Inflammation and Disease

Posted by Pam Mangus on

Happy New Year! I hope your 2023 is off to a great start!

As we begin the New Year and start all those great resolutions, start thinking about how you are going to control inflammation. Did you know that inflammation is at the root of almost every disease state? With our standard American diet (SAD) that is so laden with inflammatory foods, it is important to really focus on your eating habits. Focus on fresh organic fruits and vegetables and lean, organic meats or wild caught fish. Also, look at your Omega 3 and Omega 6 intake. It’s important to have lots of Omega 3’s in your diet and lower your Omega 6 intake. Contrary to popular belief, most seed oils and olive oils are heavy on Omega 6 fats. If you use these oil, make sure to limit your intake to no more than a tablespoon a day, or better yet, eliminate them. A better alternative is ghee or coconut oil. A great source of Omega 3’s come from flax seeds and chia seeds. Just grind up the fresh seeds and add to a smoothie or sprinkle on your food to boost your intake.

It’s also important to get moving at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Moderate exercise is great at helping reduce inflammation. Strenuous exercise, can actually promote more inflammation, so it is important to not overdue exercise. Great forms of moderate exercise are walking, swimming, biking, playing tag football, gardening. As we age, it is also important to add weight or strength training into your routine to build muscle, since we loose muscle mass as we age. The muscles are an important part of glucose utilization, so if we loose muscle, then our body can not use glucose efficiently, and we begin to see higher blood sugar levels and the potential for diabetes. New research is also showing that too many unsaturated fats are also affecting our body’s ability to use sugar, leading to high sugar, so as you can see, diet and exercise are very important in maintaining longevity!

Once you are so inflamed, you might need a little extra help and this is where supplements come into play. Spices like turmeric, garlic, and oregano are powerful anti-inflammatories and can help put a lid on inflammation. At Freedom Health Shop we carry products with tumeric, curcumin (the active component of tumeric,) reservatrol (the active component of red wine), boswellia. Some supplements come as a single ingredient, but we also have combination products too. Another item to consider is essential oils like frankincense and tumeric that can be added into a carrier oil and rubbed on the skin. These are great for some muscles and joints and are safe to use.

Another way to combat inflammation is though autopahgy. Autophagy is a process by which a cell breaks down and destroys old, damaged, and abnormal proteins in the cytoplasm of the cell, which are then recycled in times of stress or starvation. Autophagy is created through intermittent fasting, usually at the 24 hour mark; however, you can get a benefit at 16-18 hours of fasting three times a week. If you can not fast, another way to stimulate autophagy is through sauna use, or by supplementing with a product called Spermidine. Spermidine mimics fasting, and helps support fat burning, lowers blood sugar, protects and renews skin, hair and nails, as well as reduces alcohol's effect on the liver. It can prolong the lifespan of the liver cells, increase stem cell production, prevent osteoporosis, reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, improve brain performance and help reduce age dependent muscle atrophy! This important substance is packed full of benefits to your body, and it is available at Freedom Heath Shop!

We wish you a fantastic start to 2023, and cheers to your good health in the New Year!


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