Integrative Health Blog

How Chronic Inflammation Affects the Body

Posted by on Tue, Feb 05, 2019

Chronic inflammation can play a major role in the development and progression of disease. If the cause of inflammation is not identified and treated properly it can have deleterious effects on the body in general and can lead to premature aging. A functional medicine approach is to identify the root cause of inflammation so it can be treated accordingly.

The first step in addressing chronic inflammation is that your physician must make sure that you are not suffering from CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), as CIRS treatment is entirely different from inflammation due to other causes.

What is Inflammation?

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Tags: inflammation, CIRS

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome: A Misdiagnosed and Under-diagnosed Disease

Posted by on Tue, Sep 25, 2018

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, or CIRS, was originally described as Water Damaged Building Illness. CIRS is an illness which exhibits multiple systems and occurs when one is exposed to unhealthy indoor air.

More research revealed that CIRS is  a genetic predilection to a myriad of abnormal systemic inflammatory responses that  results when an individual does not have the immune response genes to eliminate neurotoxins produced by their exposure to mold, bacteria, or viruses as well as fungal infection. CIRS affects multiple systems in the body, causing patients to exhibit numerous symptoms which are very difficult to pinpoint and the patient in most cases goes undiagnosed for a long time.

Interesting to note, but not to the suffering patient, is that they may also acquire new food allergies and allergies to medications and other agents.

Symptoms of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS)

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Tags: inflammation, CIRS

Inflammation and Cancer Prevention

Posted by on Mon, Feb 15, 2016

The American Cancer Society states that aside from tobacco use, the most important risk factors that can be changed for cancer prevention are: body weight, diet and physical activity. For disease prevention, an anti-inflammatory diet is second to none! A nourishing, anti-inflammatory diet focuses on whole foods that are colorful, rich in nutrients, and full of fiber and healthy fats.

Nature’s bounty gives us so many vegetables and fruits that are colorful - that’s our clue that a food is full of nutrients. The deeper and richer the color, the more vitamins and minerals are present. It doesn't matter which vitamins or minerals are in a particular food because they are all important for health. Whole foods are essential when creating an anti-inflammatory lifestyle. 

Processed foods don't provide an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. They can cause inflammation in the body. They are usually made with Omega 6 oils like corn, soybean or canola that have been heated at high temperatures and have therefore been damaged. These oils create free radicals in the body, which, along with the high sugar content of most processed foods, creates inflammation. Research has shown that chronic inflammation paves the way for most chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Sugar = Inflammation

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Tags: inflammation, cancer

Ginger: Potent, Pungent and Powerful

Posted by on Wed, Oct 02, 2013

Ginger is a potent spice with wonderful health benefits.

There are many reasons to use this amazing spice and with cold and flu season looming just around the corner, it is a good time to talk about ginger's health benefits and uses.

Healing Properties of Ginger

Ginger tastes great and it has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects in the body. Gingerols are the potent anti-inflammatory component in ginger responsible for reducing pain and increasing mobility. Inflammation can sometimes be silent in the body, on a cellular level, without our noticing it, setting the stage for disease formation.

When consumed on a regular basis, people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis may experience less joint pain and find that it’s easier to move around.

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Tags: inflammation, ginger, holistic nutrition, integrative health, virus

How Many Times A Day Do You Eat This Food?

Posted by on Tue, Jan 15, 2013

Anita Capizzi RN, CHC

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Tags: belly fat, inflammation, insulin resistance, weight loss, integrative health

Warning Signs of Pre-Diabetes and Insulin Resistance

Posted by on Wed, Oct 10, 2012

Anita Capizzi RN, CHC

Signs of Insulin Resistance/Pre-diabetes  

-  belly fat

-  sugar cravings

-  fatigue especially after meals

-  high blood pressure

-  high triglycerides

-  hypoglycemia

-  low HDL

-  high cholesterol

-  inflammation in the body

Family History

-  heart disease

-  obesity

-  stroke

-  dementia

Fact:  Pre-diabetes carries with it all the risks of having full blown diabetes

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Tags: belly fat, inflammation, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, diabetes, pre-diabetes, blood sugar, integrative health, integrative nutrition