Chronic Inflammation Relief, Naturally
Inflammation is classified into two main types:
- Acute– occurs for about two weeks
- Chronic – slower, less severe and lasts longer than six weeks
What is Inflammation?
It is part of the body’s innate immune response against damaged cells, viruses, bacteria, etc. It removes harmful or foreign invaders and heals itself. Without inflammation, wounds would just aggravate, and infections could be deadly.
What does the inflammation process look like? First, chemicals from white blood cells are released into the bloodstream to guard your body against foreign substances releasing chemicals into the area of injury or infection. This increased blood flow leads to redness and a feeling of warmth in the affected area. The chemical release can also trigger fluid leakage in surrounding tissues, which causes swelling. Nerves are often stimulated during this process and can cause temporary pain.
Inflammation can be mistaken for infection, but the two are quite different. Infection can cause inflammation due to harmful substances, and inflammation is the body’s response to infection. In this way, inflammation is mostly good.
Acute inflammation often occurs because of an injury to the external body or skin. Symptoms include:
- Immobility
- Heat (affected area feel warm to the touch)
- Pain
- Redness
- Swelling
Symptoms and signs of chronic inflammation:
- Abdominal pain
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Mouth sores
- Rash
- Joint pain
Chronic Inflammation can Cause:
- enlargement and loss of kidney function
- swelling and loss of blood vessel function and muscules
The leading causes of inflammation are a poor diet, stress, food allergies, and a sedentary lifestyle leading to weight gain. Being overweight can mean a state of long-term, low-grade inflammation. Negative personality traits like smoking, eating unhealthy foods and a lack of exercise encourage inflammation. Harmful bacteria produce microbiome problems and contribute to inflammatory conditions like arthritis, depression, and neurological ills.
Inflammatory Diseases Include:
- Acute bronchitis
- Asthma
- Crohn’s disease
- Chronic peptic ulcer
- Hepatitis
- Ingrown infected toenail
- Heart disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lupus
- Sinusitis
- Sore throat due to a cold or flu
- Periodontitis
- Ulcerative colitis
Foods that can Cause Inflammation in the Body”
- Sugar, sucrose and fructose.
- Saturated fats found in fast foods and fried products, processed snack foods, frozen breakfast products, cookies, donuts, crackers and margarine.
- Omega-6 fatty acids are essential in moderation, but excess consumption produces pro-inflammatory chemicals found in oils from corn, safflower, sunflower, soy, peanut and vegetable, mayonnaise and salad dressings.
- Refined carbohydrates/white flour products including bread, rolls, crackers and cereals, are brutally lacking in nutrients and are advanced glycation end (AGE) products that trigger inflammation.
- People with celiac disease should avoid gluten.
- Casein
- Aspartame
- Alcohol – excessive intake is harmful to the liver.
Corticosteroids, such as cortisone and prednisone, are prescribed for chronic inflammation like arthritis and asthma. When used on a short-term basis, side effects include fluid retention, increased appetite, weight gain, insomnia, and mood changes.
Long-term effects include osteoporosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, infections, cataracts, glaucoma, muscle weakness and thinning of the skin.
Natural Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Herbs and Spices
- Ensure your diet is loaded with foods high in antioxidants to reduce levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol and lowering the risks of heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
- Vegetables – three servings/day of beets, carrots, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kale), dark, leafy greens, onions, peas, salad greens, sea vegetables and squashes.
- Fruits – three servings/day of apples, all berries, nectarines, oranges, pears, grapefruit, pineapple, plums, pomegranates.
- Water – at least two liters/day.
- Beans and Legumes – two servings/day of black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas or lentils.
- Healthy Fats – five servings/day of avocados and extra virgin olive oil.
- Herbs and Spices – unlimited!
- Protein – organic eggs, grass-fed meats, healthy cheeses, organic poultry and cultured/raw dairy.
- Green Tea – an excellent natural anti-inflammatory, three cups/day.
- Red wine contains quercetin, a potent anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and antiviral; also, resveratrol reduces inflammation and oxidative stress while also acting as a neuro-protectant. Drink no more than two drinks/day.
Herbs and Spices that Combat Inflammation
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Cardamom
- Black pepper
- Ginseng
- Green tea
- Rosemary
CHOCOLATE:
Are All Types of Chocolate Healthy for You?
Well, the quick answer is no. Not all chocolate is good for you, and dark chocolate is exceptionally healthy for you. Here the options:
- Milk Chocolate, contains 10 to 50% cocoasolids, cocoa butter, milk in some form, and sugar. milk chocolate adds in a lot of milk and sugar to sweeten it up. This type of milk chocolate are sweet snacks and are simply vehicles for empty calories and can make you gain weight.
- White Chocolate, does not contain any cocoasolids and is made simply of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk. White Chocolate are sweet snacks and are simply also vehicles for empty calories.
- Dark Chocolate. The percentage of cocoacontents are of 70 to 80 percent, but many have to 100! cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar. dark chocolate varieties contain super-high medicinal content, more info about that shortly. they contain powerful flavanols. But the more cocoa the chocolate have, the more bitter your chocolate will be, dark chocolate actually has prodigious nutritional value and it is linked to aphrodisiac qualities. It’s loaded with beneficial vitamins and minerals, including high concentrations of potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron.
- Dark Herbal Chocolate contains 70-90% cocoasolids, cocoa butter, sugar and herbs.
Herbs that Mate Well with Chocolate
Angelica, Anise, Basil-Anise, Cinnamon, Bay, Chiles, Damiana, Lavender flowers, Orange mint, peppermint, and spearmint, Rose, Rosemary, coconut, mint, nutmeg, Tarragon, Tea
Spices that mate well with chocolate: Anise, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Coffee, Ginger, Nutmeg, Star anise
Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate and the important qualities chocolate can play in promoting good health:
Brain Booster. Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain, which improves cognitive function. The copper in chocolate can also reduce the risk of stroke.
Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, which fight damaging free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause oxidation in cells, which is implicated in both aging and cancer.
Heart Assistant. The magnesium in chocolate helps to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease. Eating dark chocolate also improves blood flow and can help prevent the formation of blood clots, as well as arteriosclerosis, (hardening of the arteries).
Mood Leader. Dark chocolate contains many chemical compounds that improve your mood. The main one is phenylethylamine, causes your brain to release endorphins that make us happy. Phenylethylamine is the same chemical our brains produce when we’re falling in love. This is why eating chocolate feels so good!
Energy Producer. Dark chocolate contains at least several stimulants, caffeine and theobromine, which will help us feel awake and alert. Chocolate contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee, it more tolerated by those who are sensitive to caffeine.
Sugar Stabilizer, dark chocolate has a low glycemic index, so it won’t cause dangerous blood sugar spikes. The flavonoids found in chocolate help reduce insulin resistance, by encouraging your body to use insulin efficiently. Chocolate promotes healthy circulation; it can also protect against damage caused by type 2 diabetes.
Strong stimulant, theobromine also hardens tooth enamel, far from causing cavities, eating dark chocolate can actually prevent them!
Chocolate suppress a cough better than cough medicine. Scientists believe the properties of cocoa help relieve irritation and inflammation, enjoy some dark or herbal chocolate when you feel that throat tickle!
A bit of history… Where does chocolate come from?
The answer is Mesoamerica. It is a historical and cultural region of central Mexico and north of central America. These are the people that invented Chocolate and manufactured rubber balls around 1900 BC. Almost 4000 years ago. All of the areas that were conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, The cacao bean became a form of currency.
Valentine’s Day. Mexico celebrates not only that day but also the entire month of February is the month to celebrate love and friendship. For the lucky visitors to the Cuale Friday market downtown on February 12, we had a chocolate celebration where we sold Dark chocolate, Herbal chocolate and dark chocolate with food grade 24 carats real gold. Needless to say we sold out before 11am, I think we will make this Dark Chocolate extravaganza an annual event because there are not many foods that people feel so passionate about as chocolate.
Are All Types of Chocolate Healthy for You?
Black Tourmaline and Pain
Black Tourmaline is widely known to help relieve stress, reduce inflammation, improve circulation, strengthen the body’s immune system and increase mental alertness. It also has a detoxifying effect on organs and body tissues.
Black tourmaline produces Far Infrared Rays (FIR). These are waves of energy that, when absorbed by the body, gently soothe and detoxify. They also increase blood flow by expanding capillaries, promoting blood oxygenation and distributing nutrients, hormones and oxygen to the body’s tissues and organs more effectively.
Far Infrared is an invisible light wave that nourishes every cell in the body and intensely promotes the production of the “Miracle Molecule” Nitric Oxide.
Nitric Oxide specifically signals blood vessels to increase in width, thereby improving circulation that fosters anti-inflammation.
People notice dramatic effects in pain reduction, balance, flexibility and strength by improving vascular function.
The natural electrical current that flows through tourmaline is a flow of electrons originating from the sun. The sun bathes the earth in a continuous stream of negatively charged electrons, which enter the positively charged side of the tourmaline material and exit from the oppositely charged side. With this current flowing through it at all times, tourmaline is like a battery with unlimited life, one that never runs out!
Many products include magnets to direct the negative ions at specific articulating areas where black tourmaline is the active ingredient. There are bands, neck braces, belts and shoulder and knee braces. I wear a black tourmaline pendant around my neck.
NASA has patents on products developed to help astronauts have a normal lymphatic system regardless of whether they are confined to a chair in a rocket for a long time.
Healing Properties of Tourmaline
Black Tourmaline is part of the Tourmaline family. It is also known as Schorl and is a type of silicate crystal. It is commonly found in trigonal crystal systems and is made of Sodium Iron Aluminum Borate Silicate. Black Tourmaline means grounding and protection, and while it may seem stripped of color, it’s a powerful stone for those who want to wear a constant cloak of protection. Potent, inky black, and with strong grounding forces, this jet-colored stone is a swallower of negative energies. It effectively helps the wearer absolve dark feelings, turning these anxious vibrations into a positive spin that nurtures the soul.
Black Tourmaline is found in many parts of the world, including Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan and the US. The first piece of Black Tourmaline was discovered in the year 1400, deep in the rugged heart of Saxony, Germany. Its unique properties make up the protective stone known for keeping negative energy away.
Every piece of Black Tourmaline is perfectly unique. Yet, all hold the inky shade of black. Sometimes, the darkness seems to capture wispy grey veins or appear almost blue and deeply iridescent when held in the light. Common formations of Tourmaline are Dravite and Schorl. Dravite tends to be a browner shade, earthly and rich, whereas Schorl is the dark midnight shade of onyx.
Physical Healing Properties of Black Tourmaline
The most famed benefit of the Black Tourmaline stone has to be its protective properties. Whether dealing with a dose of negativity from a person, blocking EMFs, and worrying environmental factors, wearing Black Tourmaline is akin to always carrying a shield. Black Tourmaline has many physical benefits for those whose bodies could use an extra dose of toughness. Helping circulation, reducing the negative imprint of lung problems, boosting metabolism, and effectively cutting down on muscle aches and pains are just a few things that Black Tourmaline can do. As a great supporter of all organ systems and the immune system. If you are sensitive to electromagnetic forces, then Black Tourmaline can be the stone you need. Laptops, phones, and TV screens all give off pollution that can cause chaos in those prone to EMF sensitivity. Happily, Black Tourmaline can stop EMF, forming a protective barrier and soaking up the pollution.
If you have any comments or questions about this column, contact me by email or find me at Arte Viviente (Living Art), Libertad 303, Centro Vallarta, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, from 3 to 5 pm.
Moringa leaf and powder and a wide array of tinctures, tonics, and herbal supplements are available. At Arte Viviente, you can find many organic products and supplements, 38 different spices, organic coffees, turmeric tincture, plus honey. Also, Ceylon cinnamon, apple cider vinegar with the Mother, Superfoods such as Maz-mix digestive formula, a fermentation product with probiotics and prebiotics.
