Natural Inflammation Remedies

"The potential anticancer benefits of antioxidants have been the driving force for many clinical and pre-clinical studies" - Chi Dang, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and oncology and Johns Hopkins Family Professor in Oncology Research 1

Why would this be?

Could it be that consuming natural, organic antioxidants is a good way to protect ourselves from inflammatory diseases like cancer?

So, you're in pain and don't want to swallow the poison garbage peddled by big pharma? Yeah, me too!

There's nothing like the extreme and sudden diversion from ALL your regular ways of walking, dressing, bathing, moving, exercising, working, sitting, into PAIN, PAIN, PAIN. Nothing like it, at all. I've had to relearn how to move. No more plopping down on the sofa. No vigorous exercise. If you suffer from chronic pain and/or inflammation your journey is different than most.

I have been on a mission to uncover any and all natural anti inflammatories. Fear of pain is a GREAT motivator!

What Is Inflammation?

There are 2 types of inflammation; acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is an good thing. It's when you are injured and a biochemical cascade quickly and dramatically improves blood flow to the area. Nerve endings and healing molecules at the site of the injury or infection send out signaling molecules and other chemical components to amass white blood cells that fight off foreign bacteria and start healing the wound site. This is, on a cellular level, an amazing process but all you see is swelling and pain. Inflammation of this kind is good. It means your body is doing what it is supposed to.

Chronic inflammation is the other type of inflammation and it is the bane of many peoples' lives.

Free Radicals Are The Baddies

I imagine free radicals as red hot, mischief making particles, bouncing around inside the cells scorching everything they come into contact with such as cell membranes and proteins in the cytoplasm, cell membranes AND your DNA.

Some of these proteins are enzymes, responsible for driving thousands of chemical reactions in our bodies. When enzymes are destroyed the reactions that they catalyze will not be able to take place; they are damaged. We understand that damage to our DNA is never a good thing and when our cell membranes are damaged the covering of the cell itself, as well as the membranes of all the cellular structures inside the cell, are no longer efficiently getting nutrients in and waste out. All of this free radical damage causes our cells and their myelin sheaths to weaken and malfunction i.e. chronic inflammation. Annoyingly enough, inflammation leads to free radical production which leads to inflammation.

When the cells deteriorate, the electrical impulses that nerves communicate with, slow down their transmissions to each other. This is the process of aging and, worst case scenario, degenerative diseases.

All manner of modern day stressors can cause free radical production to go into overdrive...inflammation (that's a vicious circle right there!) ... stress, environmental toxins, ultraviolet radiation, x-ray radiation, low magnesium levels and immune activation...the list goes on.

INFLAMMATION causes INFLAMMATION! ..how rude! So let's see what we can do to minimise it, shall we?

Anti Oxidants Are Your Friend!

The List of Inflammation Helpers

With this list, please remember to source as much organic food as you can. Even though the descriptor 'organic' is something of a misnomer now, it's still the cleanest food you can buy if you aren't growing your own. Most major cities now have a home delivered, all organic grocery and fresh produce store.

- ginger - is one of my big go-to anti inflammatories, just don't use too much, it thins the blood and can make you light headed (as it does me)

- bromelian - found in pineapples,

- turmeric and black pepper - a great anti inflammatory and pain reliever combo,

- gelatin - "Several investigations showed a positive influence of orally administered gelatin on degenerative diseases of the musculo-skeletal system." 2

- bioflavonoids and polyphenols that limit free-radical production in the body

- omega 3's - walnuts, flaxseed, fish oil,

- deeply colored vegetables - doesn't matter the color, the darker the better

- chilli - another deeply colored fruit/vegetable, having capsaicin, exhibits anti-inflammatory property by inhibiting IkB-a degradation in LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophages. From the National Library of American Medicine, in 2013... "...capsaicin... (in addition to the known analgesic properties) has any anti-inflammatory effect comparable to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics (NSAIDS)" 3

Add generous portions of deeply-pigmented vegetables to every meal and snack for their fiber and natural anti-inflammatory compounds. Many herbs and foods such as turmeric, oregano, garlic, green tea, blueberries, and ginger contain bioflavonoids and polyphenols that limit free-radical production in the body.

Have a fab day! :)

Sylvana is a natural living freak. She has to be, AND she's dragging everyone else along for the ride! Check out the Re-naturing Yourself Project here: www.renaturingyourself.com

References

1 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/how_vitamin_c_stops_the_big_c

2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10498764

3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3824481/