By Carlos M. Viana
The body’s inflammatory response, like the “flight or fight” reaction, is an evolved protective mechanism to aid survival, but if constant it becomes destructive. Understanding its root causes, taking steps for prevention, and learning how to treat the condition naturally will help to keep you healthy and strong in a world where inflammation has become one of our biggest health foes.
Whether due to exercise, an accident, infection, or degenerative disease, inflammation is the body’s response to injury. Affected tissue usually causes pain, heat, redness, and swelling because blood vessels in the area dilate to bring in extra white blood cells that eat the bacteria and other foreign particles gathering at the site. During its inflammatory response, the body becomes acidic.
Bacteria, viruses, pollens, molds, pesticides, toxic heavy metals, the wrong foods for your metabolic type, modern overprocessed convenience foods, and lack of water can all stimulate the immune system into responding with inflammation. Chronic inflammation has also been linked to every type of serious degenerative condition and premature aging. A person with blood test results showing ongoing inflammation may be at high risk for a heart attack, stroke or cancer.
Pesticides and toxic heavy metals that make their way into the body produce free radicals, which irritate tissues and start the inflammatory response; the body then becomes acidic, producing more free radicals. This negative spiral continues until the individual feels sick and typically is prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics that relieve symptoms for a while but do not address the sources of the problem.
The answer I recommend is to search for the source of free radical production, which sometimes is a person’s profession, and at other times it can be problems like toxic mercury tooth fillings. However, most often a combination of many factors, including diet, has progressively contributed to the crisis. It has been found repeatedly, for example, that women confronted with emotional trauma are more apt than men to react and instigate inflammation. Clinically, I have seen women who have been affected for years by insulin resistance develop type II diabetes after the death of a beloved husband or child. Such outcomes are usually attributed to the fact that stress traumas produce a cortisol spike that triggers the pancreas to release glucagon, a hormone that raises blood glucose levels.
Another source of the body’s inflammatory response is omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFAs), found in most cooking oils, including corn, safflower, peanut, and soy, and in processed foods made with these oils. By contrast, the omega-3 EFAs form the foundation of the body’s anti-inflammatory response, chief among which are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), found in salmon and other cold-water fish. The omega-3s compete against omega-6s to reduce levels of compounds that cause inflammation.
Because chronic inflammation is basically a problem involving free radicals, it’s advisable to use antioxidant supplements. Vitamin E, vitamin C, and the B-complex vitamins, as well as many fresh vegetables and fruits, have antioxidant properties. It is important to make sure, however, that the fruits and vegetables a person eats are beneficial for their metabolic type.
Food-based antioxidant supplementation should not be used to eliminate symptoms, but rather to treat the source of free radical activity and thus improve general health. Real health is found through a journey of removing toxins, consistently eating the best food for your metabolic type, and getting adequate exercise, relaxation, and rest.
Words of Wisdom
Biocompatible medicine assumes that the common denominator of all degenerative conditions is chronic inflammation, resulting from highly acidic conditions within the body.
The five factors contributing most to acidic conditions are eating the wrong food for metabolic type; infections in the body, including toxic material from the colon; a body burden of heavy metals; the presence of insecticides and pesticides in the body; and the detrimental effects of petroleum products on health.
The best advice to counterbalance the inflammation response is to:
- Eat the right foods for your metabolic type.
- Make sure there are no infections in your mouth, either in your gums or jawbones.
- Regularly cleanse toxic material from your colon.
- Have a hair test done to determine if you have a body burden of heavy metals.
- As much as possible, avoid coming into contact with insecticides and pesticides and eating foods containing them.
- As much as possible, avoid coming into contact with petroleum products.
Remember, prevention is the best cure!
Carlos M. Viana is an Oriental Medical Doctor, certified addictionologist, certified colon hydro therapist, member of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, as well as a board-certified Clinical Nutritionist in the United States. In addition, he is the founder and medical director of the Viana Healing Center in Aruba. This article is excerpted from Carlos’ book Prescriptions from Paradise: Introduction to Biocompatible Medicine, which was published by Healing Spirit Press in 2012. For more information, email: drcarlos.viana@gmail.com or vianaheal@gmail.com. You also can visit Dr. Viana online at http://vianaheal.com.