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Here are some tips to reduce inflammation in the body:
1. Breathe
Boost your body's parasympathetic activity.
Learn to rest, breathe, and digest. When you identify the fight or flight response, and put it in its place, you give your body the chance to return to safety after an inflammation response.
Practice pranayama, establish a regular asana practice, allow for rest. Remind the body that the fire is necessary, but it must know its limit. When we allow it to run wild, it becomes destructive to healthy tissue which can lead to autoimmune disorders.
2. Meditate
Meditation is the first and last medicine. Time and time again meditation has been seen as effective pain reduction. With activation of the sympathetic nervous system, the fight or flight response, our nervous system thinks we are running from tigers and bears. This takes blood away from our digestive system and internal organs and sends it to our arms and legs so we can fight and/or run. With chronic stress, the body remains in fight or flight mode; and blood never returns to the internal organs where it is needed most.
3. Probiotics
Take a daily probiotic. This is a great way to start to shift your focus toward gut health. Give your gut healthy bacteria. A healthy gut is naturally rich in a diverse supply of microorganisms that help the body carry out its functions. Stress, poor food choices, antibiotics, and pesticides are seen to diminish the diversity of healthy bacteria that grow in our gut. Keep your intestines diverse with helpful bugs and find a good quality probiotic to take daily.
4. Turmeric
Cook with it, season with it, take it as a supplement . . . smear it on your face. Turmeric has been used in Ayurveda for thousands of years to support healthy joints, liver function, intestinal health, bile flow, fat metabolism, and even mental clarity. It's active ingredient, curcumin, is an antioxidant that provides the spice with its anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Food
Experiment with possible unknown food allergies you may be experiencing. This tip requires discipline, self-control, and patience. Try eliminating potential inflammation triggers from your diet for 3 weeks at a time. Then reintroduce the food(s) to see how your body reacts. Think of yourself as a science experiment, changing only one food at a time so you can determine the culprit.
6. Sleep
Sleep gives the body time to repair. Without good, quality sleep acute inflammation can turn chronic. The immune system becomes compromised and stress levels rise when we are sleep deprived. Not to mention when we are tired we are much more inclined to reach for fast, fatty, fried food, and sugary, caffeinated drinks.
7. Move
The relationship between exercise and inflammation is far from straightforward. Any exercise, with the exception of walking, has the potential to cause inflammation. So, let's keep things simple. Just walk. Go for a short walk after meals. This helps promote digestion and increases metabolism. It helps assimilation of nutrients and can aid in weight loss. It helps avoid instances of overeating and feelings of heaviness and lethargy.
Above all, pay attention to how you're feeling. When you're feeling off, there is a reason. There is also remedy. It just sometimes takes time to learn what that remedy is. Relax and learn. In healing, there is a sweet spot where the magic happens; perfect health is not just the absence of disease, but a state of total mind-body-spiritual bliss. It's worth working for.
