Killing you, slowly

Mridula Wattas

Inflammation is not inherently bad. After all, we need inflammation to fight off infection and for an injury to heal. Most people don’t realise that they need some level of inflammation in their body to stay healthy, but when inflammation runs wild and becomes chronic, it stands associated with many modern diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

What causes chronic inflammation?

Chronic inflammation happens when our immune system becomes over reactive or starts malfunctioning as seen in autoimmune disease. It could also be due to an underlying imbalance that our body is attempting to fight off. Many of these imbalances are caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Normally chronic inflammation can exist in your body silently for a long time before it shows up as obvious symptoms of diseases such as asthma, diabetes and kidney problems, etc.

You may be prone to chronic inflammation inside your body if you are overweight, have a belly fat, are a regular smoker, have a stressful life and a sedentary lifestyle. Having some long-term infection, gum disease and a family history of diabetes and heart diseases may also be a cause for chronic inflammation.

Culprits in your diet

Processed fructose, white flour, refined sugar and sugar substitutes

Over use of refined oils (such as peanut, corn and soy oil), which degrade into toxic oxidation products when heated

Trans fats as found in bakery products cakes, pastries, etc.

Synthetic chemical additives such as preservatives, stabilisers, colours, and flavours, etc.

How to deal

Consume at least 25 grams of fibre every day. Fibre rich foods are whole pulses, whole grains like barley and oats, fruits and vegetables. Try to include lots of onion, garlic and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage in your diet. Include generous amount of red, blue, yellow, orange and green colour fruits and vegetables in our diet. These contain antioxidants-rich phyto nutrients, which help reduce inflammation.

• Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These include almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds and sunflower seeds. Non-vegetarians should have fish at least twice a week.
• Use oils containing healthy fats. Oils such as corn, soybean, sunflower and canola are good. However, these are heavily processed and turn rancid easily. These are high in omega-6 fats, which are pro-inflammatory. So, it is recommended that one should partly substitute these oils with omega-3 rich oils such as olive oil, coconut and desi ghee. Care should be taken that the total oil consumed per person should not be more than 25g per day.
• Stay away from products that contain the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils like vegetable shortenings, select margarines, crackers and cookies as they contain trans fats.
• Eliminate all processed foods from your diet as these contain preservatives that cause inflammation. Instead, fill up on fresh, real food.
• Avoid refined sugars and sugar substitutes; replace these with organic gur, honey, stevia and fruits. 
• Say no to diet soda as it also causes inflammation.
• Avoid use of teflon-coated cookware. 
• Go in for organic food as far as possible if you can afford it. Alternately, try to make a small kitchen garden if possible. 
• Use spices and herbs like turmeric, ginger, parsley, coriander and basil/ tulsi liberally in your foods as these are known to be anti- inflammatory.
• Maximise your anti-inflammatory powers with the supplements of vitamins and minerals.

Lifestyle changes

• Exercise regularly for at least 30 minutes every day. Do not over exercise.
• Avoid excess alcohol and pain killers.
• Don’t self-medicate on antibiotics. 
• Keep your gums and teeth healthy
• Sleep at least seven hours a day
• Practice yoga and meditation to relieve stress

While looking for some herbal treatment for chronic inflammation, I came across some very interesting ayurvedic practices that help curb inflammation. These are self massage and dry brushing.

Self-massage/abhyanga

According to ayurvedic experts, “massages are an essential part of staying healthy.” In Ayurveda, it is believed that “a self-massage, or abhyanga, is as beneficial as a treatment given by another.” Plus, it’s a great way of getting to know our bodies.

Dry brushing

Our skin is our largest organ and dry brushing is a wonderful way to give it a daily refresh. “The method can help drain the lymphatic systems, eliminate old skin, get the blood flowing, prevent cellulite, and just give you an overall energy boost because it feels so good.” While your skin is dry, take a body brush and brush in an upward motion. Start at the feet and move up toward the torso, and be sure to always brush toward the heart. Each area should be done about six or seven times. One can take a bath after this.

In a nutshell, due to the stresses of modern life, our body has to undergo a lot of abuse. This leads to chronic inflammation and, eventually, lifestyle diseases. You should take care of your body as that is the only one you have in this lifetime. Nourish it with healthy food and healthy practices like exercise and you will reap the benefits of healthy and disease-free life.

The writer is former chief dietitian, department of dietetics, PGIMER, Chandigarh