Inflammation 101: What Causes It & How To Reduce It

LW babes! Did you know that inflammation is both your friend and foe? On one hand it can protect your health but on the other, if it persists it can destroy healthy arteries, joints and organs leading to chronic diseases. To help better understand what your inflammation may be telling you, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty of what causes it, symptoms to look out for and how to reduce it!

First things first, inflammation is the body’s way of signaling the immune system to defend itself against foreign organisms such as bacteria and viruses as well as repair and heal damaged tissue-it’s basically the way your body responds to injury and infection. Symptoms of inflammation can be primarily recognized by pain, swelling, heat, redness, fatigue and for some, loss of joint function.

There are two types of inflammation: Acute inflammation and Chronic inflammation. Acute inflammation is a short-term response that works at the precise place where a problem has occurred such as a sprained ankle, sore throat or a cut. Chronic inflammation however, can have long-term and whole body effects because it produces a steady, low-level of inflammation throughout the body which can lead to diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease- this low-grade inflammation often doesn’t have symptoms but doctors can diagnose by checking one’s blood for C-reactive protein (CPR), a marker for inflammation in the blood as well as by looking into a person’s diet and lifestyle habits. 

As mentioned, a person’s diet can have a major effect on inflammation in the body due to a high consumption amount of alcohol, added sugar (candy, soft drinks, sweet pastries), artificial trans fats (french fries, margarine, fried foods), refined carbohydrates (white bread) and red/processed meat (burgers, hot dogs, sausages.) 

To help reduce inflammation, it’s suggested you eat a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods such as tomatoes, garlic, turmeric, olive oil, green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale), fatty fish (salmon, tuna), fruits (pineapples, strawberries, blueberries), nuts (walnuts, almonds) and ginger. 

One of our Medical Board Advisors, @Dr. Christine Sterling says "Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that has been found to be helpful in a variety of conditions. I personally don’t believe one needs to wait to have an inflammatory condition to start incorporating turmeric into their routine. The best medicine is prevention!” and we could not agree more! To keep your body as healthy as possible, keep inflammation down by eating anti-inflammatory foods, minimizing your consumption of foods that can trigger it and exercising regularly! We also suggest trying Love Wellness’ Perfect Condition Vitamin! It contains turmeric, grapefruit seed extract, garlic, coconut oil, boron and folic acid. Not only does this perfect little vitamin help to improve feminine health by breaking down yeast at the cellular level and maintaining a balanced vaginal environment, but thanks to the added benefit of turmeric, it also helps to reduce inflammation system-wide!

To take prevention a step further, pair our Perfect Condition Vitamin with ourGood Girl Probiotics to make sure you’re getting all of the good bacteria your body needs in order to keep your immune system in check!