Understanding Inflammation

Inflammation is a paradox. You may hear inflammation and assume disease and premature aging, but inflammation can also be a good thing—as long as it comes and goes quickly. Here’s what you need to know about inflammation, the risks and symptoms, and ways to support your long-term wellness. 

Inflammation is your body’s way of protecting you from infections, bacteria, and viruses. Short-term inflammation (or acute inflammation) is your body’s way of defending and repairing infections and injuries. But when this initial inflammatory process doesn’t turn off, you get long-term inflammation (chronic inflammation) that can speed up the aging process, damage your health and cause serious health conditions.  

We need temporary (acute) inflammation to heal us when we’re injured or have an infection.  But like so many other critical processes in the body, the secret to healthy inflammation is balance. When this key survival and repair process is out of balance, you get chronic inflammation that can spread like fire throughout your body.  

Chronic, even low-level inflammation can weaken your natural repair processes, suppress your immune system, and rob you of your energy and vitality. Inflammation can cause harmful changes on the cellular and genetic levels that can drive aggressive cancer,  autoimmune disease, diabetes, obesity,  Alzheimer’s, neurological diseases, heart disease and countless other inflammatory conditions—as well as premature aging.  

This is called Inflammaging: the unhealthy aging effects and damage of long-term inflammation¹. By taking the right steps to cool, protect your body, and support healthy inflammation responses, you can support the natural healing process of inflammation throughout your body and control harmful inflammaging.  

Symptoms of inflammation include:  

• Swelling 
• Heat 
• Joint pain  
• Redness 
• Skin rashes or irritations 
• Fatigue 
• Headaches  
• Muscle tension 

While all these signs may not be present, they typically will last just a few days, while chronic inflammation can last for months and years, and can lead to chronic conditions and autoimmune disease. Inflammation can also be “silent,” with little to no symptoms occurring. 

Inflammation in the body can be caused by many factors: environmental toxins and heavy metals, ongoing infections, lifestyle habits including a Western diet and sedentary lifestyle, heavy weight or obesity, food allergies, and other chronic conditions like diabetes and even cancer. These challenges put the immune system in overdrive and at risk, suppressing your natural defenses with a constant flow of inflammation that can cause further damage to your long-term health.  

Poor circulation can also lead to chronic inflammation and thickness of the blood (hyper viscosity). When inflammation and hyper viscosity combine, they can cause significant damage to key organs and systems, including the immune system, cardiovascular system and more. Maintaining the balance between circulation, inflammation and immunity is essential to defend against chronic inflammation. 

Manage Your Stress: Chronic stress floods your body with cortisol and other stress hormones associated with the fight or flight reflex. However, these stress hormones also drive inflammation and immune imbalances, and vice versa. Controlling stress with healthy relaxation measures like yoga, meditation, and walking, can help support your mindset, circulation, and immune system, and reduce inflammation.²  

Get Exercise: Getting gentle exercise and moving your body can help you reduce stress in the body that may cause inflammation, help promote circulation, brain activity, and supports your total-body to help it fight off infections and build resilience. 

Prioritize Rest: Lack of sleep fuels chronic inflammation, elevated insulin levels, and other harmful impacts to your longterm health. Natural sleep support and a healthy nighttime routine can help reduce inflammation and give you the deep, rejuvenating sleep you need to fight off sickness.  

Anti-inflammatory foods: The right food choices can help you reduce and fight inflammation. Eliminating pro-inflammatory processed foods can cut down on free radical damage and inflammation. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet with healthy omega 3 fatty acids from cold water fish and oils, cruciferous vegetables, and other superfoods can supply your system with powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that balance and optimize your body’s inflammation responses.³  

Support your gut and immune system: Probiotics can also help reduce chronic inflammation. Probiotic foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, miso and kimchee help maintain healthy populations of beneficial microbes in the gut, which help control inflammation and weight gain, promote balanced immunity, boost mood, and more.⁴ Natural ingredients and supplements can also help you strengthen your immune system to fight off infections and invaders when they do occur.

Your daily choices impact your inflammation. With a daily natural supplement that’s proven to promote healthy inflammation responses, you can ensure you are giving your body the nutrients it needs to strengthen your defenses and protect your body from infections and threats.  

PectaSol Modified Citrus Pectin is an extensively researched super-nutrient that is shown to promote healthy inflammation responses and balanced immune activity, to effectively support and defend key areas of health and optimize the aging process.^5*   

PectaSol works because it can block galectin-3, a protein that fuels inflammation and speeds up the aging process. Over 70 published studies show how PectaSol effectively supports healthy aging and total body longevity by blocking the pro-aging effects of excess galectin-3, detoxifying health-robbing toxins, and optimizing immune responses. PectaSol is essential in promoting healthy inflammation in the body, and supporting balanced immune responses to prevent immune overreactions like a cytokine storm, while optimizing your natural defenses and immune activity.*

With the right support and lifestyle choices, you can promote healthy inflammation responses, reduce the risk of chronic inflammation, and support your long-term wellness. A healthy immune system with the right inflammation responses will give you the energy, support, and balance you need to age well and feel your best each day.  

Sources

1. C Franceschi, P Garagnani, et al. Inflammaging: a new immune–metabolic viewpoint for age-related diseases. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2018; 14. 10.1038/s41574-018-0059-4.
2. Liu YZ, Wang YX, Jiang CL. Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:316. Published 2017 Jun 20. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316
3. Galland L. Diet and inflammation. Nutr Clin Pract. 2010 Dec;25(6):634-40. doi: 10.1177/0884533610385703. PMID: 21139128.
4. Plaza-Díaz J, Ruiz-Ojeda FJ, Vilchez-Padial LM, Gil A. Evidence of the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Probiotics and Synbiotics in Intestinal Chronic Diseases. Nutrients. 2017;9(6):555. Published 2017 May 28. doi:10.3390/nu9060555
5. Eliaz I, Raz A. Pleiotropic Effects of Modified Citrus Pectin. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):2619. Published 2019 Nov 1. doi:10.3390/nu11112619