Do You Have Inflammation? 5 Ways to Reduce It.

Inflammation is a hot topic these days. We've seen lots of research about the link between inflammation and cancer(1), cardiac disease(2), arthritis, autoimmune disorders such as thyroid disease(3), inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis (4, 5) and so many others.

How do you know if you have inflammation?

If you have one of the diseases listed above, you're fighting inflammation. But you may also have it if you have some of the following symptoms: joint pain, allergies, asthma, eczema, constant fatigue, lethargy, brain fog, being overweight and even depression and anxiety. The problem with chronic inflammation is that sometimes the signs aren't obvious like a broken ankle where you get warmth, swelling and pain. I've listed some ways below that can help prevent inflammation, so if you're doing the opposite of what's talked about, you're probably inflamed as well.

5 Ways to Reduce Inflammation:

#1 Sleep!!

Oh my goodness, I can't tell you how many people come into the office with complaints of "fatigue," and saying, "I just feel off," "I'm getting sick all of the time," and then they tell me they're only sleeping 4-6 hours per night. That's just not enough! You see, the human growth hormone (HGH) is released when you get into the deep REM sleep which is what repairs all of the tissue damage you did throughout the day. When you're not getting enough sleep, especially deep sleep, you're body fails to repair the damage (6) resulting in increased chronic inflammation (7). The National Sleep Foundation recommends at least 7-9 hours of sleep daily. If I could get my patients to change one habit, this is it guys. It will usually fix that late afternoon sugar craving, the fatigue that makes you not want to work out, the crankiness that leads to binge eating and the susceptibility to getting sick all of the time.

#2 Slow down!

Our culture is so crazy busy. We go from one thing to the next and forget to schedule "me time." For some, this will mean relaxation, meditation and quiet time out. For others, like myself, you’ll find walking in the woods for an hour works really well. I find I can think or listen to podcasts or just get away from everything to find the quietness of life. The key is to figure out something that is relaxing and centering and fun for you and do it EVERY day for at least a half hour. Stress is a huge contributor to inflammation and I think we way underestimate how greatly it affects our health(7, 8).

#3 Exercise but not too much

We know exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and improves mental health, sleep and so many other things. But for you marathon runners, triathletes, Cross-Fit junkies and Orange Theory lovers, overexercising can increase your risk of inflammation as well and even put you at risk more specifically for heart disease(9) So how do we find the right balance? I think it's totally dependent on the person, so work with your healthcare provider to figure this one out. A good general rule of thumb according to most medical sites is, to get about 2 hours of moderate activity plus a few days of strength training per week OR about 1 hr and 15 min of vigorous activity with a few days of strength training per week (10). I heard a quote the other day that makes me ponder sometimes, "It's not about how much exercise you can possibly get, it's about getting the least amount necessary."

#4 Eat whole foods and cut out the added sugar

Did you know sugar is one of the greatest contributors to inflammation? (11, 12, 13). It's curious because the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a low fat and high carbohydrate diet to prevent heart disease, but what ends up happening is all that fat gets replaced with sugar. Take Yoplait low fat yogurt for instance, there's only 1.5 grams of fat but they add 26 grams of sugar, yet the AHA recommends no more than 25 grams of sugar daily for women. That yogurt just gave you more than the entire day's worth of sugar, so it's obviously quite easy to get way more in your diet than you realize. I love this article because it explains how a high fat diet can actually be much more beneficial with some great research behind it.

Processed foods have also been linked to chronic inflammation yet this is what makes up most of the typical American diet(14). On the contrary, whole foods like vegetables(15,16) fruits(17), nuts(18) and fish(19) have been shown to decrease inflammation (20) so try to minimize or eliminate added sugars and processed foods.

#5 Consider some supplements

Most people have heard of tumeric as a great anti-inflammatory but the component of this supplement called Curcumin is much more potent(21, 22). Fish oil with EPA DHA has some great studies to show anti-inflammatory effects but some of the data has been more mixed lately(23,24,25). Clinically I have seen it work wonders for supporting joint health. Lastly, resveratrol, naturally found in small doses in wine, has been linked in supporting cardiovascular health, inflammatory bowel disease, and may have the possibility of helping to prevent cancer and (26, 27, 28).

Make sure to work with your healthcare provider or myself before starting any supplements listed on this site because they may worsen certain health conditions or interact with medications.


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