Swelling, inflammation is an answer of the body to any threat of injury, disease or foreign substances. Upon inflammation signals are triggered, as a result of which white blood cells arrive to eliminate the problem. This episode of body functioning is very vital as it nature is created to kill yet as soothing as this be, persistent inflated activity is known to be hazardous.
It is known that persistent inflammation is a predisposing factor to many diseases such as heart diseases, arthritis diabetes and in the sundry cases even cancer. In any case, it is still very possible to manage inflammation effectively without the use of drugs. This article deals with the causes of inflammation and how one can ease such crisis situations, especially in practical terms.
What Is Inflammation?
Also called a rash in its general aspect, inflammation could be simply described as the body’s way of defending itself against foreign matter, infection, injury, or disease. This is associated with certain symptoms that include redness, swelling, warmth and sometimes discomfort. Short-term inflammation as seen in a wound on the skin is beneficial as it aids in healing. At the same time, when there is a state of chronic inflammation, that is when the protective fire is not extinguished, it can helplessly cause damage to tissues within the body in some cases the internal organs.
Many factors may contribute to the occurrence of chronic inflammation, the primary ones being psychological stress, excessive food intake and subsequent obesity, idle living lifestyle or harmful substances present in the habitat. With time, and the development of such habits, its influence on an organism can lead to a number of health problems.
Causes of Chronic Inflammation
There are multiple causes of chronic inflammation. Some of which can be avoided, while others are just inevitable. Below are the most prevalent factors for its development:
Poor Diet: Eating a diet which consists of too much of processed foods, sugar, and the unhealthy fats can cause the presence of inflammation in the body.
Yet another common risk for increasing inflammation is prolonged or chronic stress as the body releases harmful hormones together with these.
A sedentary lifestyle has also been proven to increase inflammation while causing a decrease in the body’s ability to contain the same.
Exposure to Toxins: Over time, exposure to environmental and other toxic substances especially pollution, tobacco smokes, causes inflammation in the body.
Gut Health Issues: It is known that chronic inflammatory conditions are often linked to gut issues as in the case of an imbalance in gut microbes.
So, once you have an insight about those said triggers, you can already find and implement ways which will be effective in reduced (treating) inflammation after the consistency is observed.
Natural Remedies for Inflammation Reduction
Many people get depressed thinking that they have inflammation in their body, but the good news is in most cases it can be relieved or controlled with some natural methods. The following sections provide a few ways through which the swelling can be reduced by means of natural practices:
1. Adopt an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
The food you eat has a strong impact on inflammation. Eating anti-inflammatory foods will help the body fend off inflammation and improve its health condition. Here is a list of some of the major foods you should incorporate into your diet including:
Leafy Greens: vegetables in the likes of spinach, kale and Swiss chard have in them antioxidants that help in the reduction of swelling.
Berries: fruits like blueberries, strawberries or any other type of berries are a good source of antioxidants which help eliminate the many free radicals that promote inflammation.
Fatty Fish: Omega-3 fatty acids that prevent the occurrence of inflammation are high in such fish as salmon, mackerel and sardines.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts and flaxseeds are high in fats that reduce inflammation.
Olive Oil: This indigenous oil is an anti-inflammatory indicator at its best and is easily accessible.
Remove foods which can bring about inflammation such as refined sugars, trans-fat foods and processed snacks. In a nutshell, practicing clean eating will naturally help in decreasing inflammation in one’s body.
2. Indulge into Physical Activity
Physical exercise is yet another effective way of controlling inflammation. Physical movement stabilizes your immunity, alleviates you from tension and eases overall functions of the body hence reduces inflammation in you.
One does not have to break sweat performing major exercises so as to experience the benefits. Physical activities such as walking, yoga, swimming or even cycling can help in boosting recovery periods greatly. Be sure to aim for more than thirty minutes of moderate exercises per week as by doing that you will keep inflammation at bay.
3. Develop Effective Stress Management
Lack of healthful and effective stress management can evolve into chronic stress which happens to be one of the major molecular causes of inflammation. Studies show that when an individual’s adrenal glands secrete cortisol unsuspectingly after being stressed out there is a high probability of putting the individuals in the inflammation state. Coping skills that deal with stress are a big part of reducing inflammation.
Some of the behavior change strategies that have been found to be very effective in reducing stress include the use of:
Meditation: Techniques such as the practice of mindfulness and meditation help lower foreground and background stress which in turn helps reduce inflammation
Breathing Techniques: Involves prolonged slow in breath and longer exhale resulting in activating parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress and inflammation
Green Time/Time Spent in Nature: Be in the sun and feel it on your skin is even better than sitting in the indoor. Walking in the park, planting something, or just looking at things outside can calm the body and promote healing.
When you cope with stress in this way, you do not just minimize inflammation but also augment your life in general.
4. Make Sure to Sleep Sufficiently
An insufficient amount of sleep is usually ignored, but one cannot be more wrong because it badly affects swelling. In the course of sleep, the body recuperates and in case of sleep deficiency, the inflammation can worsen. Seek out an average of 7-8 hours of good sleep to allow the work of the body to commence again.
5. How to enhance your sleep quality:
Stick to a consistent sleeping pattern, don’t sleep too much or too little during the weekends.
Indulge in sleepy time activity such as reading in bed, or have a warm bath.
make sleeping environment appropriate – cool, dark and quiet bedroom.
Getting enough sleep may be the easiest and best way to naturally reduce swelling.
6. Take Care of Your Gut Health.
Improvement of gut health is also important when it comes to dealing with inflammation. Dysbiosis, the imbalance of bacteria in the gut, is an irritant of chronic inflammation. Intake of healthy gut foods alongside probiotics, prebiotics or fiber together enhance the gut health and reduce swelling.
Probiotics: Food sources of bacteria, e.g. yoghurt, fermented cabbage (sauerkraut), or kefir, contain probiotics good for the gut.
Prebiotics: These are foods like garlic, onions, banana, etc. that provide “food” for the bacteria in the gut.
Fibre: Whole grains, legumes, Fruits, and vegetables are all good sources of enzymes and support gut health.
But, the maintenance of the gastrointestinal system also helps in mellows down the inflammation and overall well-being improves.
7. Drink Adequately
Ensuring to take in enough fluids is vital for the prevention of any swelling problem. Water specifically helps in elimination of dust or toxics which enhances the natural healing of the body. Prolonged dehydration can compromise the health of an individual by instigating inflammation and weakening the immunity against attack.
To meet the basic water needs of an individual:
- The first thing to do is to drink enough water during the day.
- Eating foods that are high in water content like cucumbers, watermelons, oranges, among many more.
- Please take note of the west in you these drinks dehydrate you and take them sparingly like alcohol and soft drinks.
By keeping your body hydrated, you are assisting your body in reducing inflammation just like that.
More Specifically Supplement For Reducing Inflammation
In cases like this exercises can prove helpful, our goal is to minimize the swelling with a host of interventions. For a start there are a number of such supplements which have proinflammatory effects that I am going to mention a few of them:
Turmeric: this contains curcumin, which is a very strong anti-inflammatory.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: these are also found in fish oil capsules and they reduce inflammation.
Ginger: One other herb that is very helpful in the treatment of swelling is ginger which can be taken in the form of a supplement or as a regular food.
Green Tea Extract: green tea extract is useful for its antioxidant properties which help in reducing inflammation.
Do not forget that one need to consult a healthcare provider before the new supplementation regimen because spices are needed to ensure certain amount will not be harmful to the health.
Conclusion
Inflammation is basically a natural phenomenon in the body which should not pose as a significant cause for concern because it is in that capacity that it helps the body to heal infections. Whatever the case though, there are many remedies that can be utilized in combating inflammation through management of diet, body exercise, stress management, good sleep, and even management of the gastrointestinal system.
One small change in habit can create great positive changes. Therefore, adapt to a few of the following tips at a time, making them your daily lifestyle for some time and see how your body improves. You have it within yourself to manage your health naturally and reduce inflammation too.
