Stopping Inflammation in it's Tracks!
You have probably experienced inflammation at some point in your life,
whether it was from an injury, a bacterial or viral infection, etc.
When you have inflammation your body responds with swelling, increased
blood supply, then pain. Imagine having chronic inflammation; many people
live their day to day life with this.
Chronic inflammation uses up a great deal of one’s energy, therefore
creating several imbalances within the cells, tissues, organs, glands,
etc. leading to many symptoms and chronic health problems.
Chronic Inflammation has long been linked to diseases in the body such as
rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, allergies, heart disease, digestive
disorders, cancer, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol etc.
Where does chronic inflammation come from and why can’t our body deal or
heal it?
One of the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation is what we are putting
in our mouth on a daily basis……….unhealthy food and drinks!
How can the body heal if it is continually being filled with inflammatory
triggers?
A diet with too many acid forming foods is a big contributor to this. It
is believed that disease can only breed in an acidic environment;
therefore acidity leads to inflammation in the first place.
Do you read the labels of your packaged foods and do you know if your food
as been sprayed with pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc. Because one
of the biggest causes of inflammation is the standard North American diet,
which consists of heavily processed convenience and fast foods such as
breads, muffins, pastries and easy to grab items as well as sugar in
excess and even processed meats.
Many of these foods are filled with preservatives, food coloring, sugar,
monosodium glutamate (msg), excess salt, etc, which have been linked to
chronic health problems
There are some foods that actually cause inflammation in people who are
sensitive to them. These are called Food sensitivities or food
intolerances, which have been linked to asthma, eczema, migraines, chronic
fatigue and many other conditions.
Now where do you start and how do you get this under-control and not allow
inflammation to destroy your life any longer?
Firstly and foremost it is essential to eat a healthy diet.
What is that... Many people do not know, because we have been so confused
by popular media, diet fads, lack of education, etc.
A good place to start is eating as many foods in their whole form as
possible and with 80% alkaline 20% acid food ratio in a day, other words
known as the acid alkaline balance.
There is a lot of great resource material on this topic; one great book is
The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health
A good way to measure your body’s ph level is with pH strips. These can be
found usually at your local health food store.
Testing your Salivary pH
To perform this simple test, all you need is a roll of testing pH paper
(preferably pHydrion test paper), a plastic spoon and some fresh saliva.
The pH strips with a range between 6.0-8.0 pH is a good range for people to testing
their saliva that are healthy, and working at becoming more alkaline.
The test uses a pH-sensitive, color-coded test strip to reveal your body
pH balance status. For the saliva test: - Be sure not to eat, drink, or
brush your teeth for 30 minutes prior to the test - Swallow a couple of
times to clear the mouth and stimulate new saliva - Then discharge some
saliva into a PLASTIC spoon (it is recommended NOT to touch the pH paper
to your tongue due to the chemicals in the paper.
Tear off a one-inch strip of pH paper, place into saliva and compare the
color of your immersed pH paper with the color chart provided on the pH
testing roll. The lower your pH value below 7.0, the greater your degree
of acid stress. Continue testing and recording your pH for a few weeks -
first thing in the morning, afternoon and at bedtime (This will show your
body pH trend).
While generally more acidic than blood, salivary pH mirrors the blood (if
not around meals) and is also a fairly good indicator of health.
Optimal pH for saliva is above 7 pH. A reading consistently lower than 6.8
is indicative of possible insufficient alkaline reserves. After eating,
the saliva pH should rise to 7.8 or higher. Unless this occurs, the body
has alkaline mineral deficiencies (mainly Calcium and Magnesium) and will
not assimilate food very well. To deviate from ideal salivary pH for an
extended time invites illness.
If your saliva stays between 6.8 and 7.2+
pH all day, your body is functioning within a healthy range. If the early
morning salivary pH remains above 6.8, people usually see many of their
problems disappearing.
Testing Your Urinary pH
The pH of the urine indicates how the body is working to maintain the
proper pH of the blood. The urine reveals the alkaline building (anabolic)
and acid tearing down (catabolic) cycles. The pH of urine indicates the
efforts of the body via the kidneys, adrenals, lungs and gonads to
regulate body pH balance through the buffer salts and hormones. Urine can
provide a fairly accurate picture of body chemistry, because the kidneys
filter out the buffer salts of pH regulation and provide values based on
what the body is eliminating. Urine pH can vary from around 4.5 to 9.0 for
its extremes, but the ideal range is 6.5 to 7.0+. Urinary pH tends to be
lower in the morning and higher in the evening.
The pH of the urine can vary widely. The pH of urine is also affected by
the biochemicals that the body is eliminating. These include biochemicals
such as excess minerals, vitamins, and products of metabolism and also
include drugs and toxins being eliminated by the body.
The pH of the urine is not as affected by digestive enzymes as salivary
pH. However, the pH of the urine can be affected by: preservatives you
eat, pollutants you breathe, stress you encounter, food you eat, how much
water you drink, amount of pathogens in your system, how much rest you
receive, all the biochemical activities going on in your body.
If you find yourself a little on the acidic side there are a few things
you can do to bring your body back into balance and lower inflammation.
• Eat more Raw fresh vegetables
• Drink plenty of clean water
• Try to eat organic food whenever possible - pesticides and herbicides
are very acidic.
• Incorporate a Greens drink into your daily life such as E3 Live.
• Drink water with fresh squeezed lemon juice in the morning.
• Limit intake of coffee, juices, sugar, processed foods etc.
• Balance your minerals (consult with a qualified practitioner to assist
you with this)
• Listen to your body and don’t forget that cleansing is imperative for
good health.
• Foods with anti-inflammatory properties: ginger, cumin, rosemary, basil and
cherries, etc.
p.s. try this recipe to incorporate an anti-inflammatory snack into your
diet.
Cilantro Hummus
3 cups chickpeas cooked and cooled
2-3 cloves of garlic
juice from one lemon
sea salt to taste
6-8 stacks of cilantro
extra virgin oil or flax oil or hemp oil until smooth
Blend garlic cloves in food processor, then add chickpeas, lemon juice
cilantro and blend together. Blend in oil until smooth, and add sea salt
to taste. This goes great with raw veggie sticks.
Your Dr. of Medical Intuition,
Dr. Keri Dennis, NC
Intuitive Health Solutions
