Inflammation is a silent killer and this has been known for quite some time now. In fact inflammation hit the cover of Time magazine back in February of 2004 where they labeled it as ͞The Secret Killer. Even back then inflammation was linked to Alzheimer’s, heart attacks, cancer and other diseases. Much more research has surfaced since them confirming this.

Everything from hypothyroid disease, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune spectrum disorders, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s now are all thought to have an autoimmune component to them. Down-regulating inflammation then is a key component but one of many that must be addressed when facing these conditions.When we speak of inflammation we are speaking about inflammation at the cellular level. Not inflammation that we normally think of such as tendonitis in the shoulder or elbow, or appendicitis where the appendix becomes inflamed.

We are speaking about inflammation on all of the cell membranes throughout the body which wreak havoc, damage the cell membranes and important cell membrane receptors to hormones, vitamins and minerals. These damaged cell membranes make it difficult to get good stuff into the cells such as vitamins, minerals and hormones which are necessary for normal cellular metabolism. This in turn can lead to decrease production of ATP and other important substances such as Glutathione (GSH). ATP is what the cells use for fuel and GSH is a very important antioxidant in the body. In other words ATP is what the body actually burns for energy so very, very important. GSH is instrumental in detoxifying the cells so also very important. Knowing that if we can’t fix the cells we are going to have a very hard time expecting any condition in the body to respond favourably, my first order of business is to eliminate stressors to the body that drive inflammation.

Some of the major drivers of inflammation are sugar, bad fats and toxins. Eliminating sugar and grains out of the diet is a must. We have to significantly reduce these sugars and super sugars out of the diet because they are major drivers of inflammation. Moving toward clean protein sources and good saturated fat can be achieved by going organic with our meat and dairy to start. Organic meat and dairy eliminate pesticides, hormones and antibiotics that drive inflammation unlike the non-organic meat and dairy we consume. The contain good saturated fats, great sources of healthy bacteria as well as Omega 3 and 6 with K2 in all the proper ratios to maintain health. We also have structural and emotional stresses which play a big part too. Structural stress to the spine / body can be addressed through chiropractic, massage, physical therapy etc…. Emotional stress can be alleviated through meditation, yoga and more. In severe cases professional counselling may be of benefit. It isn’t uncommon to see conditions like hypothyroid and type II diabetes to arise right after an emotional or physical event such as the delivery of a baby, the death of a loved one or divorce.

There are two great products that we have available in our store for helping to reduce inflammation. Rox is a great anti-inflammatory containing Resveratrol and Turmeric. Epic is another great product to help support the NO/ONOO cycle and suppress free radicals.Removing sources of inflammation is the first step in healing in my opinion. Any supplementation and detoxification program will be severely limited if we don’t first remove sources of inflammation. Applying these few principals that I have discussed can make a drastic change in your health. Remember you direction determines your destination. Take action today!

Dr. Harrison