Inflammation is the new boogie man in the low carb/Paleosphere. It is considered by many as root cause of disease. Chronic Inflammation isn’t a good thing to be sure, But is it the true root cause?

To answer this question we must first ask ourselves, what is inflammation?

There are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic.

Acute Inflammation is vital part of the body’s immune response. It aids in healing and recovery and helps fight of infection.  In fact without it we would most surely die. When we sustain an injury inflammation is our first line of defense. It is usually identified by 5 symptoms.

• Redness
• Swelling
• Heat
• Pain
• Loss of mobility

We feel these symptoms the body heals and that’s the end, everything returns to normal.

Chronic inflammation is much more insidious. It is a low-grade state of inflammation where our immune system is always “on”. Most of us don’t even know we have it. We just ignore the aching joints or back, tell-tale signs of chronic inflammation, as a normal part of aging, I mean everyone feels like this don’t they?  However, just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s normal.

Why is our immune system always on? That’s easy, because the body believes it’s under attack, and in a way, it is. We eat processed food products instead of food. We put unreasonable amounts of stress on our bodies both physically and mentally. Our bodies are literally trying to save us from ourselves. Unfortunately for us, while the body is trying to ensure our short-term survival it creates long-term disease.

In theory, battling chronic inflammation is simple, Stop doing the things your body views as an attack. However, in practice it’s a little more complicated. First you have to figure out what factors are causing the inflammation. Are you eating good whole foods or foods concocted in a lab. Do you have food sensitivities. Are you stressed at work or at home? Do you work out 6 or 7 days a week?

So its time to put your scientist hat on and experiment. Start by eliminating all processed food products. This means no more bread, pasta, chocolate bars, crackers, cereals, chicken nuggets, fast food etc.. and focusing on real food.

Remove those stresses from your life that are unnecessary. all of us have stress, it’s an unavoidable part of life but you should ensure that those things  you’re worried or stressed about are truly worth it.

If you feel you need to “work out” find a routine that is reasonable.  What is reasonable? For me its body-weight exercises 3 day a week no more than a 1/2 hour at a time.

From there If you are still having issues try to find out if you have any food sensitivities.  Pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you. Look for patterns. How do you feel after you eat eggs or dairy. What about potatoes or certain fruits.   Eliminate one food at a time and see how you feel. then add it back in and see if  symptoms return.  Self experimentation is really the only way to find out what is best for your body. Nobody else can simply give you the answers.

Conclusion:

It’s dangerous to label inflammation as the root cause of disease and not address the underlying factors. If it were the root cause we would be able to take a low dose aspirin everyday and live a life free of disease. However, this is not the case. Much like obesity, inflammation is just another symptom of a bad diet and over stressed life.  Those are the true root causes of modern disease.

What do you think? Have your say down below.

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