The Best and Most Effective way to Support Your Aches and Pains
By Michael Sharp | August 3rd, 2017
It used to be that constant pains and aches were synonymous with getting older in life. Nowadays everyone has pains and aches; the old, the young, the middle aged, males, and females. It also seems like many of us have become complacent with these aches and pains as if it’s a sentence we have been handed down and were meant to live out for the rest of our lives. And the other alternative being a trip to a doctor who only prescribes a pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory or suggest painful injections into the already painful area only to try and supress the pain and for the pain to eventually return. The question we should be asking ourselves is: What is the root of all this pain? To me the answer is simple; we all live a very inflamed life.
Inflammation is a normal process the body goes through to show the immune system that something needs attention. This is usually when the immune system goes to work and corrects the issue therefor halting the inflammation. However, the real problem is when this inflammation is present all the time.
I believe this constant inflammatory is state is because of two things:
- Our Inflammatory Diets
- Our inflammatory lifestyles and Practices
So, lets dive a little deeper into these two categories to begin to understand where these pains and aches could be coming from.
1. Our Inflammatory Diets
Just as the old saying goes, “You are what you eat”, holds truth in our experiences with pain and inflammation. If all we eat is inflammatory foods then it is only right that our bodies will be exposed to and hold on to all this inflammation. This inflammation will then present itself in the joints, muscles, and bones to name only a few areas. If we think about some of the most commonly consumed foods people eat these days; wheat, gluten, dairy, and sugar, these all have inflammatory qualities to them and can exacerbate our aches and pains even more. Once we are ready for change and begin eating these foods in moderation while increasing our intake of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, clean water, and fibre dense foods which all have anti-inflammatory properties, then we could begin to support our bodies regular inflammatory processes and minimize the occurrence of aches and pains.
2. Our Inflammatory Lifestyles and Practices
When I ask my clients about their level of stress on a daily basis out of 10, it is rare for me to receive an answer below 8. We currently live in a very stress filled world and many of us are effected in negative ways by this stress weather we are aware of it or not. How does this all tie into our aches and pains? Keep reading and I will explain.
Sitting quaintly on top of our kidneys are two very special glands that many of us are unaware we even have. These are called the adrenal glands. The main purpose of the adrenal glands is to prepare our body for stress. Every time we experience stress in our lives whether it is the obvious stressors such as having a fight with our parents or the less obvious stressors like not getting enough sleep at night, our adrenals release a hormone called cortisol that prepares our body to fight or run for our lives. This is a good thing because if we were being chased by a lion, we may have a chance of surviving however, it is not likely that a lion is pursuing us very often and so this type of protection is not always warranted. The issue lies with the fact that our adrenals are constantly thinking this lion is out to get us because of all the stress we are under and is therefor always releasing cortisol, which happens to be a very inflammatory hormone in the ways it works. Our bodies are in this never-ending state of inflammation and all it thinks is that it is protecting us. It is only once we stop to slow down and do things throughout our days that bring relaxation and peace to our bodies and minds will our adrenals be able to take a rest and the amount of inflammation we have may begin to reduce.
We no longer have to succumb to our aches and pains or submit to taking harsh prescription medications/injections for short term relief. By keeping those common inflammatory foods in moderation and reducing our stress levels, we could naturally support our bodies inflammatory processes and reduce our pain!
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Keep on living holistic,
Michael Sharp.
DISCLAIMER: The information listed above is for educational purposes and discussion of general health information only. The information, opinions, ideas, and suggestions listed above are in no way intended to diagnose disease/health issues or act as a treatment for disease/health issues and is not to act as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor. Before taking part in any natural or alternative approach to health, these approaches should be reviewed by your doctor for approval especially if there are existing health conditions and if prescribed and or pharmaceutical medication is being taken due to the potential for interactions between medications and any natural approaches to health.