Inflammation has become a major buzzword in virtually all health and fitness circles – everyone knows it’s the bad guy, but how well do we understand it? What do we know about its causes, the ways it manifests in the body, and all of the negative ripple effects to our health? Take a poll of your neighbors and friends, and the lack of true understanding may surprise you!
So what exactly is inflammation? According to WebMD, inflammation is “a process by which your body’s white blood cells and the things they make protect you from infection from outside invaders, such as bacteria and viruses.” Well that doesn’t sound so bad, does it? In theory, in these terms, it’s just our body doing its job, right?
The problem comes with some diseases, like arthritis, when our body’s natural defense system “triggers inflammation when there are no invaders to fight off. In these autoimmune diseases, your immune system acts as if regular tissues are infected or somehow unusual, causing damage.”
Also according to the experts at WebMD, there are many conditions linked to chronic inflammation, like arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, Alzheimer’s, and more. These conditions are obviously NOT the body’s immune system operating the way any of us want.
So what causes this type of bad inflammation?
While acute inflammation, which is typically the immune system doing its thing the way we want it to, is often caused by things like bee stings, injuries or infections, it’s chronic inflammation we should be more worried about. Experts agree that chronic inflammation can be caused by:
- Older age
- Obesity
- Diets high in bad fats and added sugar
- Smoking
- Low sex hormones
- Stress
- Sleep problems
- Lack of activity
- And more
As we’ve already mentioned, this PREVENTABLE inflammation is a root cause for many terrible diseases – those listed above and many more.
And it’s not only physical damage – inflammation can impact mental health as well! Studies have shown that inflammation can go from the body to the brain and has been established as a risk factor for several neuropsychiatric disorders such as ADHD, depression, and schizophrenia, including in children and adolescents.
So what can be done to combat inflammation? While we cannot avoid aging, we can increase physical activity, lose harmful bodyfat weight, maintain a more temperate diet, quit smoking, sleep better, etc. And while there are medicines that can be taken to help with a current chronic state (please consult with your physician), there are various herbal supplements that may help manage inflammation as well:
- Harpagophytum procumbens: Also known as devil’s claw, wood spider, or grapple plant, this herb comes from South Africa and is related to sesame plants.
- Ginger: People have long used ginger to treat dyspepsia, constipation, colic, and other gastrointestinal problems, as well as rheumatoid arthritis pain.
- Turmeric: Curcumin, the main ingredient in turmeric, may have benefits for arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and some other inflammatory conditions.
- Cannabis: A cannabinoid called cannabichromene may have anti-inflammatory properties. People should check first if cannabis-related products are legal where they live.
- Resveratrol: A class of plant micronutrients called polyphenols. Polyphenols are organic chemicals that plants make to survive drought or attack from disease. These compounds are found in plant foods and have a variety of health benefits. Resveratrol is found in peanuts, berries, and grapes. It is also found in red wine in higher amounts. Resveratrol has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to protect you against diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Ursolic Acid: A natural pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic acid, is the major component of some traditional medicine herbs and is well known to possess a wide range of biological functions, such as antioxidative, anti-inflammation, and anticancer activities.
Resolitrol is a patented combination of Resveratrol and Ursolic Acid, and has been shown in recent studies to increase the anti-inflammatory effects of Resveratrol by more than 8x. See our science and patents page for more information – or better yet, take advantage of our current offer and try Resolitrol for yourself!
