Inflammation
What is inflammation, and why should you be concerned about it? Inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury and infection. This response signals your immune system to defend the body from invaders and to heal and repair damaged tissue. This normal reaction of the immune system is known as acute inflammation.
But what happens when your immune system gets confused and attacks the healthy cells and tissues in your body? Now you are literally under attack . . . by your own immune system! This type of inflammation is known as chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is thought to be the culprit behind many health issues and diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, crohn’s disease, lupus and heart disease. What I believe is that in a body under chronic stress, the immune system starts out trying to heal the problem, flooding your body with white blood cells, but they can’t find anything to fight so they start attacking healthy tissue.
Get Moving
We need to find a way to minimize chronic stress. Exercise and meditation can help to greatly relieve stress. Our bodies were meant for movement, and I for one am guilty of not exercising on a regular basis.
Finding an exercise program that can accommodate someone in pain isn’t an easy task. The arthritis foundation has videos for tai chi and other forms of gentle exercise that can help when you are not as mobile as you would like to be. Find them here. I used these videos when I wasn’t able to be on my feet for more than a few minutes at a time. It really did help to give me a greater range of motion.
I am able to move and walk for longer periods of time than I could just 4 months ago, so I really have no excuse to not ride the stationary bike every day. So, that is my commitment to myself starting today.
Whatever form of exercise that you can comfortably perform, please do it for your future ability to live without so much pain. I know it will be hard to start, but I have read that if you wake up at the same time every day and do some form of exercise, you will soon be in the habit and won’t have to push yourself to exercise. Here’s hoping that I will feel so good, I will look forward to exercising every day.
Ohm . . .
It’s difficult to find time for meditation, but it’s one more thing that we should definitely fit in every day. This is the only body we will ever have, and we owe it to ourselves to give it the best care that we possibly can.
Up until this point in my life, I have pretty much taken my body for granted. But, beating myself up over being careless with my health won’t help me in any way. Negative thoughts can never help. What I can do is make a commitment to myself to begin again … focusing on a new healthier me. I have several meditation CD’s, which I once upon a time listened to every night. The best time for me now, is most likely in the morning before I start the day.
I still have not entirely adjusted to living in the city again, and I most likely won’t ever completely adjust. There is just too much noise. I did go camping frequently during the past summer and the most amazing thing happened. The pain left my body. Not entirely mind you, but enough that I didn’t think about it. I feel like I can breathe and I just love the peace of the mountains. I think I can find that feeling of peace through meditation, so I am excited to try it again. Exercise and meditation are important for health but the body can’t heal if it isn’t getting the proper nutrition.
Inflammation and Diet
I know, believe me I know. The holiday season is not the time to start a diet. But really, what better time is there when your health is a stake. Is that sweet and tasty cookie or that salty potato chip really worth the pain you’ll feel tomorrow. It really isn’t, and here’s why.
Let’s say that you haven’t been exactly the healthiest eater on the planet. Yup. I’m totally guilty. Add that to the chronic stress and that’s strike two for me. I just got a call from my primary care physician today with the results of my blood test. The good news is that I am not diabetic. The bad news is that my cholesterol is elevated. It’s not to the point where they want to put me on medication, but she said I need to start eating healthy and exercising. Okay… thank you for the additional motivation.
The food we eat in the typical American diet cannot really be called food, as the very definition of food is “any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.” (My source here is the Oxford dictionary.) Key word here is nutritious. Fast food and processed food are anything but nutritious. Our bodies are not prepared or suited to digest chemically altered and manufactured products. We were meant to eat fresh vegetables, fish and yes, maybe even meat. I believe my body thinks these processed and fast “foods” I’ve been ingesting are foreign invaders, and rightly so.
Speaking of the non-food items, the hardest thing for me to give up is going to be coffee cream. O….M….G! Oh, I love my herbs, but I also love my coffee. Am I going to have to give it up? I sincerely hope not. I can drink it without sugar, and have for several years. But without creamer? This will be a true test of my commitment. Any suggestions for some kind of cream substitute would be truly and greatly appreciated. Now before you suggest almond milk… I’ve tried it. It’s not for me. Anything else? I’m all ears!
I have been arming myself with some recipes which are a healthier version of my favorite treats. I’ll share them as I try them out. If they don’t taste good, what’s the point. I know they’re out there. For example, a three ingredient brownie bar made with dark cocoa, dates and walnuts. Super easy to make with just a food processor. Now, those are a little bite of heaven.
One of the main triggers for pain in my joints is sugar, so that has to go. I’m not at all into all the sugar substitutes on the market, because they can cause a host of other problems. The dates don’t seem to cause any pain, so I’m going to say those are safe for me. It also doesn’t appear that nightshades cause any issues for me with the exception of white potatoes. If I eat those, within an hour my finger joints get red and I feel stiff all over. Foods are going to have a different effect on each person, so I don’t think anyone knows for sure what will trigger a reaction. It’s going to have to be an elimination process for anyone suffering from an autoimmune or really any other disease or condition. We just need to be kind to ourselves and try to discover which foods work for us individually. This is going to be an enlightening journey, and hopefully a successful journey as well.
