In addition to chiropractic adjustments, our chiropractors in North Port / Port Charlotte are knowledgeable ways for you to help manage inflammation and pain. We routinely use turmeric to help patients manage their pain and inflammation.
Chronic Inflammation & How to Treat it: Inflammation-an important function indicating that the body’s defense mechanism is working, but it can work against you in the long run. Inflammation plays a huge role in the healing process when getting a scrap, cut, or battling the common cold. This is what we call acute inflammation. However, chronic inflammation, which builds up over many years, can put you at risk for developing several negative health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain types of cancer, to name a few.
Chronic inflammation is caused by several factors. This may include untreated causes of acute inflammation, (infection or injury), autoimmune conditions (RA, Lupus, Psoriasis), and long-term use of irritating substances or specific foods. Some of these symptoms associated with chronic inflammation include abdominal pain, fatigue, joint pain and stiffness, depression and anxiety, and gastrointestinal complications.
When left untreated, many diseases are linked when living with chronic inflammation. Over time, this leads to healthy cells, tissue, and organ damage. Chronic inflammatory diseases are the most significant cause of death in the world. Heart disease, hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline and dementia are among the most common chronic diseases often caused by excess inflammation.
How does lifestyle contribute? There are many areas in our everyday life that can help or hurt us when dealing with the battle of chronic inflammation. Some factors that negatively affect us include smoking, alcohol use, overall chronic stress/worrying, poor sleep, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyle.
How can I lower my inflammation naturally? When addressing sleep, be sure to aim for 7-8 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep per night. This allows the body to rest and recover from the previous days’ activities and allows maximum repair and healing to occur. Regular exercise helps lower overall inflammation in the body while improving cardiovascular health and endurance. Everyone should try hitting a target of approximately 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. One of the most important areas when battling chronic inflammation is looking at your diet. Specific foods we recommend avoiding are refined carbs, fried foods, processed meats, soda or other sugary drinks, and processed snacks. Instead, add in leafy greens, avocados, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and fatty fish such as salmon or tuna. Collectively, these simple lifestyle modifications can significantly help lower chronic inflammation in the body.
Do you recommend any supplements for inflammation? At Suncoast Chiropractic in our North Port / Port Charlotte location, our chiropractors often recommend patients to try turmeric/curcumin when dealing with chronic inflammation. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric supplementation. Curcumin acts as a natural anti-inflammatory with antioxidant properties. This helps fight off free radicals caused by oxidative damage, decreasing the risk of heart disease and several types of cancer affecting the GI tract. It may also slow or reverse the progression of cognitive disorders such as dementia. Due to the variances of absorbability of turmeric, we carry 3 different formulas in our office to help you receive the full benefit of its properties. Schedule an appointment with our experienced chiropractors today and to find out how chiropractic care and turmeric can help you with pain and inflamation in our Port Charlotte / North Port office.