Are you inflamed?

Inflammation is your bodies natural response to repair itself and to protect yourself from nasties!

It's also your body to say 'Hey! Stop! Slow down and take some rest!'

An inflammatory response involves a raise in body temperature (fever), fluid to the area (swelling), vasodilation (so you don't bleed to death) and unfortunately, sometimes pain. These processes are pretty standard and are needed to help you repair and heal. The down side of inflammation is that it can make you feel uncomfortable for the short term. When you have constant pain and inflammation, that's when it gets serious!

So what are some of the signs and symptoms of an inflammatory response?

• Headache is very common. This can happen for SO many reasons.....cold and flu, allergies, sinus, hay fever, food intolerance, environment, eye strain or hormones.
• Skin conditions- eczema, dermatitis, acne and rosacea are all inflamed conditions.
• Allergies- seasonal hay fever, sinusitis and even food allergies are caused by an over active immune system that causes an inflammatory response.
• Auto immune- Think celiac, Hashimoto's, Rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, are all based on an overactive immune response. Most of the time it is genetic, but can be stimulated by environment and stress.
• Digestive system- stomach pain, food intolerances, diarrhoea and reflux would be coming causes of high inflammation.
• Pain- All of the above conditions can have pain associated with it. This can lead to depression, immobility, discomfort and decreased joy in life if left long term.

What can be done?

Knowing the cause of your inflammatory response is a big part of the healing process. Sometimes the source can't be fixed or eliminated, but reducing inflammation can happen by diet, movement and anti-inflammatory sources (will get to this later on).

• When did it start?
• What makes it worse?
• What makes it better?
• What are the symptoms?

These are simple questions that you can ask yourself to narrow down on what the cause could be.

Diagnostic Testing

When you get your bloods taken from your doctor, there are some key markers that inflammation is present.

• White Cell Count - these guys are your defence system. If they are up, that means they are busy fighting something.
• ESR- An acute inflammatory response marker. If raised=inflammation
• CRP- more of a chronic inflammatory marker. If raised, your body ain't happy.
• GGT- This is from your liver profile. If raised, it is busy detoxing you.
• Secretory IgA- This protects your gut lining against pathogens! Stress can decrease secretory IgA.
• Antibodies- These are tested mostly for auto immune markers.
• Immunoglobulins- IgG, IgE are common ones to get tested for allergies. IgG is used a lot with food intolerance panels.
• Anion Gap- This is a calculation found in your General chemistry section of your bloods. It should be between 10-12. the calculation is as follows: Sodium + Potassium - Chloride - Bicarbonate = ?
• Cortisol- This is done by request only and should be taken between 7am - 9am in the morning for accuracy.

What you can do to reduce inflammation!

• Eat a more alkaline diet. Acidic foods create inflammation. Grab your alkaline food list acid-base-foods-pral
• Glutamine is great for reducing inflammation in the gut.
• N- Acetyl Glucosamine is also fabulous for gut repair and anti-inflammation
• Zinc- Wound healer and used for over 200 enzymatic reactions within the body (also immune booster), great for skin too!
• Bioflavonoids- found in the white part of citrus fruit and other fruit and vegetables (Quercetin, Rutin, Hesperidin and Bromelains).
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D (especially with auto immune conditions)
• Probiotics- Vivomixx VSL#3, Saccharomyces Boulardi, Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG) and Lactobacillus Fermentum VRI-003
• Omega 3- fish oil
• Coconut oil- contains caprylic acid which is anti inflammatory
• Reishi mushrooms
• Turmeric- need I say more?
• Chamomile
• Calendula
• Ginger

Things to consider before you detox!

This time of the year always brings the need for a spring detox!But before you go out and buy your next 'detox' kit , I wanted to go over a few things with you that you should be aware of (in a mum voice).Firstly, your body is CONSTANTLY detoxing. We have 5 main organs that are involved in the detoxification process:

1. Your lungs- We breathe in toxins (air pollution, cigarette smoke, pesticides etc. ), but we also breathe a lot of the bad stuff out too.
2. Kidneys- These little guys act as a filter system. If they are suffering, you will definitely know about it!
3. Your bowels- Regular bowel motions eliminate toxins. Our bile binds to these toxins and then we poop them away. So if your constipated....where are your toxins going? They are getting re-absorbed!!
4. The liver- Your liver is SO SO busy! Blood gets filtered through the liver and toxins are being constantly removed. things like: bacteria, hormones, prescription medication, fats, coffee, alcohol etc.
5. The skin- This is the last area that your body has to eliminate toxins. Sweat is the most common way toxins are released, but when your skin has rashes (if not from direct contact), acne, eczema and rosacea, this can be also due to a clogged detoxification pathway.

Generally when you embark on a detox, the standard is eliminated:

• coffee
• alcohol
• gluten
• refined sugar
• dairy

It can be quite a shock for some people. I am all for a good detox (don't get me wrong), but you need to take baby steps so you're not putting too much strain on your organs.Ensuring you have regular bowel motions is a start. There is no use supporting your detoxification process if your not able to excrete out the toxins. Usually this is rectified by the diet changes you have made, but sometimes by adding in some probiotics (strain specific for constipation) and even digestive support (such as pancreatic enzymes or hydrochloric acid), can help with regular bowel motion.Drinking filtered water not only helps your kidneys, but your also avoiding all of the little extras that are being added to your tap water. Chlorine and nitrate are some big factors here.Using activated charcoal in your regime can help bind the toxins for elimination. This can cause constipation in some people, so adequate water in take is needed.It might not be until a week or so later that you may add liver support. For some people, there genetic profile may mean they lack a few enzymes in the liver detoxification process, so caution is required. but liver support herbs such as:

• St. Mary's thistle
• Dandelion root
• Turmeric
• Fennel
• Fenugreek

Are all generally safe to consume. Amino acids are also a great addition for your liver too. As these are used in phase 2 of the liver detoxification process. Amino acids such taurine, glutathione, cysteine, glycine and methionine (to name a few) are all required for the liver to work efficiently.And a few extras?

• Dry skin brushing
• Epsom salt baths
• Sleep and rest
• Movement

I recently did a FB Live on the topic. 

Blood Tests & You

My ideal situation for when I see a client for the first time, is that they show me their blood results that they have just had!It may be just the geek in me, but it has a lot to do with getting an insight of where you are at. I guess more of a 'baseline' of where you first start in your health journey.It surprises me how many people haven't had a blood test in years! I suppose my typical client does not like going to the doctors, but blood tests sure do give you a lot of information!I get my bloods done once a year, just for a general sticky beak. See if things have changed...I have a  file dedicated to blood (and other tests) results.

What....... you don't??

It is your right to have a copy of your results. It's your information, and your entitled to be given a copy. Next time you do have some tests done- ask for a copy.I have been receiving a lot of mentoring in the last 18 months on interpreting blood results. And I have been loving it!As a simple baseline these are the general blood tests that you should request (after fasting the night before):

• Cholesterol panel
• Full Blood Count
• General chemistry
• Iron studies
• Glucose
• Renal studies
• Liver Function Test
• TSH + T4 + T3
• Vitamin D
• CRP

If I had my way..............

• All of the above
• Active B12
• Homocysteine
• Serum folate
• Serum zinc
• Cortisol
• Serum copper
• Selenium

The first list is covered by Medicare (T4 + T3 are sometimes not). The rest can be covered by Medicare, it just depends on your doctor and how flexible they are. If you can give them a good enough reason, they generally are happy to request a blood test for you.I often get a funny look when I suggest to people that they should go and get a blood test done. This is because my clients see me for gut issues, and they can't connect the two together. As a naturopath, we treat the WHOLE person. And yes, your body works synergistically and if one area is under stress, it will put another area under stress too.Below is a Facebook Live I put together on the topic.Have a watch below! 

Stress & Your GUT

Stress often gets a bad wrap. It's our bodies natural defence mechanism kicking in to allow us to deal with external dangers (you know...when you want to run away from the sabre-toothed tiger) and mental stress (exams, money concerns, balancing work and family). If your cortisol didn't kick in when you felt or experienced any of these situations, we wouldn't cope at all!It's only when stress is long term that things start to get a bit tricky. Long term stress can leave you not only exhausted and feeling drained. but it can impact your body on a physical level as well. It just can be a lot harder to see (until the damage is done).There has been a lot of research on the Brain-Gut connection and how the gut is often referred to as the '2nd brain'. The brain and gut communicate with each other via the central nervous system (the vagus nerve) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA).Your gut not only contains 70% of your immune system, but it produces 90% of your serotonin (your happy hormone) and other feel good hormones such as dopamine and GABA.

So it's no wonder that when our gut is not feeling great, we don't feel so great either!

When you are stressed you release cortisol from your adrenals. But cortisol (bless its little cotton socks..) can promote intestinal barrier dysfunction. To bring it back a few steps, our gut has a protective layer (intestinal barrier), that is there to not only help absorb all the nutrients from the food you eat.  It also acts as a wall to keep out the nasties such as bacteria, fungi, environmental toxins and parasites.

Stress affects the gut in the following ways:

• Gastric secretion (your digestion slows down)
• Gut motility (this could slow down or speed up your digestion)
• Gut function and mucosal blood flow
• Visceral sensitivity (stomach pain)
• Increases inflammation (that word again)

Continual stress exposure can lead to the following digestive conditions:

• Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Inflammatory bowel syndrome
• Food allergy
• SIBO

So what can you do to reduce stress when it's out of control??Let's do some exploring........

1. Do what brings you joy!

Honestly....have you stopped doing something because you're too busy?We often put other family members first before our selves. But a little self care is needed, and trust me. If you come down like a tonne of bricks, the rest of the family will to.List 3 things that you love doing, pick one and start doing it.

2. Meditation

Yeah, yeah....I know you've heard it all before. But there is so much research to prove that it works (that's why it keeps popping up all the time!) If you aren't feeling too confident in starting by yourself. There are now Apps available that can give you guided sessions. Have a look at these...HeadspaceSmiling MindHealthline

3. Get back into nature

Fresh air, no distractions, physical activity and feeling the earth beneath your feet. What more do you need?

4. Delegate

Spread the burden! How many times do you say you're ok, when you're clearly not?This is when family and friends come in handy.

5. Talk to someone

Sometimes by talking over what is troubling you can make you feel so much better. Friend, family member or seek professional help if need be.

6. Time Management

This is a goody if you need to be in 2 places at once or there are a lot of deadlines coming up. It's an oldie, but a goody.

7. Community

See what help is available within your community. The local library is a great place where community events and resources are kept. And a lot of them will be FREE!

REFERENCES

Cahn, Br. et al. 'Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat', Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2017 Jun 26;11:315. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00315. eCollection 2017.Farmer, Adam D. Holly A. Randall and Qasim Aziz, 'It's a gut feeling: How the gut microbiota affects the state of mind', Journal of Physiology, 592. 14 (2014) pp 2981-2988Gladwell. VF et. al. 'The Great Outdoors: how a green environment can benefit all', Extreme Physiology & Medicine,  2013 Jan 3;2(1):3. doi: 10.1186/2046-7648-2-3.Konturek, P.C., Brzozowski, T. , Konturek, S.J. ' Stress and the gut: Pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options'. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2011, 62, 6, 591-599Pokorski, M & Suchorzynska, A. 'Psychobehavioural Effects of Meditation', Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2017 Jun 25. doi: 10.1007/5584_2017_52