Combatting Chronic Inflammation Naturally

Why do you see so much Chronic Inflammation compared to years ago? Is this indicative of our rising population in the world?

Well honestly, inflammation has been around since the dawn of time. As long as people or organisms roamed the earth so has inflammation. The real question is why is it becoming so out of control?

Before we go into this, lets look at what inflammation really is. It is actually a natural process of your immune system to help fight off invasion, injury or even stress. Without Inflammation, the body would be poorly safeguarded from such catastrophes. Inflammation initiates a flurry of activity that helps the body heal itself.

The real hitch comes when the body's inflammation response becomes prolonged and is unable to shut off. Thus often causing debilitating circumstances.

What would cause such a state? Well there are many causes that could elicit such a state. First of all, is the body constantly exposed to something that is cannot find reprieve from? For example, allergies can cause a chronic state of inflammation if the person cannot remove themselves from the allergen itself. Allergies are just one form of inflammation. They cause a stress on the body in what is known as an altered reaction.

Inflammation is not confined to allergies alone. Some of the more well-known forms of inflammation include auto-immune afflictions such as arthritis. Statistics have shown continual increase in arthritis over the last several years and it is projected to continue to climb. Arthritis affects woman more than men and it is the leading cause of disability among people in the United States according to the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention). CDC projections indicate it will affect close to 67 million of the adult population by the year 2030.

Many other auto-immune conditions also contribute. The why is debatable among many medical factions in the world today. Diet may play a large role in it!

Is there something we can do about this? Yes, there always is. Healthy clean living will definitely lower your chances despite your genetics.

One key factor most Holistic Nutritionists learn is that an alkaline body is antagonistic to the inflammation process. Our bodies are designed to be slightly alkaline in nature overall. A good way to judge this is through our urine pH. A urine pH of about 7.2 to 7.4 is considered to be normal. And with the current western diet, most of us are in a chronic acidic state.

How would we accomplish this? The first step is always in your diet. Unfortunately western diet does not allow for this. We focus too much on either greasy fast or prepared food or we eat too many carbohydrates - including sugar treats - in our everyday diet.

This can range from the greasy french fries and burger from the hamburger joint down the road to the prepared pizza pops or hash browns you have in your freezer. Even the indulging of candy bars or regular pastry treats can cause an increase in inflammation. I know many people who eat strictly carbs for a meal. Sure, the instant pleasure is wonderful to the taste buds but the lasting effects is detrimental. Decreasing your carbs is the first key to creating an antagonistic diet to chronic inflammation.

The next key is to increase your vegetables. Yes, that's right, I said to increase your vegetables. Unfortunately this is where I get the most voiced displeasure from. But I assure you, once your body is accustomed to this, it will actually crave vegetables.

What vegetables do is actually help to bring the body to a more alkaline state. I recommend at least two cups of vegetables per meal but a holistic nutritionist or natural health practitioner can give you the best recommendation for your body's needs.

I even go one step further. I recommend organic vegetables that are not genetically modified and are pesticide-free. The best place to find these are usually your local Farmer's markets or natural health food stores. Purchase local food first. When food is transported, especially across the border, it often has been exposed to factors such as radiation or other cross border chemicals requirements that no longer render it organic. Do check your labels.

Finally your protein or meat portion does not have to be that big 16 ounce steak that you love. Our bodies do not need that much meat. In fact, I recommend bringing your portions down to four to six ounces. You can further help you body to taking non-fatty meat portions such as chicken or fish. Most fish give you an added advantages with a healthy helping of Omega 3 - an essential fatty acid required for the control of the inflammation process.

In addition to your diet, you can investigate numerous natural remedies such as tumeric tea. Homemade tumeric tea is a great way to help combat increased inflammation in your body. When made properly, the anti-inflammatory properties of the tea are unleashed and will greatly enhance your new anti-inflammatory diet.