Inflammation Part 2

Last month, I shared what inflammation is. This month, I want to talk about what causes it and how to reduce it.

There are a few well-known foods that cause inflammation:

• Sugar
• Dairy
• Gluten
• Corn
• Soy
• Alcohol
• Eggs

Keep in mind that not all of these foods affect everyone the same way. This is where inflammation gets tricky.

As I mentioned last month, feeling bloated is a sign of the beginning stages of inflammation. There are other symptoms as well, including:

• Skin rash
• Itchiness
• Hot flashes
• Diarrhea
• Feeling anxious
• Mood swings
• Sleepiness
• Brain fog
• Lack of energy

Paying close attention to how your body reacts after eating certain type of foods is crucial to identifying if you have sensitivity to them.  Keep track of what you eat and any symptoms you experience. If you experience any of the above symptoms, it means there is some level of sensitivity and a potential inflammation problem.

In addition to food reactions, one of the most common inflammatory products is one that our bodies produce. It is a hormone called “Cortisol”, which many of you are familiar with. .

Cortisol is a very powerful hormone that gets released by the adrenal glands when we are in survival mode which happens on a daily basis.  It’s what we call “Stress”.  This hormone gets released often throughout our body during the day, any time we go to survival mode. Cortisol causes all kind of problems, from a vulnerable immune system, auto-immune diseases, cancer, being overweight, heart attacks and stroke, you name it.

If you feel you are struggling with stress and need tools to go back to your center and regain your power, don’t hesitate to email or call me for more personal advice. Below are some tools you can start using today to fight stress wherever you are.  Practice the things that make you happy as often as you can:

• Call your BFF to vent
• Kiss or hug your loved ones
• Paint
• Write
• Sew
• Sing
• Dance
• Exercise
• Meditate (that’s my go-to)
• Walk in nature (that’s my favorite)
• Take a 15 minute nap

Doing these simple things will activate your parasympathetic nervous system which will help deactivate the sympathetic nervous system which is the nervous system that gets active when we are in survival mode or stress.  Use these tools on a daily basis to turn off the switch to stress.