How to Reduce Painful Inflammation
How to Reduce Painful Inflammation. The third in a series of ten articles based on the book, Pain Management by Robert C Hoffman.
How to Reduce Painful Inflammation
Inflammation, also known as swelling, is our body’s natural response to an injury or illness. It helps the body heal and protects you from infection and further harm. However, this is a very generalized defensive response, and sometimes its occurrence doesn’t help, and can even cause more problems.
The body can trigger inflammation, such as when you are experiencing stress, or you don’t get the right food or exercise for long periods of time. When left unattended, a simple inflammation can itself become chronic and do damage to the body. That can contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
That said, it is essential to reduce inflammation when you experience it. Here are a couple of ways you can reduce painful inflammation:
Eat Healthy Foods
Your diet can have a great impact on inflammation, often more than you realize. Some foods can trigger or worsen inflammation, and some others have proven to be anti-inflammatory. The worst offenders are highly processed foods, especially those containing trans fats and excessive sugar. Among the foods that you should eat are fruits and vegetables, omega-3-rich fishes such as salmon and tuna, walnuts, soybeans, and green tea.
Avoid excessive intake of carbohydrate-rich foods, such as white rice, white bread, and pasta, which could trigger high blood sugar. Go for whole grain and fiber-rich food instead. Foods that are rich in essential nutrients can reduce inflammation.
The big thing is to remember that the effects of both types are cumulative. That means that in most cases, an occasional serving of the bad group won’t devastate your health, but an occasional serve of the good foods won’t fix the effects of a regular diet of bad food choices. Make good food the basis of your diet, every day.
Physical activity can also reduce painful inflammation. It doesn’t have to be extreme, as even light exercises are enough to trigger the anti-inflammatory response of the body. Exercise stimulates the immune system, supports weight loss, and makes the heart, muscles, and bones stronger. It also keeps the joints lubricated.
You can do aerobics, stretching, brisk walking, weight lifting, or even gardening. Swimming and other aquatic exercise provide excellent low-impact health benefits. You can also work with a physical therapist to design the right workout for you.
People who are overweight are far more prone to inflammation, so losing weight can help reduce it. This is because as you carry more weight, there’s more pressure on joints, making them work harder than necessary and increasing inflammation. You can lose weight by eating a healthy diet and regularly exercising.
There is a strong correlation between being overweight and experiencing pain from debilitating conditions such as fibromyalgia. Making diet changes to address either area will have positive effects on the other.
Avoid and Manage Stress
The body tries to heal stress with inflammation, but when stress becomes chronic, inflammation will worsen the effects. When you are constantly stressed, the body does not resolve to a natural state where inflammation reduces. For your health’s sake, it is ideal to avoid stressors where that is all possible. More often, that may not be an option, so it is essential to learn effective ways to manage stress.
You can do a guided meditation to calm your mind and body, or do yoga and tai chi, which are meditative exercises. Acupuncture can also help reduce your anxiety levels. All these can reduce your body’s stress response, which will help heal inflammation.
Get Massage Therapy
Getting a massage can help reduce painful inflammation as it can improve blood flow and muscle stiffness in the affected area. Massage also helps release toxins from the body, which are causing inflammation. That’s why massage therapy has been widely used as a complementary treatment to reduce pain and encourage faster recovery from injuries.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep can help decrease inflammation and allows the body to heal. When you are asleep, the body is able to restore damaged cells. It also improves metabolism and strengthens our immune system. Sleep deprivation and can ruin your immune system and circadian rhythm, which contributes to the increase in inflammation. It is essential to get seven to eight hours of quality sleep every night. Some may require more, so most people should take that as a minimum.
Inflammation is a natural component of our body’s healing system, which attempts to protect us from further harm and potential infection. However, when your condition becomes chronic, and you don’t get the right amounts of nutrients from your diet, your body produces inflammation that can lead to worse health problems.
When you follow the above tips, you can effectively reduce inflammation in your body, and improve your overall health condition. However, when you are suffering from serious health problems, it is best to consult with your doctor first so that you will be assured that your actions will help reduce painful inflammation rather than make it worse.