by Glen Depke
Inflammation is the buzz word these days. It does not matter what direction you turn, it seems that everyone is saying that inflammation is the core of everything.
Let’s look at this a bit deeper.
Saying that inflammation is the problem is like saying cholesterol causes heart attacks. Another subject in itself.
First it is important to recognize the inflammation is a natural part of the healing process. When the need presents itself you truly want inflammation to assist in this process. The challenge though, is when the inflammation is no longer an acute reaction and this becomes chronic. This is when inflammation becomes a challenge. The chronic inflammation can lead to an autoimmune reaction in your body and eventually lead to tissue destruction. Yes, that means your body attacks itself. Sound like this comes out of a science fiction thriller.The invasion of the inflammatory body destroyers. It’s not far from the truth.
So why does inflammation become chronic? There are many reasons for this but let’s discuss a few.
While there are many functions of your body, recognize that your adrenal glands produce the hormone cortisone. Cortisone is your body’s natural anti-inflammatory. So with this in mind, if your adrenals are exhausted, can you see that this may lead to chronic inflammation? Remember from past posts that most of the clients I have seen over the years have some level of adrenal exhaustion. When I say most, I actually mean about 98%. So on some level this lack of adrenal balance is impacting inflammatory states.
The other area of challenge is your body’s immune function. When your immune system has been challenged long term, this leads to an imbalance in what is called your eNOS and iNOS. The eNOS response is an anti-inflammatory response while the iNOS response is pro-inflammatory. Long term immune system imbalances lead to an iNOS response and further inflammation.
So why would the immune system be so challenged? How about the fact that almost 80% of your immune system actually originates in your gut and the fact that most health challenged individuals have significant gut issues. This in and by itself can and does lead to inflammatory states. If you want to balance your immune function, you have to fix the gut!
The other tie into inflammation is the direct relationship that your brain has with the gut and the immune function. About 90% of your brain function finds its way through the Vagus nerve and into the gut. As your gut goes, so goes the brain and likewise. Many times a person will have a brain issue that shows up as a gut symptom or a gut issue that shows up as a brain symptom. The one aspect that is real for both of these is the fact that either or both will affect your immune function. Remember that this will lead to further inflammatory issues.
So what do you do with this information?
Unfortunately there are many that will do nothing, or potentially even worse, they will focus on anti-inflammatory drugs that may have an effect on the inflammation, but nothing in regard to the underlying cause. The thought behind this is that the problem is the inflammation, when truly the inflammation is just your body’s reaction to the problem.
If you want to address the inflammation at the core follow these steps.
- Get your fundamentals of health in order
- Eliminate any foods that create an intolerance for you
- Eat according to your Nutritional ID
- Add an omega 3 fatty acid such as Krill-plex to your diet
- Test your adrenal function and address this accordingly
- Address and GI dysfunction
- Balance your immune function
- Heal the aging brain
From a nutritional perspective you can do some things quickly that has the potential to make a significant difference.
First assess Gluten Intolerance. Once you go to the Gluten Intolerance page on DepkeWellness.com, go to the bottom of the page and take the questionnaire to assess this challenge for yourself. If you find that you are somewhat likely or very likely gluten intolerant I would eliminate this for at least 60 days. There is also a Gluten Foods in categories list for you to review for free.
I would also suggest that you add a quality omega 3 supplement to your diet. When you are deficient in omega 3s this can create and inflammatory state. I recommend Krill-plex for my clients as well as use this personally in my home.
If inflammation is a challenge for you, feel free to register for a FREE phone consultation with me personally to understand the life altering anti-inflammatory protocols used by Depke Wellness.
As always, feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions. I will answer this for you personally.