Happy Fall! It finally feels like the weather is starting to turn off the heat. After a summer break we are back and more dedicated to providing you the information and resources you need to survive and thrive in this challenging world.
What is inflammaging? It’s a new term referring to the relationship of chronic inflammation with premature aging. Once only discussed by alternative practitioners, the traditional medical world now is also discovering the large role of inflammation in many chronic, progressive diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. The effects of long-term inflammation ages us far more rapidly than life would on its own, sacrificing the quantity and the quality of our days.
Inflammation will push our bodies towards one of two directions. Pathological disintegration is where the body breaks down and wears out- like heart disease and arthritis. Pathological hyperplasia is where the body clogs up with excess cell growth, like cancers.
As we age, we lose the vital reserves of energy needed to help balance our bodies under times of stress (like everyday general living). This leaves us with little defense against many of the causes of inflammation, such as imbalanced digestive flora.
Inflammation is an immune response. 70% or more of our immune system lies within our digestive tract- our “gut”. This might see like a strange place for most of the immune system to be located, but the digestive tract is the easiest way for foreign invaders to get access to the inside of our bodies, so it makes sense for the body to focus its defense in this area.
Half of our digestion is accomplished by bacteria, so it is vitally important that the right kinds live in your gut (primarily the large intestine). We will talk more about bacteria in future articles, but if the right kinds aren’t there, the byproducts of digestion from troublesome bacteria are toxic to our bodies, and are the major contributor to chronic inflammatory states. Getting rid of these toxin producing “guests” requires watching your eating choices and possibly supplementing digestive aids, but most importantly reintroducing the right bacteria to bring balance back to this community.
As always, what is right for one person, may not be for another. All nutritional programs need to be individualized, as everyone has their own ideal makeup of “fuel” for their bodies. Not much attention has been paid to the differences between gut environments. Now, however, there are products on the market that do make that consideration, in three categories, with appropriate prebiotics and strains of bacteria that support bacterial balance. There are those who need to reestablish growth of good colonies after the use of antibiotics, or for just general strengthening. There will be those who have poor bacterial balance (too much bad, and not enough good) that will require a different product. Finally there are those whose immune systems are hypersensitive, such as with auto-immune disorders; they need a product that will be specific to help balance this negative situation. By using the right kinds of healthy bacteria specific to each one of these needs we can balance this portion of the digestive tract, and in turn help correct the immune system.
For most people, a simple routine will help keep bacterial balance; a one month program of pre and probiotics (one of the three kinds listed earlier) taken twice daily before meals. This simple practice will lower your stress levels by helping eliminate the most common cause of inflammation, endotoxins produced by the “bad critters” that live in our guts. However, if you are under a lot of stress, or have chronic digestive concerns, you will need a longer period to reestablish a balanced system.
This is a perfect time to think about strengthening the immune system. The change in seasons, along with the upcoming holidays (not to mention the election) are already raising stress levels, which deplete your immunity. A good dose of good bacteria will not only help your digestion, it will help with any inflammation, which of course will positively affect your immune system. This is your best bet to stay healthy during this overly stressful time.
Call our office and find out which of these incredible three new products are best suited to your own internal environment, and save 15% off their normal pricing through the end of October, 2016.
Dr. Jeff