Inflammation

In the last few blogs, Dr. Edwards has referred to inflammation, but what is it?

Inflammation is when your body’s immune system is activated.  This means that cells are released that attack bacteria and viruses or heal damaged tissue.  If your body sends out these inflammatory cells and you are not sick or injured and either has long-standing disease states or absence of disease states, you have chronic inflammation — think arthritis.

The main types of inflammation are acute and chronic.

Acute inflammation is sudden damage to the body like an injury.  Chronic inflammation is when you are sending out inflammatory cells and there is no longer an immediate danger.

Symptoms of inflammation are:

• Redness or flushed skin

• Pain or tenderness

• Swelling

• Heat or fever

Chronic inflammation symptoms range from and may include more than one of the following:

• Pain in the abdomen

• Chest pain, heart palpations, angina

• Fatigue

• Fever or inability to maintain core temp

• Joint pain

• Rashes or swellings under the skin

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Constipation

• Psoriasis

• Blood pressure issues to name a few

When inflammation goes on for a long time, the risk of developing an autoimmune disease increases dramatically.

In dentistry, the most common source of inflammation is gum and bone disease or gingivitis and periodontal disease.

For many suffering from these conditions, treating the disease process locally isn’t enough.  Your hygienist and dentist can treat the disease in the mouth, but the body will continue sending out inflammatory cells.  This is a chronic inflammatory state.

Helping the body “turn off” this immune response is part of the treatment plan when addressing gum and bone disease.  This includes high levels of antioxidants such as Vitamin C, A, and D as well as supplementing with zinc.  There are also certain other supplements and spices that have anti-inflammatory properties such as turmeric, ginger, and garlic.

As referenced in a previous blog post on Alzheimer's disease, a Mediterranean diet helps lower inflammation in the body by increasing omega-3 fatty acids which are proven to reduce inflammation.  It also eliminates processed foods which are known to increase inflammation.  The idea is to scale back or remove processed foods such as sweets, snack foods, or things that come in packages or are processed.

As a rule of thumb: “If it rots, you can eat it!”

Focus on whole foods that come in their own skin or shell such as rice, turkey or chicken, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, or oats.

Food is medicine and can improve not only your inflammatory profile but your overall health.  It will take a minimum of 2-6 months before the benefits are realized.

If you are concerned about your risk for chronic inflammation or are struggling with autoimmune diseases, a complete workup with Dr. Edwards is the place to begin.  He will often help put together the right team of health professionals to address your concerns and create a holistic plan to reduce inflammation and get you back on track with your health.

Don’t hesitate to get started, schedule a call with Dr. Edwards now by  calling 636-583-2612 or emailing office@optimadg.info