When you look at many chronic diseases that afflict humans, you’ll find that inflammation is a common underlying cause. Excess inflammation in the brain, gut, or other organs is often at the root of many health problems, and can result from eating inflammatory foods.
Breathing and Inflammation
Reducing chronic inflammation is an important part of improving your overall health and extending longevity.
The Breatheology Method helps eliminate chronic inflammation in two ways:
- Visualization and relaxation exercises, and breath holding calms the body by activating the rest and digest response reducing stress and removing one of the key stimuli for inflammation and activating the rest and digest system.
- Diaphragmatic breathing and abdominal locks massage the visceral organs, increasing the digestion and release of hormones and enzymes.
There are many other ways to help the body deal with inflammation, such as eating a diet high in anti-inflammatory foods and practicing intermittent fasting, can also help reduce markers associated with inflammation.
Chronic inflammation can also cause many symptoms that we typically associate with aging, including weight gain, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, and loss of appetite. Rather than relying on various medications to treat these symptoms, you may be able to mitigate them by eating a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods. This is why a diet which incorporates many anti-inflammatory foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, fatty fish should be looked at as a part of an overall plan.
The dangers of inflammation in the body
Acute inflammation is the body’s response to injury or infection. In this capacity, inflammation means the immune system is using white blood cells to fight off the perceived threat. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, arises from factors such as eating an unhealthy diet, which can spark an inflammatory response inside the body. This can result in myriad health issues, including leaky gut syndrome and irritable bowel disease. Evidence is also showing that inflammation is related to conditions such as depression and contributes to premature aging of the cells.
Some of the biggest dietary causes of internal inflammation are wheat and dairy, as well as factory-farmed meat, sugar, soda and other sugary beverages, margarine, and fried foods. Fortunately, many foods with proven anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce inflammation in your system and help you maintain a healthy body and brain.
Incorporate these 10 foods in your diet for natural inflammation relief (there are many others, but this list is a good starting point for many people):
1. Leafy green vegetables
Some of the best foods to combat inflammation are any type of leafy green vegetables. Leafy greens such as cabbage, kale, mustard greens, and arugula contain important antioxidants, such as vitamins A and C, and anti-inflammatory flavonoids. The vitamins in leafy greens can protect the brain from inflammation-inducing issues such as oxidative stress and free radicals – t
wo things that can negatively impact brain tissues, cognitive function, and mood. Some of the best greens for reducing inflammation include Swiss chard, bok choy, and spinach.
Broccoli has long been considered a vegetable superfood that boasts numerous health benefits. Eating more broccoli can boost your fiber, potassium, and collagen.
It can help heal injuries and repair bones and other tissues. As an anti-inflammatory food, broccoli is invaluable for its antioxidant vitamin C, which fights off free radicals. It also contains vital flavonoids and carotenoids that combat oxidative stress and battle chronic inflammation.
Tomatoes are high in essential nutrients and vitamins that can fight inflammation in the body, including lycopene – an antioxidant with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Lycopene may have the capacity to even combat several types of cancer linked to inflammatory compounds in the body. Tomatoes and tomato products are even better at reducing inflammation than lycopene supplements. Maximize the anti-inflammatory prop