Anti-Inflammatory Diets

The link between inflammation and many diseases was made less than 15 years ago. With that being said, there is still so much we are constantly finding out about the connection. Inflammation and disease can be thought of as a circle, the relationship is complex and goes both ways. Inflammation is not always felt by the patient. Majority of inflammation happens in the gut and digestive tract. This leads to something we call “Leaky Gut” or Intestinal Permeability. 

Contributing factors to systemic inflammation include:

• Smoking 
• Environmental pollutants 
• Overweight
• Sedentary lifestyle 
• Stress
• Diet

It is important to keep in mind that not all inflammation is bad. In fact, we need inflammation. Inflammation is a natural and normal response within the body to help repair damaged areas. However, when the inflammation gets excessive, we begin to see problems arise. The first steps we take is to eliminate and reduce the contributing factors of systemic inflammation. Smoking includes second hand smoke as well environmental pollutants. These create excessive inflammation in the body and we are unaware of what we are truly breathing in. A sedentary lifestyle and being overweight typically go hand in hand. Adipose tissue or fat cells produce inflammatory chemicals at a faster rate than lean muscle mass. When we live a sedentary lifestyle and begin to carry around added weight, we are adding fuel to the inflammatory fire. Lastly, stress can add unnecessary inflammation to the body by causing cortisol to release into the adrenal pathways.  

Nutrition

Anti-Inflammatory diets are constantly circling around. There have been studies with benefits linking to diets that include healthy fats, low glycemic, wheat-free, Mediterranean, ph-balanced, and antioxidants. One thing that all healthcare providers seem to have in common is agreeing that nutrition is linked to inflammation and pro-inflammatory foods include trans fats, SFA, ARA, and high glycemic loads. 

In order for a patient to be on a true anti-inflammatory diet that helps recover their gut and reduce inflammation, lab work is needed. The reason is that one food that is anti-inflammatory in one individual, might be causing major irritation and inflammation in another. 

Labs 

To start off, we run a Food Sensitivity Test from Vibrant America. This tests to make sure they do not have any specific IgG reactions to foods consumed, like wheat, vegetables, fruits, and more. A sample test is shown below: 

From here, we can do a Gut Zoomer from Vibrant America that will break down your intestinal permeability and provide us with the level of inflammation in the gut as well as the ratio of good to bad bacteria. Here is a sample test: 

InBody

Going off of the fact mentioned above that adipose tissue creates more inflammation in the body, we are able to directly access the visceral fat you have. We are able to create personalized nutrition plans for your body as well as determine other predisposing factors with the help of the InBody 770 system. This advanced machine provides a great deal of information for us regarding the patient. We track patients Anthropometric measurements in order to determine their lean muscle mass, fat density, visceral fat (fat surrounding the organs- a key indication of disease risk), water percentage, and height and weight. We measure our patients every 8 weeks and keep a detailed record. These reports are great indicators for health and also assess inflammation and edema. There is more information regarding the InBody below. 

InBody_E_Book.pdf

As mentioned above, inflammation is necessary. But excess inflammation leads to diseases and chronic musculoskeletal pain. By taking charge with lifestyle changes and starting with food sensitivity testing, we have the ability to combat inflammation before it becomes systemic. -Kenna Vaughn, Senior Health Coach 

References: 

Reinagel, Monica. “Codifying the Anti-Inflammatory Diet: A Nutrient Based Model.” Functional Medicine University. 1 Jan. 2021. 

 

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Disclaimer

 

The information herein is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional, licensed physician, and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified health care professional. Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, sensitive health issues, functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from a wide array of disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the musculoskeletal system’s injuries or disorders. Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support, directly or indirectly, our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.  Read More…

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, CTG*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

phone: 915-850-0900

Licensed in Texas & New Mexico