Do you experience a lot of inflammation in your body, digestive system, or in specific areas like your joints? Are you wondering what reduces inflammation? If so, you’ve come to the right place and we’re going to help you understand what inflammation is, why it happens, and how to reduce it.
What Is Inflammation In The Body
When you experience inflammation in the body, whether systemic or acute, it is often for a good reason. When you get inflamed, it means that your immune system is responding to something that is irritating it. When we talk about systemic inflammation, or whole body inflammation, it may be because of a germ, disease, or from dietary choices. When we talk about acute inflammation, we’re talking about the type of inflammation that happens because of an injury, like spraining your ankle or getting a bee sting. Inflammation happens for a very wide variety of reasons and many different things can cause inflammation in the first place.
Why Does Inflammation Happen
As stated previously, inflammation in the body happens as an immune response to a threat. Hormones can be released as an immune system response to inflammation, such as bradykinin and histamine. They dilate blood vessels allowing for more blood to reach the injured or threatened tissue. When there is more blood flow there are also more white blood cells being carried to the tissue where they can begin to repair the damaged area.
The hormones active in an inflammatory response are called ‘inflammatory mediators’ and they’re great at sending signals to the brain so that you protect the inflamed area of the body from further damage. Whether your body is trying to flush out harmful bacteria or protect a torn ligament, keep in mind that if you’re feeling inflamed or experiencing inflammation in an area of your body, it is important to try and figure out the deeper reason for it.
Good Inflammation vs Bad Inflammation
While yes, inflammation can be a crucial component of getting an injured area of your body the necessary nutrients it needs to repair itself, inflammation can also be a bad thing. When it comes to understanding good inflammation vs bad inflammation, acute inflammation is considered to be “good” inflammation because it works to protect your body against further injury, invaders, and provides a safe space for the area to heal. On the other hand, “bad” inflammation is often regarded as chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can be a symptom of another issue at hand or just an issue on its own.
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Causes of Chronic Inflammation
When chronic or ‘bad’ inflammation happens, it is usually caused by either dietary, lifestyle, genetic or disease factors. Chronic inflammation can take away the quality of life one may experience and inflammation can sometimes be reduced through things like diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.
Chronic inflammation causes:
- Food sensitivities
- Irritants in detergents, soaps, and cleaners
- Environmental exposure to chemicals and toxins
- An autoimmune disorder or disease such as diabetes or cancer
- Chronic stress
- Poor sleep quality or duration
- Poor food choices (eating a lot of processed/fast foods)
- Not eating enough vitamins and nutrients through quality, whole food sources
RELATED: 10 Foods That Reduce Inflammation
Signs Of Inflammation
Inflammation can make our bodies not feel very good. Not all acute inflammations cause symptoms and sometimes they do arise more silently. [R]Generally speaking though, there are five symptoms of acute inflammation that include:
- Redness
- Heat
- Swelling
- Pain
- Loss of function
In terms of chronic inflammation, you may notice other symptoms of inflammation such as:
- General illness
- Fatigue
- Exhaustion
- Fever
- Increased white blood cell count
Other signs of chronic inflammation that are present on blood tests include taking a look at [R]:
- Fatty acid profile
- Ferritin
- Food sensitivity tests
- Albumin
- CBC
- Fibrinogen
- Estimated Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
- CRP-hs
What Reduces Inflammation
If you’re looking to make some changes to figure out what reduces inflammation for you and your body we recommend giving some of the options a try. This might mean taking an over the counter medication, such as ibuprofen, to assist with acute inflammation. If you drink alcohol we may suggest reducing your overall intake or stopping altogether, as alcohol is notorious for causing inflammation in the body, as it is a toxic agent. When your body digests and metabolizes alcohol, acetaldehyde is produced, and is the main reason for the inflammation.
What Reduces Inflammation: Food
When it comes to your food, it is important to understand what reduces inflammation and what causes it. Foods that have anti-inflammatory properties such as fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins are great for reducing systemic/chronic inflammation as well as playing a role in preventing the development of chronic disease states such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Foods that cause inflammation in the body include processed foods, foods made with inflammatory ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and canola oil, as well as foods that are offered in a ‘fast-food’ style.
What Reduces Inflammation: Exercise
Another great way to reduce inflammation in the body is by exercising regularly. It doesn’t have to be some crazy intense workout either (even though these are great) it could be as simple as going for a walk a few times a day. Since exercise increases blood flow in the body, this improved circulation helps move toxins, deliver nutrients, and reduce inflammation. Whether you’re dealing with acute or chronic inflammation, you can most likely benefit from any type of exercise. We recommend at least 30 minutes a day of purposeful movement.
RELATED: 4 Ways To Improve Exercise Recovery and Soreness
What Reduces Inflammation: Reducing Stress Levels
Another great way to reduce inflammation, both acute and chronic, is by reducing the amount of overall stress you deal with in your day to day life. Chronic stress is absolutely a cause of inflammation in the body all thanks to the hormone called cortisol. Increased cortisol levels means increased inflammation. If you’re looking to reduce stress we recommend doing the previously mentioned things, like incorporating more whole foods, exercising regularly, reducing and eliminating things like alcohol and caffeine, going outside in the sunshine and the open air, as well as spending quality time with friends and family.
RELATED: Can Stress Cause A Fever
What Reduces Inflammation: Supplements
Supplements, in addition to a healthy diet, increased water intake, and proper hydration, can also help reduce inflammation in the body. Turmeric for example has an active ingredient called curcumin, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. [R] If you’re experiencing inflammation from exercise, overtraining, or activity in general, or you find yourself regularly taking ibuprofen, then turmeric is a great supplement for you to add in to reduce inflammation.
RECOMMENDED: Swolverine’s Turmeric (60 servings) Capsules
Another great supplement for reducing inflammation, especially in the joints, is Krill Oil. Krill oil contains essential fatty acids, specifically omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA + DHA) that help reduce inflammation in the body, oxidative stress, and even help with recovery from exercise protocols. [R]
RECOMMENDED: Swolverine’s Krill Oil (60 servings) Soft Gels
Chronic vs Acute Inflammation
In some cases, like chronic reasons, inflammation actually doesn’t help the body and can work against your body’s normal functions. Acute inflammation typically happens when you injure a specific area of the body or if an organ isn’t able to function properly, such as kidney inflammation from a kidney infection or cutting your finger on a knife.
Chronic inflammation on the other hand is often seen with immune system disorders and diseases. When someone experiences this, the immune system actually fights the body’s own cells by mistake, causing some seriously painful inflammations. For example, conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Chron’s or Ulcerative Colitis. [R] If you’re concerned about inflammation and experience any of these diseases or disease states, it is best that you aim to resolve or relieve the inflammation as best as possible under the guidance and care of a physician.
What Reduces Inflammation: Takeaway
Look, inflammation can ruin your life, literally. If you experience acute inflammation it probably is for a good reason, meaning your body is trying to protect an area on purpose from further damage and to improve healing capacities. If you experience chronic inflammation, you may want to take a look at your dietary and lifestyle habits to see where you can improve, such as eating more whole foods, avoiding alcohol, increasing sleep, reducing stress, and more.
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