Alleviating inflammation -
Elizabeth Ward is a registered dietitian and award-winning nutrition communicator and writer. She has authored or co-authored 10 books for consumers about nutrition at all stages of life.
Inflammation is a common buzzword in the health industry. And for good reason. According to a review in Nature Medicine , chronic inflammation can be a root cause of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disorders. Not all inflammation is bad, though.
Acute inflammation can be a good thing but becomes a bad thing when it persists beyond normal recovery periods. So, inflammation itself is not the problem— chronic inflammation is. Most of us are familiar with the inflammation associated with stubbed toes and sprained ankles. Other examples of our bodies' response to inflammation include fevers, headaches, persistent stomach pain and bloating.
While chronic inflammation may sometimes reveal physical symptoms, often the signs and symptoms can be subtle and may be seen as the "new normal" as we are getting older. Our society is constantly searching for quick solutions, but treating this type of inflammation will require more than just an ice pack—and may not happen overnight.
Also, attempting to reverse inflammation through one-size-fits-all solutions can result in disappointment. For example, two people can have the same symptoms of chronic inflammation, but the cause of their inflammation isn't necessarily the same. So what works to heal one person might not work for another.
With that said, the sooner you start taking action to reverse the inflammation in your body, the sooner you should see some relief. Here are nine things you can start doing today to begin the healing process. Masking the symptoms of chronic inflammation with a "Band-Aid solution" and throwing random treatments at it will most likely lengthen the amount of time it takes to reduce it.
Find out the cause of your chronic inflammation and address it. This is key to knowing what treatment can be used to reverse that inflammation and how quickly it can be reduced. This might mean going the traditional route of medication, depending on the severity of the cause, or using foods high in anti-inflammatory properties , such as herbs and spices, for healing.
It is important to find a health practitioner who can guide you toward understanding where your chronic inflammation may be coming from and what therapy route to take.
Seek out a registered dietitian in your area or speak with your primary care office to find the right medical professional for you. Preferably, choose a professional who is experienced and credentialed in functional medicine or nutrition. Stress is a known inflammatory supporter.
And chronic stress tends to cause chronic inflammation. It's important to address stressors head-on and eliminate sources of stress in your life. A review in the journal Biomedicines examines the relationship between stress and inflammation and states that evidence suggests there is a relationship between inflammation and stress-related disorders, including depression.
Take time out for yourself and incorporate stress-relieving activities into your day, like walking, yoga or meditation. Or maybe higher-intensity exercise or taking an art class is stress-relieving for you. Some people find meeting with a mental health professional helps get to the root causes of their stress.
Since living a stressful life will only increase the time it takes to reduce chronic inflammation, the sooner you can add mental health support, the sooner your body can start calming its inflammatory response. While we all have busy lives, it's important to make sure we get enough sleep each night.
Sleep and our immune system —which controls inflammation—are dependent on one another. When one is out of whack, so is the other. For example, according to a study in Frontiers in Neurology , there is a strong association between sleep inconsistency and inflammation.
Not getting enough sleep at night can cause the immune system to go into overdrive, causing excessive inflammation in the body and decreasing the speed of healing, per a review in Communications Biology.
Whether you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep , getting a restful night's sleep or a combination of the three, it's important to work those issues out to get more shut-eye.
Read More: 8 Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Eat for Better Sleep. Damage to the gut from things like lack of sleep, stress and eating too many processed foods can lead to imbalances in the gut flora, which is made up of both good and bad bacteria.
Those imbalances can specifically harm the good bacteria that help with digestion and absorption. The good bacteria also help to keep the gut lining healthy and prevent foreign inflammatory bodies from invading our system.
Support and replenish those good bacteria by consuming prebiotic foods. Prebiotics feed the good bacteria and include foods like fiber-rich seeds, whole grains and beans, along with fermented foods that are naturally high in probiotics think kimchi, yogurt and kombucha.
Depending on your medical history and current health status, a probiotic supplement may be necessary to help replenish your system. Plant-based foods are not only high in fiber, but they also have plenty of anti-inflammatory properties.
Think lycopene in tomatoes, omega-3 fats from nuts and seeds and vitamin C in fruit and potatoes. The different colors of fruits and veggies correlate to the different anti-inflammatory compounds they contain, so eating a variety of colorful plant-based foods means you'll get a wider range of nutrients to help reduce inflammation, although white vegetables, such as cauliflower, are also packed with anti-inflammatory compounds.
Staying hydrated in general is important for the body to function as it should—and might even prevent chronic diseases. According to a review in JCI Insight , not being well-hydrated is associated with higher markers of inflammation and disease, including dementia, heart failure and chronic lung disease.
Besides water, foods with a high-water content can also help keep you hydrated. Watermelon, honeydew melon and cucumbers are some of the fruits and vegetables with a high water content that you might want to include in the foods that you eat.
Get spicy in the kitchen! Not only will your palate thank you, but so will your health. Herbs and spices are full of antioxidants that support gut health and may help decrease chronic inflammation. They do this by countering an enzyme that contributes to inflammation.
Examples of NSAIDs include naproxen , ibuprofen , and aspirin. People should only use NSAIDs long term if a doctor recommends them, as they can have adverse effects. Aspirin is not suitable for children. Acetaminophen, including paracetamol or Tylenol, can relieve pain but does not reduce inflammation.
These drugs allow the inflammation to continue its role in healing. Corticosteroids , such as cortisol, are a type of steroid hormone. They affect various mechanisms involved in inflammation. Corticosteroids can help manage a range of conditions, including:. Long-term use of corticosteroids can be harmful.
A doctor can advise on their risks and benefits. Treatment for diseases that involve long-term inflammation will depend on the condition.
These can help relieve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and other similar autoimmune reactions. People who have undergone transplant surgery also need to take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organ.
They, too, need to take extra care to avoid exposure to infections. Various herbal supplements, such as the following, are shown to have anti-inflammatory properties:. Learn more here about anti-inflammatory herbs and anti-inflammatory supplements.
These herbs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration FDA for medicinal use. A person should always talk to a doctor before using any herbal or other supplements.
Some foods contain nutrients that may help reduce inflammation. Diet alone will not control inflammation, but making suitable choices may help prevent it from getting worse.
Learn more here about the anti-inflammatory diet. The five signs of acute inflammation are:. Three potential causes of acute inflammation are:. Treatment for inflammation may depend on the cause. However, people can also take steps such as eating an anti-inflammatory diet and taking herbal supplements, such as ginger or turmeric.
Over-the-counter NSAIDs, such as naproxen Aleve , ibuprofen Advil , and aspirin, can help to quickly relieve the symptoms of inflammation, such as pain and swelling. However, this treatment will not remove the cause of inflammation.
Inflammation is part of the process by which the immune system defends the body from harmful agents, such as bacteria and viruses. Acute inflammation is triggered by injury, infection, or exposure to substances, and presents itself as pain, redness, swelling, loss of function, and heat.
Long-term or chronic inflammation, however, can both lead to and result from some severe and possibly life threatening conditions. It is linked to various diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and autoimmune disorders. Treatments for both acute and chronic inflammation include NSAIDs, pain relief, corticosteroids, and immune-suppressing drugs.
Herbal supplements and diet may also help to relieve symptoms of inflammation. Research has linked sugar with chronic inflammation and a range of health conditions. Learn how this happens, other foods that cause inflammation, and…. Herbs that help reduce inflammation include turmeric and ginger.
Green tea is also beneficial. Learn more about the best herbs to help reduce…. Diabetes can lead to joint pain by affecting the muscles, skeleton, and nervous system. It also has links with two types of arthritis.
Learn more here. Researchers say a poor night's sleep or even the perception of unrestful sleep can predict or perhaps trigger a migraine headache the following day.
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Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. Everything you need to know about inflammation. Medically reviewed by Megan Soliman, MD — By Adam Felman — Updated on December 11, Types and symptoms Causes Chronic or acute?
Types and symptoms. Share on Pinterest A person with acute inflammation might experience pain in the affected area. Chronic or acute inflammation? Acute Chronic Cause Harmful pathogens or tissue injury. Pathogens that the body cannot break down, including some types of viruses, foreign bodies that remain in the system, or overactive immune responses.
Onset Rapid. Duration A few days. From months to years. Outcomes Inflammation improves, or an abscess develops or becomes chronic. Tissue death, thickening, and scarring of connective tissue. Common treatments.
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