotted source.
Gluten may also be found in these surprising sources:
Beer
Ice cream
Condiments
Sauces and sauce mixes
Veggie burgers (unless marked GF)
Crackers
Foods containing “starch” as it may be wheat starch.
Read ingredient lists and be aware of what is in your food, and you should have no
trouble avoiding gluten!
Processed Foods
While nearly every aside from raw, fresh foods are “processed” in some way, here, I’m referring to the processed, preservative-laden food that fills the shelves of the grocery store. Think of anything with artificial color, artificial flavors, or extra salt for “freshness” - those are the processed foods that can lead to inflammation.
The body is often unable to digest processed, chemical-laden foods, and in many
cases, the immune system sees these artificial ingredients as sources of danger and sending out inflammatory cells. Coupled with the lack of nutrition and vitamins that nourish the body and heal inflammation, processed foods should be avoided at all costs!
Here are the most common and dangerous foods to eliminate:
Processed meats (deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs)
Packaged snacks (chips, cookies, candy, pretzels)
Margarine
Vegetable oil
Frozen entrees and meals
Canned soup and broth
Canned or boxed meals
In order to heal from inflammation, remove the highly inflammatory foods from your diet for 30 days. At the end of the month, add in one food from dairy or gluten (sugar and processed foods should always be avoided!) for a few days to test reactivity. If you experience inflammatory symptoms, you’ll get a better idea of what to avoid!
Anti-inflammatory Foods
What will you eat instead of gluten, dairy, sugar, and processed foods? Don’t worry!
There’s an amazing list of foods to nourish and satisfy you while allowing your body to heal from the effects of inflammation!
A good rule of thumb is that foods that are whole and unprocessed and not part of the above list are safe for inflammation.
Lean proteins - chicken or beef should always be antibiotic and hormone free (organic if possible), while fish should be wild-caught
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Nuts, including almonds, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts
Seeds, including chia, flax, hemp, sesame, and pumpkin
Whole grains (non-gluten) including oats, quinoa, brown rice, and amaranth
Stable fats, including olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and sesame oil
The Effects of Stress and Fatigue
Stress is also a leading cause of chronic inflammation. When you are under stress, your body releases cortisol to trigger a “fight or flight” reaction. This is fine when you’re in direct danger (called “acute stress”), but if you’re stressed about work (“chronic stress"), your body is continually sending out cortisol. This leads to wear on the adrenal glands, excess glucose, and, a heightened immune response in the form of inflammation. Lack of sleep often leads to elevated stress levels, so chronic sleep deprivation directly ties into chronic inflammation.
While leaving a stressful job may not be feasible here are some helpful tips to reduce stress and support healthy sleep habits.
For healthy, restful sleep:
Go to bed at the same time each night, at least eight hours before you need to wake up in the morning.
One hour before you go to bed, turn off electronics. Use this time to read, take a soothing bath, write in a journal, or enjoy other calming activities.
Keep the room temperature cool and completely dark.
Diffuse lavender essential oil or rubbing a few drops of diluted lavender on your temples to promote calm and rest.
Eliminate clutter and mess from your bedroom. Consider it a “sacred” place made for relaxation, sleep, and peace.
Tips to reduce and eliminate stress
Leave work at work - the emails and phone calls can wait until tomorrow! Being constantly tied to work leads to burnout and exhaustion, which makes you less effective over time. Use your time away from work to unwind, refresh your mind, and go in the next day ready to tackle your to-do list.
Practice mindfulness and being present. Focus your full attention on what you’re doing at the time, whether that means doing work without stopping to check your email, or enjoying a meal with your family without the tv in the background. Eliminate the distractions and focus on the now.
Get fresh air daily, whether it’s a walk around the block or even just sitting outside and feeling the breeze, time spent in nature is known to lower stress levels
Take care of your body with nourishing food and rest, and your body will take care of you by healing from the chronic inflammation that is holding you back from a healthy, energized life!
Yours in Health,
Lindsey Emerling R.Ac