Like a smouldering fire that can be hard to spot, your body may be suffering from chronic low grade inflammation.
Not all inflammation is bad. Acute inflammation is a normal response to trauma or injury. If you burn yourself, break a bone, or damage a joint, your body will attempt to repair any damage and protect itself. Part of that repair process is acute inflammation. Your body is attempting to isolate the area, kill off any infection, and get rid of dead cells and tissues before they can do more damage.
But sometimes something goes wrong and the immune system stays stuck in low all the time. It is also thought that being obese can lead to chronic inflammation because of some complex chemical reactions caused by the excess fat itself. And certain foods we eat can also cause inflammation.
What's the worry?
The same methods the immune system uses to protect us in acute cases, start to attack our own tissues over time in chronic cases. People with chronic inflammation can suffer from a huge list of degenerative diseases including heart disease, allergies, digestion problems, and rheumatoid arthritis.
You can get a test from your doctor to test for C-Reactive Protein (make sure to specify that you use the H.S.C.R.P test as there is another that tests for something else) to find out if you are at risk.
What to do about it.
Some doctors have suggested a regimen of 2 baby aspirins a day. That may mask the symptoms but it doesn't eliminate the problem. It turns out that the best way to deal with chronic inflammation is by managing your diet.
Eat Less:
trans fats
fried foods
sugar
corn syrup
doughnuts
pastries
crackers and chips
soda
Eat More:
berries
vitamin C
hot peppers
vitamin E
ginger
vitamin K
olive oil
Omega-3
probiotics
It always seems to come back to what we put on the end of our fork.
