Inflammation is possibly the biggest health risk to adults, yet you’ve never heard about it. Let me give you a little science about how the body works so you begin to see what the issues are.
First how does inflammation occur and where?
Inflammation is the result of trauma both externally and internally. We think of inflammation when we have an accident, a cut or a bruise. We know that when we sustain an injury of this kind, our bodies respond with white blood cells and other cells designed to fight infection and begin to heal damage. This normal response causes more cells to migrate to an area than are normally there, thus creating the inflammation we see. When everything works as it should the damage is repaired and the cells that came to heal the tissue leave the area to be eliminated from the body and the swelling goes down and the tissue returns to normal. A similar process occurs when there is internal inflammation. We may not see this type of inflammation, but we sure feel it in the form of headaches, upset stomach and fatigue to name a few. Naturally this is not the only thing going on and taking anti-inflammatory medications alone don’t correct the problem. Ask those who have taken an aspirin for a headache only to find it didn’t work.
Inflammation occurs all over the body from your stomach, intestines (very common) to your blood vessels, muscles, ligaments and organ tissues (most notably the heart in cases of heart disease).
So what is inflamma- aging? Studies are revealing now that as we age the incidents of inflammation are more common. People are suffering from achy muscles, swollen joints, GI problems and on and on. All of these conditions have an inflammatory component.
So we should just take more anti-inflammatories right?
Well no actually. Taking anti-inflammatory drugs only masks the problem. We are better off addressing the underlying issue and arming our system against further damage. One of the most important things to understand about inflammation is that when the body deals with inflammation it neglects functional processes. In other words the body makes more cells to combat inflammation than it does to repair and support healthy tissue maintenance. These conditions become chronic and worsen as we age, thus the term inflamma- aging.
How can I tell if I have inflammation?
There is a test called C-Reactive protein. It’s the protein that is created to combat inflammation, so when we see a high amount of C-reactive protein in the body we can expect there to be inflammation somewhere. Protein does not synthesize into C-reactive protein very much when inflammation is not present.
What is important to know is that the body is a whole organism and one imbalance does not happen in isolation. So we look at a full metabolic panel to see the big picture and better understand where the imbalance is and how best to correct it.
Our services include full metabolic panels as well as other lab tests to better serve our patients.
What can I do to prevent inflammation?
Since we know that taking anti-inflammatory drugs is only a symptom control method of dealing with inflammation, that is not a sustainable solution. We also know that surgery is not an option. Therefore we must look at improving lifestyle to turn inflammatory conditions around. In other words, we must address the imbalance with diet and exercise.
Our intensives and wellness retreats cover all the necessary steps to improve health and reduce any possible inflammatory conditions and address any other imbalances (including blood sugar concerns).
We would be happy to offer you an opportunity to have a complementary health assessment simply send us an email to HealthAssesment@ReturnToWell.com
