How To Heal Inflammation From The Inside Out
Inflammation presents itself in so many different ways, and most people simply treat the symptoms rather than the underlying issue. However, you CAN heal inflammation from the inside out!
I certainly get odd, random aches and pains (particularly in my joints) as well as the occasional skin reaction. I used to suffer constantly with nasal congestion and I know many others who still do.
As we age, I feel it is really imperative to work out what is causing the flare ups, to understand more about why it is happening and how to, at the very least, minimise their occurrences.
I think it is important that we get in tune with our bodies and investigate how we can overcome any issues that we are having, in as natural a way as possible. I feel like this allows me to take back control of my own health care and I have found from past experience that it seems to keep me feeling pretty healthy too.
So for this reason, I thought it was about time I worked out once and for all how to heal inflammation from the inside out.
Here is what you need to know…
Inflammation is a really important physiological response that you body has to injury and infection. It is your body’s way of prompting the immune system to start repairing damaged tissues, healing itself and instigating defence against any foreign bodies including virus’ and bacteria. Without it your injuries and infections would not heal and well, the results would be pretty awful.
For many people inflammation occurs in parts of our body where it is not needed. For example, in our skin with rashes or redness, in our sinuses with hay fever or sinusitis, and in our joints. These issues can be a combination of both embarrassing and debilitating, or at the very least, uncomfortable.
There is another type of inflammation though that you may not be aware of as it often doesn’t present any symptoms. This type of inflammation is consistent and ongoing in our bodies and is the result of many factors including diet, lifestyle habits and environmental exposure. Low level inflammation can also be linked to chronic illness.
Persistent low level inflammation can trigger an ongoing immune system response, the issue being that the white blood cells don’t really have anywhere to go or anything to do, in which case they can instead turn on your internal organs, healthy tissues and cells. The result of all of this can be a heart attack, stroke or even cancer.
The often misdiagnosed signs of inflammation include:
- Fatigue – the trick with this one is that not enough sleep can cause inflammation, however a symptom may also include fatigue. It just goes to show how important it is to get the right amount of sleep for you.
- Pain and or restricted movement.
- Gut issues including bloating, loose stools and cramping.
- Swollen lymph nodes – our lymph nodes are an important part of our immune system. They will often swell or become sore when you are getting sick and are a sign that your body is kicking into the gear required to fight whatever is going on. The sign to look out for though is when your lymph nodes swell or become tender even though you don’t appear to be unwell.
- Nasal congestion – so many people pass off a constantly stuffy nose as normal or being related to hayfever, however it can often be a result of internal inflammation rather than seasonal allergies.
- Skin issues and eczema – often internal inflammation presents externally in our skin.
- Headaches and migraines.
- Brain Fog.
- Heartburn.
So what can you do about it?
Well, we always recommend starting with your diet. As they say,
Let Food Be Thy Medicine – Hippocrates
Look at what you are eating.
Food has the ability to heal us from the inside out but some food can certainly make inflammation worse, or even cause it in the first place.
The main key though is avoiding the foods that cause inflammation including any foods high in saturated and trans fats, partially hydrogenated oils, sugary foods and animal products – in particular dairy. Refined carbohydrates (white) can also be problematic, however I recommend you switch to alternatives such as spelt rather than cutting out all breads.
The next step involves adjusting your diet. There are a few variations of an anti inflammatory diet you can follow to minimise your internal inflammation, the majority of which are focusses around fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and nuts.
There are some specific anti inflammatory foods to increase your intake of, including:
- tomatoes
- ginger
- turmeric
- chia and hemp seeds
- green leafy vegetables – spinach, kale and collards
- nuts – almonds and walnuts
- garlic
- cinnamon
- mushrooms
- sweet potatoes
- green tea
- cacao – I like this one 🙂
- chamomile
- fruits – strawberries, blueberries, cherries and oranges.
Adjusting your diet to include a variety of these foods whilst significantly reducing the inflammation-causing foods will really help your body to heal from the inside out. Remember, healing takes time so be patient and give your body the time it needs.
Other considerations
Drugs, alcohol, stress and pollution can also be really harmful to the body and significantly contribute to inflammation, so make as many improvements as possible in these areas too.
Along the way you can also help your body by taking a good probiotic which will gradually improve your gut health, and consider using natural alternatives such as essential oils to deal with the symptoms you may be experiencing. We recommend using doTERRA essential oils as we believe they are the best quality oils on the market.
For general external signs of inflammation (in the skin) consider a combination of frankincense, lavender, Roman chamomile, myrrh, geranium and melaleuca.
For internal signs of inflammation (digestion issues, heartburn) consider Digestzen, lemon and peppermint.
For nasal congestion, headaches and migraines consider EasyAir. This is one of my favourites! If you haven’t explored the benefits of using essential oils, I would highly recommend it.
