The new "bad guy": Inflammation

Anyone who has seen me in clinic knows that I talk about anti-inflammatory foods, and diets...about supplements that reduce that systemic inflammation that we all carry to some degree...

...so, here's an update on all the things that contribute to that inflammation that is present:

• poor diet and lifestyle
• obesity
• chronic infections
• toxicity
• stress

"...great, so I need to address those things - but how??"

...some of it is pretty obvious: incorporate more movement into your daily lifestyle, avoid chemicals wherever possible, and find some healthy stress management practices (yoga and meditation are two that come straight to mind)...and then, we can talk about your diet...

(my nephew will be so proud of me for putting that pic in)

...there are a number of foods known to trigger inflammatory responses within our digestive systems: grains and sugar come right up at the top of the list...reducing your intake of these (or excluding them almost completely) will help decrease your body's level of inflammation...

...there are also a number of supplements and nutrients that will reduce your body's levels of inflammation too:

"...okay, okay - so there's a lot of things I could do to reduce inflammation...but why is it such a concern??"

...it's simple - we're starting to realise that inflammation is a major precursor to a lot of modern diseases that debilitate our people, and cost our governments a large amount of money in prevention:

...in fact, the medical industry are becoming very vocal that our previously believed causes of disease are, in truth, secondary to inflammation within the body...inflammation is now our new "bad guy" when it comes to our health...

Why you shouldn't Google your symptoms...

Okay, I'll admit it - I am like most people born after 1975, I do use the internet for a lot of things...

...but diagnosing my health is not one of them...

...I agree, that we live in the age of information...but I'd have to call it "white" information...it's kind like white noise, but a little more informative...

...the other problem is that anyone can post information on the internet - which means that lovely little article Google found for you could be full of mis-information...

...type any vague symptom into Google and you'll be presented with a list of illnesses or afflictions that you may (or most likely, may not) be suffering from...I'll almost guarantee you that "cancer" will be in that list, as well as a couple of other scary conditions that will probably have you calling your health practitioner in a distressed state...

...the simple point is, diagnosis is rarely made from a singular symptom - it usually involves a reasonable amount of history taking, examination and testing...all of which Google is incapable of doing (at this stage anyway)...

...your first port of call should be your primary health practitioner, who has spent multiple years at university studying symptomology and has a raft of tests up their sleeve - and can give you a more realistic idea of what you may be afflicted with...

...just to give you an idea of what I deal with somedays: I had a new patient turn up...as they were filling out their form, I noticed that they had to turn their entire body to look at things around them...of course, my brain starts ticking through a mental checklist of conditions that could cause this...then I notice how calm the patient is, and I assume that they have had this before - and thus are seeking similar treatment as to what has worked previously...yep, I had no idea...

...as soon as the patient enters the treatment room, and I close the door...the patient begins to shake and exclaims:

"...it's okay, you can tell me I've got cancer - I'm going to die, aren't I?"

"...huh..wha??.."

"...I went to bed last night, and I could move my neck and I woke up this morning and I can't..."

"...okay, what happened then?"

"...I Googled it - and it said I had cancer..."

...twenty five minutes later, when I have finally calmed the patient and begin to take an accurate history - the real story becomes evident, the patient is subsequently treated and has fully recovered in 48 hours...

...no, I'm not a miracle worker...the patient didn't have cancer...the answer was a bit more pedestrian and relatively easy to treat - if the patient isn't in a hysterical state...

...the simple point, if you want to distress yourself - go on, Google every vague little symptom you get...but if you really want to know what's going on - see the people trained in these things: your trusted primary health care professionals...

...as always, if you want to know more: the.chiro@mail.com