Managing Chronic Inflammation through Food and Herbs
“Inflammation, which means, “to set on fire” is a body’s natural response against harmful pathogens and stimuli that occurs in two stages namely, acute and chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation is a part of innate immunity initiated by the immune cells that persists only for a short time. However, if the inflammation continues, the second stage of inflammation called chronic inflammation commences which instigates various kinds of chronic diseases, including arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neurological diseases via dysregulation of various signaling pathways (Kunnumakkara et al. 2018)”.
Inflammation is a normal and necessary response from the immune system when the body is experiencing disease, infection or injury. A sprained ankle, is a perfect example. That redness, warmth and swelling protects vulnerable tissue while signaling to the rest of the immune system to start repairs. A big thank you, to our ever wise and complex immune system for keeping us safe and healing our body. We love acute inflammation. The problem begins when this inflammation isn’t turned off and it becomes chronic, lasting months, even years.
Allergies, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive decline, diabetes, depression, inflammatory skin conditions, digestive issues and more are all indicative of chronically elevated inflammation. So why does this happen? There’s no one easy answer. First, it is important to understand that chronic inflammation works as a domino effect, once the cycle begins it will pick up speed unchecked until there is intervention (luckily there are ways to intervene). Too many free radicals, loneliness and stress, imbalanced blood sugar, a diet high in omega 6s, the usuals like smoking and pollution all can start this cascade.
There are many ways to soothe this type of inflammation and start to bring it down, but I want to focus on a few that are accessible and excellent starting points.
Consuming Omega-3 fatty acid rich sources of food
Drenching the body in antioxidants
Managing stress
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of essential fatty acid that must be obtained from external sources, our body can’t produce it on its own. Omega-3’s are rockstars, they keep our cell membranes fluid and flexible, support cardiovascular function, our brain and nervous system, fat metabolism, skin and joint health and can mediate inflammation. Seems like we would want a lot of them right? Well, there’s another type of essential fatty acid, you may have heard of it, Omega-6. Too much and the wrong sources of omega-6 can instigate inflammation. Things like corn oil, soybean oil and grain fed meats will take you straight to inflammation land. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the human diet evolve from a ratio of 1:1 omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, to the modern american diet of closer to 20:1. As compared to other countries, the western diet is severely lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, “a recent study showed that more than 90% of American people consumed less than the recommended optimal value for omega-3 FAs in the diet (Hathaway et al. 2020)”. We’ve seen this switch happen as monocultures and GMO’s have taken center stage, making highly processed vegetable oils and factory-farmed, grain fed meat a more profitable option for food corporations. I would like to offer the idea that taking back your health through the food you purchase and the farmers you support is not only empowering, but also a tangible way to move the needle towards a more equitable future that prioritizes farmers, our soil and preventative public health.
#1 Start avoiding processed vegetable oils. That stuff is bad news bears. Instead, opt for things like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil and grass-fed butter. Likewise, avoid fish and meat that are grain fed. Animals fed a grain diet will contain more omega-6.
#2 Add in lots of omega-3 fatty acids. If you are vegan try flaxseed, hemp seeds, walnuts, chia and even purslane which is a really cute, weedy thing that you can find all over. If fish is your style, go for salmon, trout, herring and swordfish. Sardines and anchovies are great too, affordable and usually lower in mercury. If you eat meat, you can obtain omega-3 that way as well, you just want to make sure your meat is grass-fed and finished or pasture raised. It’s better for them, better for the soil and better for us.
Antioxidants
That domino effect that I talked about earlier, that’s where antioxidants can be beneficial. Free radicals are a natural byproduct of metabolism, but UV light, radiation, smoking, air pollution, stress and compromised fats can all create too much of them. Antioxidants can help! Eat foods of color, especially dark reds, blues and purples. Any herbs that are aromatic will also be antioxidant. Think basil, mint, chamomile, rosemary, thyme. Other foods to consider are garlic (lots of it), citrus, green tea, turmeric and spices! If you live in an area without access to fresh herbs, you can easily grown them in a window sill in a small pot. I’m linking some of my favorite small, seed companies below. Growing from seed is affordable and not as difficult as it may seem.
Stress
Figuring out how you can manage your own stress is so critical. I think of stress as belonging to 2 types of categories, things we can’t control and things we can. There are very real events, circumstances and external forces that place a huge amount of stress on individuals and communities. It can feel less overwhelming to start with the things we can control. Personally, I’ve been focusing on how much time I spend on my phone, actually having some sort of morning routine even if it’s only for 5 minutes, reducing my caffeine intake and spending more time outside. This will look different for everyone, but taking some time to see where you’re spending unnecessary energy is a great start.
I hope this is helpful and proof of the power you have to cultivate personal health. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out!
Small Seed Companies to Support:
Sources:
Hathaway D, Pandav K, Patel M, Riva-Moscoso A, Singh BM, Patel A, Min ZC, Singh-Makkar S, Sana MK, Sanchez-Dopazo R, Desir R, Fahem MMM, Manella S, Rodriguez I, Alvarez A, Abreu R. Omega 3 Fatty Acids and COVID-19: A Comprehensive Review. Infect Chemother. 2020 Dec;52(4):478-495. doi: 10.3947/ic.2020.52.4.478. PMID: 33377319; PMCID: PMC7779984.
Hussain T, Tan B, Yin Y, Blachier F, Tossou MC, Rahu N. Oxidative Stress and Inflammation: What Polyphenols Can Do for Us? Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2016;2016:7432797. doi: 10.1155/2016/7432797. Epub 2016 Sep 22. PMID: 27738491; PMCID: PMC5055983.
Kunnumakkara AB, Sailo BL, Banik K, Harsha C, Prasad S, Gupta SC, Bharti AC, Aggarwal BB. Chronic diseases, inflammation, and spices: how are they linked? J Transl Med. 2018 Jan 25;16(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12967-018-1381-2. PMID: 29370858; PMCID: PMC5785894.
Tsao R. Chemistry and biochemistry of dietary polyphenols. Nutrients. 2010 Dec;2(12):1231-46. doi: 10.3390/nu2121231. Epub 2010 Dec 10. PMID: 22254006; PMCID: PMC3257627.
Wani AL, Bhat SA, Ara A. Omega-3 fatty acids and the treatment of depression: a review of scientific evidence. Integr Med Res. 2015 Sep;4(3):132-141. doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2015.07.003. Epub 2015 Jul 15. PMID: 28664119; PMCID: PMC5481805.
