Reducing inflammation: 5 tips to do it at home!

What reduces inflammation fast?

This is one of the most common questions  patients ask me when they arrive at the clinic. First, you need to find out what is triggering the inflammation; second, you need to make changes in your diet and lifestyle habits.  

An anti-inflammatory diet  is so important, as most of the food we consume nowadays contain chemicals and sugar (toxins) and both cause chronic inflammation in our body.  Lifestyle habits such as lack of movement, constant stress, lack of sleep, smoking and so on affect the capacity of our body to reduce inflammation. Regular Lymphatic drainage helps to eliminate toxins from the body fast.  All together not only will reduce inflammation, but also will improve your general wellbeing.  Let ‘s have a look!

What is inflammation and what are the types?

As I said on my previous blog (link) inflammation is the natural healing response to an irritant or pathogen. Inflammation becomes a problem when it stays in the body longer than needed.  There are two types: acute inflammation and chronic inflammation (link).

When does inflammation become dangerous?

Inflammation is dangerous when it becomes chronic. You can’t see it, because it is at a cellular level. This means that your body cannot get out of this condition and constantly send anti-inflammatory responses to your body cells. In addition, chronic inflammation lead to different types of diseases like: 

• Alzheimer
• Asthma.
• Cancer.
• Heart disease.
• Autoimmune disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
• Ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
• Type 2 diabetes
• Fibromialgia 
• More…

For that reason it is important to change your habits in order to avoid or  (if you already have it) reduce and defeat inflammation! Let’s see what you can do…

How can I treat chronic inflammation at home?

Simple life changes can make the difference!

1.Take it easy: How can I reduce stress levels?

• Meditate, start with 5 minutes (in the morning, lunch time or before bed) and add a few seconds every day till you get the habit and the expected time of meditation you want.
• Steps by step! Avoid doing many things at the same time.
• Reduce noise and distractions
• Avoid stressful situations when possible, if not, remember that you are not in control of the situation, but you are in control of what you think about it and how you behave.
• Don´t be a stress factor for other people. Kindness brings kindness!
• Share your feelings with a person you trust (therapist, close friend, family).

2.Sleep well. In other words, have high quality and quantity of sleep.

• Try to go to bed at the same time every night and try to sleep 8 hours per day. Our body repair when we sleep
• Put screens away at least 1 hour before going to sleep.
• Sleep in a cool, cozy, dark and quiet environment.

3.Bye, bye cigarette! 

• It is important to stop smoking, it will benefit your overall well being.
• Quitting smoking is not easy, but you can try by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke per day, and by the end of the month you’ll find yourself without the need of smoking. Remember, little steps make a big difference!
• Do not replace cigarettes with electronic cigarettes. Recent studies showed that their vape is dangerous for your health too.

4.Move! 

• Exercise: try a new sport or the exercise of your preference.
• When working or studying: stand up once per hour and move a little bit, here we show you how (link).
• Avoid the lift, use the stairs.
• Do your house keeping. As weird as it sounds, these repetitive movements count as exercise, but don´t forget to check your posture.
• Go for a walk.
• Try Yoga.

5.Eat wisely. In other words, eat healthy and anti-inflammatory foods.

• Try green tea, it has anti-inflammatory properties
• Avoid or reduce milky products.
• Increase your consumption of greens like: broccoli, kale, spinach, etc. They are full of antioxidants and other compounds that reduce inflammation and the damage of your cells.
• Add turmeric, rosemary, cinnamon, ginger, cumin to your meals or drinks (ginger lemonade) because they have anti-inflammatory properties.
• Introduce the Mediterranean diet to your every day. Studies show that the Mediterranean diet (linkhttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16037-mediterranean-diet ) is one of the healthiest and anti-inflammatory diets in the world (and it is delicious!).

Are you ready to introduce these 5 changes in your lifestyle?

Remember that you don’t have to do it all at the same time, it is more important to keep them as a habit. Sometimes it is easier to introduce one by one. 

We hope this information is useful for you. If you need advice or have any questions about our treatments, please contact us. You can find us in Mill Hill Broadway and Islington. We are always happy to help. If you like this blog, please share!

References:

https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/ss/slideshow-everyday-habits-to-ease-inflammation

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16037-mediterranean-diet

Deepak Chopra and Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi. Super genes (2019), Grijalbo.