Natural Anti Inflammatory Remedies Archives

Break something? (Like a Bone) – You Have Natural Options to Help You Heal

October 23, 2015 by info Leave a Comment

One common health problem that most of us face over a lifetime is a broken bone. Kids fall off things, athletes of all ages break bones, and the elderly, especially those with osteoporosis (with loss of bone density), deal with bone fractures. What to do about them? Of course you should seek immediate medical help after any such event, including whatever the orthopedic surgeon has to offer. But then what? Are there any natural options to help speed healing along?

The possibilities – which you should always discuss first with your own doctor – include nutritional, herbal, and homeopathic options.

First, ask for a vitamin D blood test to check your levels. Millions of people in the US and worldwide are deficient in vitamin D (e.g., 32% of the population in the US), a necessary natural steroid hormone-like vitamin that we all need to get into a good level to keep bones strong and to help them heal. The recommended form of vitamin D is D3 (cholecalciferol). This versatile vitamin has many other functions in the body – some research suggests that it can lessen risk for certain types of infections like the flu, reduce risks for cancers and perhaps some types of heart disease.

Optimal vitamin D blood levels to aim for are claimed to run 50-70 ng/ml. Some doctors suggest levels closer to 70-80 ng/ml. You don’t risk toxicity from this fat-soluble vitamin until the level runs over 100 ng/ml. While your skin can make some vitamin D, cloudy weather, modern indoor lifestyles and sunscreen lotions make it very hard to make enough on your own.

Recommended daily doses for adults run around 800 IU/day, but many experts report that their patients can need 2000-5000 IU/day to achieve the desired blood levels. Since y0u can monitor the level with simple blood tests, it is worth taking what your individual body might need and re-checking periodically. Be aware that many people may also need vitamin K2 to direct the calcium that they take for bone healing into the bones rather than into the arteries of the cardiovascular system.

A good multivitamin is essential – including B complex vitamins and vitamin C. Be aware that adequate doses of good old vitamin C help you repair collagen, which will help connective tissue recover and do what you need to hold things in place. To help with inflammation, consider omega-3 fatty acids, quercetin, and enzymes such as bromelain.

Obviously take enough calcium (citrate form may be better absorbed, but hydroxyapatite is a great source of calcium and phosphorus needed for making new bone) to provide your bones with necessary building blocks (e.g., 1000 mg/day), along with magnesium in the widely-used ratio of 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium (sometimes the glycinate form is less rough on the GI tract), along with trace minerals like silicon. You can usually find products to support bone health nutrition in your local health food stores.

Make sure that your protein intake is good. To heal a fracture, you can need a 10-20 gram/day increase in the amount of protein that you eat. If necessary, supplement with protein powders or liquids. You need proteins to keep muscles strong, but poorer protein status at the time of a fracture can slow down the bone healing process and leave you susceptible to complications.

In the meantime, you broke a bone. How to help bring down tissue swelling and encourage the bone to knit together well (and as fast as possible). Homeopathic remedies may help. While the research on homeopathic Arnica montana is mixed, some people report significant benefit from the remedy for the soft tissue bruising, swelling, and pain. Positive studies have emerged from the plastic surgery research literature, but not for every type of surgery.

For bone fractures in specific, remedies that homeopaths often recommend including Symphytum officinale (e.g., 6C to 30C potencies), Calcarea Phosphorica in lower potencies (e.g. 3X, 6X, etc), and sometimes Eupatorium perfoliatum 30C (Boneset) for severe bone pain. There is a research basis for recommending some of these remedies, especially the Symphytum, for bone healing.

3 Top Anti Inflammatory Diet Books

April 27, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

Finding the top books to give you the basics on living an anti inflammatory lifestyle can be overwhelming. Let’s just focus on three of the best ones, including those invaluable recipe books that make it possible for you to know how to do it in a tasty way.

Chronic inflammation from diet, environment, and stress is an issue lurking around the corner for any of us. These may give you an insider’s advantage on knowing how to beat inflammation in your everyday life…

	The Inflammation Diet for Beginners is a great starting place for people who are not quite sure how to begin. You learn not only why you should care about inflammation to reduce your risk of major diseases, but also how to begin the meal plan. With 100 starter recipes and a 14-day program for relieving symptoms fast, this book is a no-brainer
	This Amazon #1 bestseller brings you an ultimate guide to the anti inflammatory diet. You can learn the best and worst foods to eat for reducing inflammation naturally. If you want relief from the pain associated with inflammation of joints, muscles, the GI tract, or any other area of your body, you owe it to yourself to check this one out
	If you want to keep variety in your anti inflammatory meal plans, this book will be a delicious addition to your recipe book collection. Written by the Inflammation Advisor’s own Susan Greenway, you will find plenty of ideas for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, as well as desserts to tantalize your taste buds

5 Steps to a Healthier Inflammatory Response

January 25, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

Many people think that their chronic health problems are fixable with a simple magic bullet. While there is no such easy-button way to get to a healthier inflammation response, there are basic steps that you can take if your suffering motivates you enough. Let’s look at what causes inflammation and talk about action steps to take care of these issues. And, if you don’t tolerate a lot of medications or the drugs make you feel even worse, your body is telling you to pay attention. With that reality check in mind, here are 5 steps to healthier inflammatory response:

1. Clean up your personal environmental act.

Drink filtered water, eliminate major chemical exposures such as pesticides, toxic cleaners and solvents, and synthetic materials from your home and work environments, use air filters, buy organic cotton clothes and bedding. Many people with inflammatory conditions have chemical sensitivities and allergies. If you want relief, you are likely to have to look at not only dusts, molds, pollens, and grasses, but also pollutants in and around your home and workspace. Not sure where to start? Discover how to replace toxic products and medications in your life with over 215 healthier natural alternatives with this living natural plan.

Stop having routine pesticide treatment of your home. Find natural nontoxic alternatives to herbicides for dealing with keeping your yard in good shape. Buy real wood, glass, or metal furniture, not pressed board. Install tile rather than carpet. Do you commute on a congested freeway for hours every day? Live near a freeway? These kinds of things can make a big difference in your long term health.

Ask your medical doctor or naturopathic doctor to test you for heavy metal toxicity. If your levels of lead, mercury, cadmium or others are too high, find a health care provider who is experienced in helping people detox heavy metals safely with natural approaches. You may want to add in a program of bentonite clay or zeolite in water or cranberry juice to catch the toxins in your gut and carry them out of your system.

If you do not do this and hope that supplements alone will be enough, you are sadly wrong. It would be like not bathing for a month and expecting a high quality cologne or perfume to make you smell OK.

2. Revamp your daily diet.

This is not a crash diet. You have to find out which foods are your personal triggers and get them out of your diet. And you want to replace them with healthier foods that promote a healthier pH in your system that will countact the inflammation-causing effects of the junk foods and pollution that you do encounter. It will probably mean a gluten-free, sugar-free existence, but if you check things out, you are likely to discover many good alternatives to these types of foods. In the end, you will not feel deprived – you will just feel healthier. And if you happen to need to lose some weight, it will happen as a delightful “side effect” of eating healthier.

3. Boost your vitamin C levels.

While there are many outstanding antioxidants out there these days, vitamin C is a fundamental building block. If you have trouble with diarrhea if you try to take enough to matter, then look for either of two different forms of vitamin C that are easier on your GI tract. Those include buffered vitamin C (Ester-C is one good brand) and a special form that lets you get in thousands of milligrams per day – Bio Energ C. People who want to support their system with vitamin C every day through the challenges of a bout with cancer may need to try the special form.

4. Add a multi-herb antioxidant-antiinflammatory supplement.

Many companies offer products of from one to a dozen different herbs that have both antioxidant and anti inflammatory effects on many different tissues of the body. You want whole herbs when possible to take advantage of the fact that herbs are different from drugs in many ways. A key difference is that herbs can gently modulate the function of more than one biochemical function at a time. In other words, you get a bigger bang for your buck. One of the best such combination herbal supplements for inflammation is a brand called Zyflamend. You will find all of its ingredients in lists of beneficial antiinflammatory herbs. This is a natural supplement by a well-established company that has a commitment to putting out a good product. Another option is also based on a combination of several well-known herbs in a natural anti inflammatory product – it is called Defense Anti-Inflammatory Support Dietary Supplement.

5. Support your gut health with probiotic supplements.

Even mainstream doctors are beginning to recognize the importance of the good bacteria in our guts for maintaining immune and inflammation health. Most of the better products need to be refrigerated to keep the bacteria alive until you take them. There are many different good products on the market for this purpose, but likely you will want to take over 20 billion live good bacteria in a mix per day. Some are formulated specifically for children, seniors, pets, or people with certain types of GI disorders. If you have a serious inflammatory condition such as inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn’s disease, you may want to look into the medical probiotic supplement called VSL #3. Odd name, but a solid product with research related to its effects — and it delivers one of the highest amounts of good bacteria found in these types of products. This may be particularly important if you have any of a number of GI and related health problems associated with a “leaky gut” because of the losses of nutrients and beneficial bacteria that your health problems may cause.

Concluding Thoughts

If you think this is all optional, then the program is not for you. But if you are suffering from chronic pain, GI problems, fuzzy thinking, low energy, allergies and/or autoimmune conditions, including hypothyroidism, then your body has already made the choice for you. You can take more drugs and burden your liver and kidneys with the drugs themselves, or you can work through a drug-free program at your own pace – and notice the difference.

Given yourself 3-4 weeks and see how you feel. Then ask yourself what price you pay for saying that changing your daily habits is “just too hard.” It is up to you. You can do this. Get started today.

Earthing Products – Are They Useful for Inflammation?

January 23, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

Earthing products include mats, shoes, sheets, throws and disposable adhesive patches. Earthing as a strategy and a treatment modality gives you ways to re-establish contact with the earth. This can reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and help relieve chronic aches and pains. People with electromagnetic sensitivities may also benefit.

The main idea in earthing is that modern people spend most of their time out of contact with the actual ground (the earth). This lack of direct contact with the earth leads to a wide range of health problems, including many caused by increased inflammation in the body. The goal of earthing is simply to restore your body’s natural interaction with the earth and the beneficial environmental effects that this contact offers.

The easiest way to get in touch with the earth is to take off your shoes and socks and spend time with your feet in contact with the ground every day. For people who cannot do this type of activity enough, there are a number of options for improving your contact with the earth indoors.

What may surprise you is that there is some scientific research to back up these types of claims. For instance, a 2013 study demonstrated that the red blood cell stickiness that can contribute to abnormal clotting, heart attacks, and strokes was reduced in people who wore conductive patches grounded to the earth for a 2 hour period. Objective measurements of the electrical properties on the surface of the red blood cells (the ones that carry oxygen to your cells) showed that the grounding improved their ability to avoid clumping.

An earlier research study demonstrated that people with diabetes who did earthing had decreased blood glucose levels. Earthing had the opposite effect on calcium and phosphate balance in the blood to what astronauts experience during weightlessness in space. This improved chemistry balance in the body is better for maintaining healthy bones. Finally, this study found evidence for modulation of endocrine hormones and nervous system function, including thyroid hormone levels. Many people with inflammation from autoimmune thyroiditis may benefit from this approach.

Is the evidence definitive? Not yet. But it is worth a close look, especially for people who report experiencing sensitivities to multiple drugs, chemicals, and/or foods — and electromagnetic energy. Earthing is a drug-free alternative treatment that may be helpful as part of a total program of care. For people who want a good review, check out Chevalier et al at J Environ Public Helath 2012; 2012:291541 (open access free journal article).

If you have to be indoors a lot and still want to benefit from earthing, learn about the several different ways in which you can get yourself grounded with specific easy to use earthing products. Here are some options below:

Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers.

3 Top Natural Remedies for Alzheimer’s Disease Inflammation

January 5, 2014 by info Leave a Comment

Three top natural remedies for Alzheimer’s disease inflammation show a lot of promise for a less toxic way to slow down and perhaps prevent the loss of memory and other cognitive problems. Options based on scientific research include natural anti inflammatories such as curcumin, high dose vitamin E, and vitamin D3. Actually, ginger, rosemary, and various other plant-based natural remedies may also help to improve memory function. Many natural remedies that are anti oxidants are also exceptional at anti inflammatory effects.

Curcumin and Memory

The anti inflammatory herbal derivative curcumin from turmeric is a powerful natural remedy to help protect brain cells from neuro-inflammatory changes that can lead to memory loss (Wang et al Neurosci Lett 2013). The ways in which it can work in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders are multiple. As with many herbs, curcumin appears to have a modulatory effect on different pathways involved in inflammation and oxidative stress.

One strategy for improving the biological availability and effectiveness of curcumin in the brain is to look for micro- and nano- size forms of the supplement. Nanoparticles are effective tiny carriers for herbs, nutrients and drugs that otherwise do not get out of the gut into the body or into the cells very well. Another somewhat larger but still more effective way to deliver curcumin is liposomes; this form is available more widely in commercial products as Meriva at health food stores and naturopathic offices.

Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s Dementia

A 2014 double-blind placebo-controlled study published in the prestigious medical journal JAMA found that high doses of alpha-tocopherol (2000 IU/day) were better able to slow functional deterioriation in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease compared with placebo or the drug memantine (Dysken et al JAMA 2014). The vitamin E alone group had fewer serious side effects than the groups who got drug alone or a combination of the drug plus the vitamin E. Caregiver burden was also less for longer in the vitamin treated participants.

This study highlights the common problem with past research on nutrients in which the investigators choose to test much lower doses of a given natural supplement and then find that it “does not work.” Yes, this type of research issue means that you would not be using a nutritional supplement in the amounts typically available from dietary uses. Still, acknowledge this fact and look at the wide safety margin and broad benefits that many of these natural supplements offer, in contrast with the dangerous side effects of many drugs.

Vitamin D3 and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Vitamin D3 is deficient or at sub-optimal levels in a large proportion of the population. This nutrient is more of an essential hormone for In older adults, lower levels of vitamin D3 is associated with poorer performance on tests of executive function (ability to make decisions, change course when things are not going well, adapt to changes in your environment – Annweiler et al Dement Geriatr Cogn Disorder 2013). Another study reported lower levels of vitamin D3 (25OHD) were associated with greater mild cognitive impairment in non-demented elderly with perceived memory issues (Annweiler et al Eur J Neurol 2012). Other studies have found similar issues in older women with cognitive impairment.

The criteria for deficient and for sub-optimal levels of vitamin D3 are not yet well-established. Some researchers believe that people want to titrate their blood levels up to the range of 50-80 ng/ml (where 20 or less might be deficient) and 100 or more would be toxic). As with many nutritional supplements, the goal is a Goldilocks goal — that is, the level that is just right, not too small and not too big for your needs and unique body. Recommended daily allowances can be too low for people with impaired gastrointestinal absorption for various reasons. Therefore, asking your doctor to test your vitamin D levels and to follow them as you increase your dose (starting around 1000 IU/day) until you achieve the optimal levels is the best strategy.

In summary, optimizing your intake of curcumin (liposomal or nano forms), vitamin E, and vitamin D3 (the more biologically active form of the vitamin) may help stave off inflammation-associated cognitive impairment and even progression of Alzheimer’s disease if you take the right doses and the right forms of each natural remedy.

How to Choose the Best Air Purifier for a Healthy Inflammation Response

December 31, 2013 by info Leave a Comment

Choosing the best air purifier? What has that got to do with promoting healthy inflammation? A lot, it turns out. You see, exposure to a wide assortment of allergens (dust and dust mites, mold, animal danders, pollens), particles, and chemical pollutants from outdoor traffic and from indoor off-gassing of chemicals from furniture, clothes, cleaning products, carpets, and hobbies inside your home air space can all contribute to your “total load” of environmental exposures.

These exposures typically promote an undesirable inflammatory response in the body. Keeping your indoor air clean is as important as eating a healthy diet or taking herbs and other natural supplements for inflammatory health.

If your system is individually sensitive to a particular exposure, it is likely to trigger the release of a series of biological mediators such as certain cytokines and other pro-inflammatory mediators. Those will only worsen whatever inflammation-related health conditions you are trying to manage.

Therefore, in addition to making conscious choices such as hardwood or tile floors rather than wall-to-wall carpets, avoiding regular pesticide and herbicide treatments inside or around your home, using less toxic cleaning agents and personal hygiene products, you can go a long way toward reducing your total load of exposures. In addition, though, it is impossible to avoid some of these agents getting into your indoor air. That is when a good air purifier comes into the picture.

Here are some basic tips:

1. Avoid using humidifiers or washable air filters for your home heating/cooling system that can build up mold and mildew and actually increase your allergic load.

2. Look for air purifiers that include multi-stage filter systems. They cost more — sometimes a lot more — but they do a better job. In the least, look for a pre-filter and a HEPA filter stage in the equipment. Charcoal air filters can do a good job as part of the total system.

3. Use a plan for the speeds you set on the room air purifier. The fans on air filters can be noisy, but the higher you run them, the more air gets circulated through them per unit time. This is important to clean the air in a particular room. The simple solution is to run the filter in a room on high to clean the air before you need to spend time in the room. Then, while you are working or sleeping in a particular location, lower the fan speed down to the lowest noise level you can tolerate.

4. If you notice that the chemical exposures in a specific room seem problematic — or you are traveling and staying in a hotel, run the air conditioner rather than heater to cool the air. Cooler air causes volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) to settle out of the air and thus not get into your nose and lungs. Heating causes the VOCs to volatilize and spend more time in the air you are inhaling.

5. If you need “big guns” of home air purifiers to experience a benefit, look at respected brands that may be pricey but really do a good job with removing ordinary allergens and VOCs from the air. Those include products from companies such as Austin Air or IQ Air. Compare the features of whichever device you are considering with what those brands have to offer.

Check out your best options carefully. Claims of cheap or quick fixes for air quality problems are usually bogus and will not end up doing much to help you. Discuss your individual needs with an informed health care provider such as a physician specializing in environmental medicine. Then make an informed decision.

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