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Inflammation Observed


inflammation, anti aging, integrative medicineLiving with inflammation is otherwise known to some as challenging.  The inability to do the things you have always done in the way you use to do them.   The flexibility of your joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments develop a mind of their own.   You can’t function any longer with ease.  I’ll bet you have chalked it up to age.  I do not believe that we should accept that as normal.

How can you take back control of your life?  Start by taking full responsibility for where your life is at this moment.  Somehow you have arrived at this point of stiffness and inflexibility through your daily choices.  The food choices, lack of physical exercise, mental attitudes and even unforeseen accidents all seem to play a major role in the outcome you currently are in. 

Take a moment to access yourself and decide to take control of your life and its outcome. 

Start looking at your foods.  If your weight is more than it should be adjust the amounts and types of food you consume.  You don’t need a program.  You could do something as simple as the grocery list for your particular blood type and cutting your consumption in half or use a smaller plate when eating meals.  Cutting down calories will produce weight loss.  Don’t forget to cut down the salt (sodium) consumption as well.  Water retention and High Blood Pressure result from too high of an intake of sodium foods and raise acidity level.

How often do you exercise?  You don’t need to join a gym if that is uncomfortable.  You do need to move.  I chose to get an at home WII fit.  I work out every day with my little puffed up MII.  We do Yoga, Kung fu, Balance, Step and mind games to keep me at more desirable cyber age.  It also acknowledges every level I achieve.  You can walk outdoors or jump rope, ride a bike or get out your skates and hula-hoops.  Some form of movement and exercise to stretch those tight muscles helps on a daily basis.  Thirty minutes can burn over 100 calories.

Become your own best friend.  Get tapes and books that boost positive feelings and motivation.  Learn to be good to yourself.  Treat that reflection in the mirror the same way you support your family and friends.  You need to see the best in yourself.  When you see it, so do others. 

Search out a Board Certified Anti-Aging and Functional Medicine Doctor.  They understand that there are other factors involved with ailments and it is not just how old we are.  It is more the age of our organs and that there are ways to care for them.  Bio-Identical hormone replacement therapy is a fantastic use of medicine.  Helping to prevent the negatives of aging is a phenomenal achievement in Integrative Medicine.  They can request blood work to check inflammation markers and utilize Saliva Testing to determine the adequacy of your hormone levels.  These are areas that are not usually acknowledged by Traditional Doctors.  You are never too old to achieve a better quality of life!

If you live in an area that has any type of Medical Spa Beds, they are wonderful heat and massage providers that usually include aromatherapy and pre-set programs for pain management or stress relief.

Take your important vitamins every day.  Keeping up electrolytes, base minerals, Vit D3, Digestive help and Fish Oils are minimal.  If you have a reliable Nutrition Consultant, they can offer more help for specific situations.

Become pro-active in this very vital long term relationship you have with yourself.   You are important, loving and you have a lot to offer others.  I suggest you start with yourself.  You will never achieve that quality of life just sitting around.

Inflammation


ASK THE DOCTOR 4

 

Dr. Leila Kirdani: PREVENTING INFLAMMATIONDr Leila Kirdani/Inflammation

 

As a society, we are experiencing the first generation which is projected to live shorter lives than their parents.  Why?  The number of people with diseases is increasing.  At the root of all of these diseases is inflammation.

Inflammation is what starts us down the slippery path to any medical ailment, including:

 

  • ·         diabetes
  • ·         heart disease
  • ·         hypertension
  • ·         arthritis
  • ·         and even cancer

Inflammation damages arteries and causes problems with our metabolism, creating obesity and increased blood sugar.  Inflammation alters our immune system, making it harder for us to fight off illness and cancer.

 

Dr. Leila Kirdani Explains: WHERE DOES INFLAMMATION COME FROM?

 There are several things that lead to increased inflammation.  Fortunately, most of them are treatable.

 

STRESS: 

Whether it be psychological (time, money, relationships), physical (not enough sleep, over-exertion), or environmental (toxins), stress increases inflammation.  Evolutionarily, we were meant to fight tigers, not our continuous, prolonged, ever-constant stress.

 

VITAMIN D3: 

 

This most essential vitamin that is made in our skin when we are exposed to sunlight!  We now know that Vitamin D is really a hormone that not only is important for bone health, but also modulates the immune system.  When we are low in Vitamin D, we have more inflammation, muscle tightness and chance of developing Cancer.

 

SEX-HORMONES:

  Estrogen for women and testosterone for men are our biggest anti-inflammatory.  This of course means our own natural, bio-identical hormones, and excludes traditional hormone replacement therapy.  Traditional HRT consists of estrogen and testosterone molecules that are not the same molecule as our bodies produce and therefore cause very different reactions. 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS:

On a daily basis we are bombarded with chemicals and toxins that our bodies were not meant to have to deal with and they all create inflammation.  These include additives and preservatives in food, pthalates in plastics and heavy metals found in gasoline fumes, our fish supply, dental amalgams, cigarette smoke, and industrial pollution.    

GENETICS:

Each of us has our own genetic susceptibilities.  Our “weak link” in how our bodies interact with our environment.  Increased inflammation for some of us may lead to thyroid issues and for others heart disease.  The good news is that we can change the environment our genes are in, thereby changing their expression.  We are not doomed to repeat our parents’ diseases.

 

FOOD ALLERGIES: Last but not least in the inflammation list is food allergies.  The most common food allergens include wheat, corn, shellfish, dairy products and peanuts.

 

Dr. Leila Kirdani 

Reviews: HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE INFLAMMATION?

In addition to symptoms, there are several tests we can get to determine levels of inflammation.  These include:

 

  • ·         a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein
  • ·         homocysteine
  • ·         vitamin D – the 25-hydroxycalciferol form
  • ·         ferritin
  • ·         fibrinogen
  • ·         fasting blood sugar and fasting insulin levels

 

All of these tests can be performed by your doctor if they are willing.  However you may need to work with a Board Certified Anti-Aging/Functional Medicine Doctor to truly bring them down.

 

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