Inflammation will destroy your gut if you let it, here's why...
This is the first major thing people struggle with
Termites are the worst, right?!
Especially when it comes to keeping the structural integrity of your home intact.
Termites can eat through floors, walls, cabinets, shelves, even the foundation!
A termite infestation is a big deal and needs to be addressed ASAP to stop the damage.
Well, inflammation is like having termites attack the lining of your gut.
I am going to share with you some insight on how to start lowering your inflammation.
But first, let's start with what inflammation can actually do, because...
If you don’t get it under control, it will wreak havoc on the rest of your body.
Inflammation causes damage to the cells in your gut lining
This cell damage results in increased intestinal permeability. What a lot of people call "leaky gut".
That means particles can "leak" through the gut lining into the blood stream. This triggers an immune response and can harm other areas of your body. - (kinda like termites spreading through the house!)
It also causes widespread inflammation throughout the body!
Current research has shown that inflammation in the gut can cause:
Digestive problems like abdominal pain, gas/bloating, diarrhea, SIBO, acid reflux, constipation, food intolerance
And also…
Chronic Fatigue
Headaches
Autoimmune disease
Anxiety
Depression
Increased risk of:
Heart Disease
Type 2 Diabetes
Stroke
Below is a picture that shows what happens when the gut lining gets damaged.
The cells should have tight junctions that keep them nicely packed together.
However, particles can "leak" through the gut lining.
Allowing particles into the blood stream that should never be there.
Unfortunately, a lot of patients I see in practice don’t have inflammation under control.
A lot of the time you may want to know, “what can I take to get rid of my inflammation?”.
Often, we want to add things in that will take care of the problem.
Like looking for the next best supplement, green drink or probiotic ...
Can some good supplements help out? Yes...
But not very well if you keep eating Chik-fil-A or Mcdonalds every day.
That's like pouring motor oil on a vegetable garden!
Instead, STOP thinking about what to add for a second
And ask yourself, “what can I remove from my life that is causing inflammation?”.
What can you get rid of?
Of course it’s important to eat healthy.
Get rid of the highly processed foods, fast food, industrial seed oils, and excess sugar.
Or at least really limit them, unless it's time to celebrate! 🎉
After all…
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
― Hippocrates
Do your best to eat more nutrient dense whole foods.
But that’s a starting point really.
You might need to remove…
Toxins
Mold
Poor sleep habits
Bad stress management (and I’m not just talking mindfulness & meditation)
Excessive use of anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDS
Underlying infections
And the list goes on, but hopefully you get the point.
Are you getting good sleep?
Or do you need to stop getting on your phone in bed?
Do you have an effective way to manage your stress?
Maybe you have said yes to WAY too many things and need to simplify your schedule.
After all saying "yes" to something is saying "no" to something else.
Are you exercising regularly?
Even 15 minutes a day of walking will help lubricate your joints and reduce inflammation.
Easier said then done, I know.
But everyone starts somewhere
And these ALL affect inflammation in your body.
So pick one to work on and just START! 😬
If you haven't grabbed your yet, you should download The Healthy Habits Plan below - it's a huge help!
Click Here To Download The Health Habits Plan For Your Body
Perhaps, most importantly, you still need to get to the root cause of disease.
You can try a lot of good things, but if you haven’t identified the problem to begin with, that’s the best place to start.
We will talk more about how we get to the root cause of disease later.
For now, instead of asking “what can I take to reduce my inflammation?”
Start thinking about what you can REMOVE that has been CAUSING inflammation.
Start there...
And don’t just limit yourself to thinking about food.
