Showing posts sorted by relevance for query State of chronic inflammation. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query State of chronic inflammation. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, April 2, 2012

On Fire: the State of Chronic Inflammation

Napa Campfire images, photo credit:  Will Fraser
Inflammation is the miraculous response of the  body telling you something is wrong. Occurring after injury or sometimes in the normal course of living, inflammation brings on pain, discomfort, bloating, reflux and a myriad of other symptoms.  Most of the time we just live with it.  But the problem with living with inflammation is that we stop noting the onset and continuation of it, the degrees of discomfort it causes.  It goes from being an acute problem (short term) to a chronic condition.  When this happens, inflammation can be a killer.  Chronic inflammation is linked to heart disease, cancer and arthritis.

We live in inflamed times.  High levels of chronic stress, poor dietary choices ( see Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid), exposure to toxins (ie: foods that are laced with pesticide, second hand smoke, commercial grass/plant fertilizers, chlorinated pool or drinking water, vehicle emissions), spiritual alienation and/or strife (symptomology presents as irritability, lack of tolerance for the unknown, anxiety, attachment to control), electro-magnetic (technology) or radiation (unprotected sunlight) exposure are but a few ways low to high grade inflammation can become chronic.

One of the precursors to being systematically in an inflammed state is linked to the pH levels in our body. The more acidic our bodies, the greater chance of inflammation.  We want to lean toward a more alkaline pH.  Foods that promote alkaline pH are mentioned in the above food pyramid and here alkaline foods list. Generally, staying away from processed foods, red meat, most animal products, increasing non-starch vegetable intake and decreasing high-fructose foods (processed, sugar-based) helps to decrease acidic pH levels. An intact and robust immune system keeps inflammation in check.

Emotional states and an overloaded/balanced central nervous system effects the acid/alkaline levels in the body. Stress and general chronic negativity changes our body's pH to be more acidic. Avoid long term anger, misery, bitterness, resentment, and fear. Prayer, meditation, and the practice of forgiveness and gratitude supports our well being, impacting pH positively.

The challenge I see as a life/health coach in identifying inflammation problems is awareness.  People, as mentioned, put up with bloating, reflux, chronic runny noses, mucous in their stool, yeast conditions, chronic joint and muscle pain (all indicators of inflammation in the body) as a matter of routine if they notice it at all. Pain and inflammation are the body's cues it is time to take a different tact in one's lifestyle behaviors.

Following are some good resources regarding diet and natural approaches to pain and inflammation.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet - Dr. Weil

 Make muscle pain a memory with ginger 20 Pain Cures You Can ... informative daily help



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Saturday, November 22, 2014

pH: It's all about Balance

pHˌ pēˈāCH/noun--CHEMISTRY
a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale on which 7 is neutral, lower values are more acid, and higher values more alkaline. The pH is equal to -log10 c, where c is the hydrogen ion concentration in moles per liter.

It's almost common knowledge now (I hope), that inflammation in the body is a major reason why we develop disease (ie: cardiac disease, autoimmune, arthritis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, cancer). An inflamed system is an ideal host for illness. In my posts, The Body as an Ecosystem and Our Second Brain, I do an education turn on the healthy/unhealthy microbes in our system and our amazing gut which, in its own way, dictate our moods and health. Hence, the importance of keeping our dietary pH balanced (leaning to alkaline) and our emotional well being optimal.

In one of my early posts, On Fire: the State of Chronic Inflammation, I talk about the acidic / alkalinic connection and there are some great links on that post providing lists of foods which are acidic and conversely, alkaline. At this link, Alkaline food chart by degree | greenopedia, is a another list of foods, organized differently (easier/less easy for some).

Most of this is intuitive, although some of it isn't. For example, you would think citrus fruits are high acid; but they are moderately high alkaline. If you look at the lists, you can probably determine where your pH is approximately, that is--- whether you are more alkaline or acidic dependent on the category of foods you eat often. Animal products, processed foods, even whole foods like barley and rice are acidic. The alkaline foods list will probably list out foods you've never tried or are unfamiliar with (i.e.: amaranth).   Our S.A.D (Standard American Diet), even when not fast food related, is highly acidic. We are walking disease time bombs.

Not to scare you.

As a health-wellness coach, I see lifestyle behaviors (ie: what we like to eat) is the most difficult thing to change long term. What we were raised on, found comfort in as children is a hard thing to pry out of our normally grasping and gasping being. It's embedded in us since forever. But, lucky for us, humans are habituated. And habits can be changed.

It is possible to change one's food preferences.  One can grow fond of (even celebrate with gusto) other foods, learn to be adventuresome in trying the unfamiliar. It is surprising when one makes the intention of having a vegetable at every meal (including breakfast) or diversifying one's meal plate with more than 5 colored fruits and vegetables.  You do this for a month, you've changed your habit. 

A habit sticks when the emotional center of ourselves gets on board. In experiencing this new habit, when resentment and resistance fall away, and happy anticipation takes its place, the new habit is almost guaranteed. One can liken it to initiating an exercise program. Yes, we hate it until we've been doing it awhile and start to reap the rewards of feeling lighter on our feet, more positive energy coursing through ourselves, a sense of elevated aliveness, perhaps even possibly experiencing regular bouts of joy (toxins clearing out of our system). A regular practice (habit) of anything takes 21-30 days to stick.

In a follow up post, I'll address the bag lunch rut and give some suggestions how to transform childhood comfort foods into healthy, life-giving adult comfort foods. Foods that are more anti-inflammatory and have a higher alkaline pH ratio.







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Thursday, January 1, 2015

2012-14 Post Culmination

Season's greeting!  Following is a handy-dandy group categorization of  Life Culmination of blog posts  IntegratedMedPhiladelphia@blogspot.com (easy reference!).  When looking for a specific subject (ie anxiety, relationship, etc), you can go to the blog and write the word in and all the posts with that label will line up for you.  Handy, eh?    Thanks for staying tuned in.  Joy and robust health to you in 2015!

Nutrition


Environment
Welcome to the Anthropocene
The Quan Yin of essential oils: Lavender
Place Travel: Experiencing Culture
Nature as Healing
Place, Space, Materiality and Health
The Body as an Ecosystem
Cultvating Sacred Space


Spirit/Play/Prayer
Active Listening
Shared History
Giving Receiving
Layered Impressions
Foreign Territory (over 40)
Patience
Dynamics of an Inner Call
Dispassionate Empathy



The Oldest Language
The Creative
Reception
Oy Vay: High Anxiety
A Walk In My Shoes
Lost in the Wilderness
Dooo Be Dooo Be Do
The Art of being a Play-er
Grief and the Heart's Desire
Grief Work
Spring forward
Laughter: the Best Medicine
The Arts and Health
Modern Love
Belief
Leaning On
A Significant Movement
Courage, Confidence and Wellness
Guilt's Pleasure and its Mayhem on Wellness
Half of Me, Whole of Me

Exercise / Movement



Sleep / Rest/ Rejuvenation

Self Care / Relationship
Addiction
Turning Toward: An Approach to Addiction
Energetic Communication
Nature's First Aid Kit (Part II)
Nature's First Aid Kit (Part I)
The Oldest Language
The Creative
Social Beings
Unexpected Healings
Have Mercy
O, You Beauty You
All for one and one for all........
Violence: a Cautionary Truth
The Collective: Group Energy
(Hu)Man & Beast: Soul Relationship
A Dosha for Now
Prodigal Return: Community of Self
Dualities: The Good, the Bad and the Earthbound
Back to Basics

Physiology/Bodywork/Healing
Unmentionables: Menses
MAKING WAVES: Alexander Technique and the undulati...
Memory and the Body (Part I)
Memory and the Body (Part II)
Rebirthing
Authentic Movement: Flying Solo
The Jester and the Healer
Bodywork, Energy Medicine: Whole Healing
Energy Field Surveillance
Use: The Alexander Technique
Reflexology as Informant
Making Scents/Sense/Cents
Somatic Healing
QiGong: Following in a Purpose-Prone World
Oneness: Ho'oponopono
A Healthy Sexuality
A Sustainable Healing
Healing Practice: the Slippery Slope (Part II)

Misc.
Repetition and Transformation                       




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Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Body as an Ecosystem

In my post, Our Second Brain, I brought forth the health implications of this often overlooked aspect   of our physiology, the enteric system. The  informational links on that post, http://thepo
werof4-paula.blogspot.com/2011/05/healthy-gut-healthy-person.html?goback=%2Egde_65780_member_106590695, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gut-second-brain and http://www.psyking.net/id36.htm said it best. The enteric system is a major intelligence in the body, able to operate outside the brain's master command center.  This intelligence not only dictates digestion, but impacts our mood and emotional state.  When this system is unwell, in an inflamed state, it is a major player in the wellness/disease factor for the entire body.

On further readings about this second brain I am impressed with the idea of our bodies being made up of many ecosystems of "microbiota".  Especially in this day and age of routine use of antimicrobial soaps and antibiotics, we are systematically damaging this delicate ecosystem that co-exists in this singular organism, the body.

`"Each person is an assemblage of not only human cells but also many symbiotic species.  The abundant and diverse microbial members of the assemblage play critical roles in the maintenance of human health by liberating nutrients and/or energy from otherwise inaccessible dietary substrates, promoting differentiation of host tissues stimulating the immune system and protecting the host from invasion by pathogens.  A number of clinical disorders are associated with alterations in host-associated microbial communities (the "microbiota"), including obesity malnutrition and a variety of inflammatory diseases....Thus, the human body can be viewed as an ecosystem and human health can be construed as a product of ecosystem services delivered in part by the microbiota."*

This resonates well with the ideas of Oneness and everything being a microcosmos of another 'universe'; whether it be in relation to the details of a working star/planet system or the intricate operations of our cells and DNA.  Everything is related.  We are in relationship.  Unfortunately, we don't have a working awareness of this truth.  So (out of fear) we act blindly; for example, attempting to eradicate all mosquitoes from a community with two cases of West Nile virus and in doing so obliterate most of the entire lobster population from nearby waters (Pesticide effect on lobsters studied - Connecticut Post ), not only killing off countless creatures but dozens of livelihoods. (And how does this effect birds who feed on mosquitoes?)  Or we evolve innumerous MRSA (MRSA Strain on the Rise in Hospitals) noscomial infections in hospitals often related to the use of antibiotics. Antimicrobial soaps and alcohol-based "Purells" are used routinely in hospitals by staff instead of soap and water, mostly for convenience sake.  What is this doing to our personal ecosystems and our already health-compromised patients? We don't work with our inner or outer ecosystems, we attempt to conquer them.

Fungi microbiata on cork

"The human-microbial ecosystem plays a variety of important roles in human health and disease. Each person can be viewed as an island-like "patch" of habitat occupied by microbial assemblages formed by the fundamental processes of community ecology: dispersal, local diversification, environmental selection and ecological drift.  Community assembly theory, and metacommunity theory in particular, provides a framework for understanding the ecological dynamics of the human microbiome, such as compositional variability within and between hosts."*

 Is this not an eloquent statement paralleling all that exists?  We exist because of the diverse and total Relationship always at work on all levels. In a way what is interesting, is the seeming natural inclination of humans to not acknowledge this, to act otherwise outside that knowledge.  The notion of "metacommunity" alone or being a "patch" in the collective habitat is incredibly moving.  The symbiosis of the universe's many "assemblages" (microbial or otherwise) is at work and counting on our awareness so that it is able to be maintained.

 Science and the sublime meet.  The art of the universe's genius is displayed in the microcosmic truth of our guts' reality:

"Obesity is a pandemic which has been rapidly developing for three decades. When a population is submitted to the same nutritional stress, some individuals are less susceptible to diet-induced weight gain and hyperglycemia. This observation suggests that other mechanisms are involved which are not directly related to the human genome. The human gut contains an immense number of microorganisms, collectively known as the microbiota. Evidence that gut microbiota composition can differ between obese and lean humans has led to the speculation that gut microbiota can participate in the pathophysiology of obesity. Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain the link between gut flora and obesity. The first mechanism consists in the role of the gut microbiota to increase energy extraction from indigestible dietary polysaccharides. The second, consists in the role of gut flora to modulate plasma lipopolysaccharide levels which triggers chronic low-grade inflammation leading to obesity and diabetes. A third mechanism proposes that gut microbiota may induce regulation of host genes that modulate how energy is expended and stored."**

Information/research like this calls us to make a stand for our "microbial assemblages", our "patch habitats" which we systematically destroy by promoting inflammation with the pharmaceuticals and foods we ingest, the chronic stress and/or emotional toxicity we allow.  It's undermining our health and well being. Kefir, Kombucha, other probiotics are not FDA approved (and never will be).  If antibiotics are necessary why are probiotics almost never prescribed along with them? Why is the lag time of implementation so great when the science is there? Where is con-science in our health politics when entire populations of crustaceans are discounted and livelihoods of fishermen are marginalized? How are we at large not acting out of the knowledge of being in relationship to all that is inside and outside ourselves?  The universal human blind spot?  

Our bodies are ecosystems, sometimes in a delicate balance in relation to the ecosystems we internally move through at every moment and agriculturally benefit from everyday.  We are a colony within a colony within a colony, unabated and continually rippling out.

 * The Application of Ecological Theory Toward an Understanding of the Human Microbiome, Costello, Elizabeth et al. Science Magazine Vol. 336, June 8, 2012

**Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia & Metabologia, Print version ISSN 0004-2730
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Surviving and Thriving During a Collective Crisis

"When everything is moving and shifting, the only way to counteract chaos is stillness. When things feel extraordinary, strive for ordinary. When the surface is wavy, dive deeper for quieter waters." --Kristin Armstrong (most decorated women cyclist in US history)

 These are extraordinary times we are living in:  calamitous, turbulent, and nerve-wracking.  We have been forced to engage like we never have before.  We witness the extraordinary power of democracy in action and the often terrifying forces challenging democracy.  It has our adrenals and central nervous system working on overdrive.  I am hearing and seeing the bouts of crippling exhaustion and despair from many.  How can we survive and thrive during this crisis, especially if it is long and drawn out, as it appears it will be.

 In my experience, the single most important quality necessary is self discipline.  Without this, it is very easy to be pulled off our center of gravity, to lose focus, to become physically or emotionally disabled. These are the days when routine and purposeful activity is mandatory, healthy outer and inner habits leaned upon. 

 What does this mean in relation to the 4 fundamentals of wellness: rest, nutrition, exercise and spirit work/play?

REST:  Make sure you get a lot of it.  Try to go bed nightly the same time and wake the same time.  If your sleep is broken, start employing self-care tactics to ensure a better night's rest.  

 Sleep is the most obvious aspect of the rest fundamental.  But to give our sympathetic nervous system periodic breaks we should be having other relaxing actions as part of our day.  Needlecraft's like knitting, crocheting is a great relaxer, helping get repetitive deeper breathing patterns in play.  Playing an instrument, playing record/CD, radio music, watching funny or non-intense movies, reading novels.  Know where your threshold is with stress and anxiety and take a break.  Take a whole day off from social media or political activities and just have some guilt free fun. In a crisis, it's very important to have a lapse of engagement, where you are not thinking or acting on behalf of the crisis.  And in that lapse, to feel joyous in the activity and not guilty you are not "on it".  Pick your battles, you can't be part of every march and rally.  Know what is the right action and when for you. Become aware of fatigue, burn out, depression and readjust your approach.  Navigating this terrain for ourselves is very interesting as you begin to recognize signs and symptoms in yourself and the subsequent choices you make in caring for yourself. Self-discipline brings order and a healthy repetition.  Following are some previous posts that might help with this.  The Fine Art of Self Soothing, Modern Toiletry, Energy Field Surveillance, Sleep Tight, A Right Rest,  Witnessing: Attention, Intention and Healing
"We adore chaos because we love to produce order."  M. C. Escher

Photo credit:  Lalu Danzker
NUTRITION:  Inevitably, we will capitulate to comfort foods; it's winter and there is a crisis. Add some broccoli to your mac and cheese, make some good bone broth for the base of your soups-- very healing, and worth the effort.  Cook.  Cooking and baking and engaging in that way is very important.  It slows us down, it put us in relationship with what we are about to receive, it's caring in action.  Sometimes you gotta get takeout.  Most of the time take the time to cook for yourselves and your loved ones.  Following are some previous posts on this that might help.  On Fire: the State of Chronic Inflammation, pH: It's all about balance, Bone Deep.


"Chaos is a friend of mine."  "I accept chaos, I'm not sure whether it accepts me." -- Bob Dylan

EXERCISE: I bring this up a lot in my work.  Exercise is a major stress buster, helping to regulate our functions and systems.  Being mindful of all movement from washing dishes to just spending time in bed stretching legs and pelvis is bringing an attention to the body. It grounds us, creates a sense of the vertical in myself.  When crisis hits, most of us fly into our emotional and mental responses, leaving our body disconnected.  Our bodies are everything in a crisis; we depend on them for reality checks. Our bodies are constantly giving us cues as to the truth of the moment.  If we aren't attending to the body, we miss the cues of what is going on inside and outside.  Stay close to the body.  Moving the body, the breath in the body opens up our perception; we think more clear, our feelings become regulated. I just said it but I say it again:  the body is everything.  You lose your connection to your body, you lose your groundedness, your sense of reality, and become subject to the craziness your feeling and head gets into without a relationship to your person.  Without your body, you literally lose skin in the game.  The body is an equalizing factor. We discount it, disrespect it, bemoan its inconveniences. We have to love it and we have to move it.  Following are some prior posts centered on this fundamental wellness principle:  Designed to Move
"The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies."-- Napoleon Bonaparte

SPIRIT WORK/PLAY:  
Spirit work are activities that center our being.  Obvious examples are meditation and prayer.  Less obvious examples are walking with an attention to the body ("Zen" walking puts a name on it), Buddhist breathing exercises that open one's heart, and/or dispel negativity. Qigong exercises of bringing in images of patience, magnanimity and letting go images of hate and fear, are among a few.  Spirit work grounds us in our internal truths and helps liberates us from the frantic, over kinetic external.  It is peace-making.  Play is wherever there is fun and humor, satisfaction and that which touches the essential in oneself.  All of these can be found in the "mundane", such as knitting or cooking or car mechanics, or guitar playing to name a few. This kind of work brings us closer to who we are and our purpose, not from the activity itself, but from the internal engagement rooted in love of peace.  When we get a frequent (self discipline!) taste of this, it becomes much harder to lose that vertical, to be pulled out of an inner, more real alignment. Prior posts that elucidate on this:  Humor and Health, Prodigal Return: Community of Self, Oneness: Ho'oponopono, 
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence. --Buddha

As separate as these 4 fundamentals might seem, they are actually deeply connected.  They support each other and are often part and parcel of each other's expression.  When they're working together (for the most part), I experience an established discernment.  My mind quiets to the dramatic headline; it starts to look for plausibility, it becomes inqurious, the guile radar engages. My emotional intelligence kicks in without hysteria.  Everything starts to work together.  I'm grounded.  My more whole self is centered.  Thank you self discipline.

Become aware of energy: your own, others and the collective.  Pace yourself.  Step into the fray when your vertical is vibrating "yes".  Be respectful of yourselves and others, others who might not be as equally aligned in a moment.  Practice compassion as best as you can with yourself and others.  Remember:  Kindness.  Be kind, no exceptions (even when your mad as hell).  Kindness, like forgiveness, like love is a boomerang, it comes right back to you.  And hate, fear, ego righteousness-- it does the same thing, it comes back to you almost immediately, toxifying what could be otherwise.  So, for your well being's sake, be kind while you are being courageous.
Following are some essays that might be helpful:

The Collective: Group Energy, Anxiety: Inside the Box, Meditate? Do I Have To, Violence: A Cautionary Truth
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