Help For Inflammatory Conditions
Symptoms of inflammation are connected to some serious health conditions but you can help yourself by paying attention to your hormone balance and diet.
Inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself. When the immune system detects damaged cells, irritants, or germs, it starts the healing process. This response is important for removing harmful influences and is linked to serious diseases and various health conditions.
Common types of inflammatory diseases include autoimmune disorders like arthritis, respiratory issues such as asthma, and metabolic problems like diabetes, eczema, psoriasis, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Other examples include allergies, arthritis, gout, asthma, and autoimmune diseases like lupus, coeliac disease, hepatitis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Inflammation can also lead to problems such as balance issues, muscle weakness, tiredness, insulin resistance, and even diarrhea.
Symptoms to watch out for
- Persistent fatigue and sleep disturbances
- Body aches and joint stiffness
- Gastrointestinal distress (acid reflux, bloating, diarrhea)
- Unexplained weight fluctuations
- Frequent infections
A well-functioning immune system can help keep inflammation under control and having good progesterone levels is essential as this has anti-inflammatory properties.
What can help ease inflammation?
The results are likely to be slow but definitely worth making some small and important changes.
First, pay attention to your gut as it houses nearly three quarters of your immune cells. When it’s out of balance, it can drive inflammation, a key trigger behind arthritis pain and flare-ups.
Diet is key to improving gut health so you need to have good levels of fibre-rich food such as oats, beans, apples and berries. Lentils, regardless of their colour, as well as all types of beans and peas, are also great sources of fibre.
These foods all feed good gut bacteria, helping them produce compounds that calm inflammation.
A diet high in fibre may help reduce inflammation by lowering body weight. This weight loss supports good bacteria in the gut, which then produces substances that lower inflammation throughout the body.
Foods like white rice and white bread have little fibre, so it’s better to choose whole grains or whole wheat for more nutrients and vitamins.
Fermented foods: including yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi contain live bacteria that can rebalance your gut microbiome.
Prebiotic foods: like garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus and bananas help your gut flora stay strong and diverse.
How to help your body deal with inflammation
Our bodies are really clever, so when something harmful or irritating affects a part of our body, there is a biological response to try to remove it.
The signs and symptoms of inflammation can be uncomfortable but are showing that the body is trying to heal itself so here are some simple tips to maximise your health.
Increase spices
Paprika adds flavour, colour, and health benefits to food. It contains capsaicin, an active component of chilli peppers, and is a natural pain and inflammation fighter.
Also found in red peppers and cayenne pepper in supplement form and other spices like ginger, turmeric, and garlic may offer similar health perks.
Check your sugar intake
Research shows that eating foods high in sugar can lead to inflammation, which is often related to joint pain and muscle aches. Consuming a lot of sugar can make pain and other symptoms worse and last longer.
Women are recommended to limit added sugars to no more than 25 grams per day, and sugar is not only found in desserts.
Have you looked at the sugar content in your yogurt, breakfast cereal, and especially low-fat products like salad dressing or tomato sauce? These often contain added sugars or sweeteners.
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Learn MoreLimit your saturated fat
Eating high-fat red meat can increase inflammation, especially processed meats like bacon and sausages.
Choose lean protein options like turkey, chicken, fish, as well as vegetarian sources like beans and tofu.
Extra virgin olive oil is a good fat because it contains a natural substance called oleocanthal, which works similarly to the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen.
You can also enjoy nuts, avocados, and olives as healthy fats in moderation.
Increase fatty fish
It is so worthwhile on the inflammation front if you can eat at least two servings a week, and best are salmon, sardines, mackerel, and tuna.
Fatty fish are one of the best sources of omega-3’s, a type of fat that helps reduce inflammation throughout the body.
Cocoa can be good
Cocoa contains flavonoids, which are nutrients that might help reduce inflammation. To enjoy cocoa in its healthiest form, stay away from very sweet, processed foods like cakes and biscuits or chocolate with less than 80% cocoa solids. Instead, try adding cocoa powder to smoothies or a mug of hot milk.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are full of ingredients that help reduce inflammation. These include polysaccharides, phenolic and indolic compounds, mycosteroids, fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, and biometals.
Many vegetables, like spinach and kale, and fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges, are also good for inflammation.
What can make inflammation worse?
These are the main culprits that can make your inflammation worse:
- Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup
- Artificial trans fats
- Vegetable and seed oils
- Refined carbohydrates
- Excessive alcohol
- Processed meat.
Helpful information:
Progesterone helps reduce inflammation, especially when it is taken with vitamin D.
Many studies have found that vitamin D and progesterone work together to reduce harmful or long-lasting inflammation, particularly in the brain, nervous system, and gut.
To address this issue, it is important to maintain good progesterone levels and eat a healthy anti-inflammatory diet.
The tips here will be helpful, and the website of Naturopathic Doctor Andrew Weil offers a great ‘food pyramid’ guide for fighting inflammation.
If increased weight is driving your inflammation, and that can be result of oestrogen dominance where your oestrogen levels are much higher than the balancing progesterone, then this article might also give you another boost.
