Lingering pain and low- grade inflammation are two of the
most common health complaints I hear from my clients. Pain you feel, of course,
but low- grade inflammation is a silent enemy that can slowly destroy your health.
Although I can predict with a high degree of probability that your body is in
some kind of stress from inflammation if you eat a typical North American, or
Bahamian diet, you should insist on a special blood test on your next routine
checkup. The blood test that detects systemic inflammation in your body is
called a “C-reactive protein level test” or CRP for short. When the liver makes
more C-reactive protein than the body can deal with, inflammation occurs
throughout the body.
As we get older, our body can be overwhelmed with
inflammation. One of the reasons for this is a reduced output of systemic
enzymes, which are natural anti- inflammatory agents and natural painkillers.
You had no problems with pain when you were young, unless you were injured or
had an acute infection. You healed well and fast back then, mostly because of a
high amount of available systemic enzymes in your young body. But what can you
do today? Even if your age is still below the mid thirties, your enzyme ‘bank
account’ is in decline. I just give an example of a bank account, because you
are born with a certain enzyme potential. How fast it depletes is up to your
lifestyle.
What does this have
to do with pain management? The connection is clear when I also tell you that
all processed foods deplete your available enzymes and trigger inflammation, as
your body gets more exhausted as a result of bad eating habits. Have you ever
thought about food in this way? I usually surprise my clients when I ask them
about their diet when I hear them complaining about back pain and general
fatigue, which is often an excuse for not exercising vigorously. Diet has a lot
to do with any kind of pain, as has your mental and emotional state. One of the
worst combination and a sure path to low grade debilitating inflammation and
resulting pain is a poor diet that is deficient in fresh produce and good
proteins on a daily basis, high stress that is not managed sufficiently,
unresolved emotional issues, and lack of daily exercise. Hmm… does this fit your
profile? If you say ‘yes’ to this disastrous combination, you are on a downhill
path to bad health laced with discomfort or pain.
So before you take,
or while you are on either prescription drugs (Steroids) or NSAIDs
(non-steroidal ant-inflammatory drugs), you can help your body to recover and
heal by choosing foods that naturally fight inflammation which, you guessed it
right, are all the good foods. There is an extensive list of ‘anti-inflammatory
foods’ that is too long to print in this article, but here are a few of them:
Omega 3 rich fish like salmon and sardines, lean poultry, brightly coloured
fresh vegetables (except for night shade vegetables like tomatoes and
potatoes), nuts, legumes and seeds, oatmeal, green tea, olive oil and spices,
especially Tumeric and Ginger.
Examples of foods
that can create inflammation in your body are: processed foods, french fries,
fast foods, white bread, foods that are fried in corn oil or saturated fat, ice
cream, sodas, caffeine and alcohol, and almost all sugars. Most of these foods
also create an acid environment in your body. There is something else beside
food that can create inflammation and pain in your body; it is stress. Yes,
stress and unresolved emotional issues trigger irritation on tissue and nerves
and are a major factor in silent inflammation and pain. Since your body
believes everything you think, feel and say, it is no surprise that negative
thought patterns and feelings of anger or sadness, to name a few, trigger an
acidic environment in your body chemistry and so contribute greatly to
inflammatory processes and general malaise or pain. Your body is like an
innocent child; it cannot differentiate between what is real and what is
fiction. If you say something negative in your mind or feel it, it becomes real
in an instant. Here is a test to prove it: Just play back in your mind a very
hurtful situation from the past… your heart- beat may change, your gut tighten;
it may feel as real as if it happened right now. Your imagination made it real,
because thoughts are not bound to the past or future; they always happen in the
present, the ‘now’. Or you can just imagine that someone squeezes the juice of
a sour lime into your mouth. Just feel it now...what happened? You probably
felt an increase in your saliva. None of these situations were real at the
moment, but you thought about it, and your body reacted to it.
We are the creator
of all of our thoughts and feelings. We are also the ones who decide what we
put into our mouths, or are you forced- fed against your will? Is there not
still that small voice that tells you what is good for you and what is not?
Ignore it long enough and you end up in less than good health and generally
miserable. Don’t hurt yourself by ignoring the little voice that tries to
reason with you, or protect you from your bad addictions. Carelessness or
addictions to negative thoughts, feelings, and foods are responsible for almost
all health problems.
I know that it is
not easy to break old habits; but become honest with yourself by acknowledging
where your biggest culprits are and get help with the re-creation of a better,
healthier and pain free body. Your sleep will improve, which in return gives
your body the time to repair and restore its energy so that your days are
filled with joy and creative activities. Even if your pain accompanied health
condition needs medical or chiropractic attention, you can support and
compliment your healing with the right food and attitude.
In my next article
I will tell you about some modalities to eliminate stress that are easy to
learn and fun to practice.
Angelika
Christie ND is the
managing director of Radiant Health Center
Lingering pain and low- grade inflammation are two of the
most common health complaints I hear from my clients. Pain you feel, of course,
but low- grade inflammation is a silent enemy that can slowly destroy your health.
Although I can predict with a high degree of probability that your body is in
some kind of stress from inflammation if you eat a typical North American, or
Bahamian diet, you should insist on a special blood test on your next routine
checkup. The blood test that detects systemic inflammation in your body is
called a “C-reactive protein level test” or CRP for short. When the liver makes
more C-reactive protein than the body can deal with, inflammation occurs
throughout the body. 
