Manage Chronic Inflammation with Food and Supplements
Inflammation is your immune system’s response to injury or infection. For example, if you get a mosquito bite, the area turns red, swells a bit, and eventually starts to itch. If you scratch it, the redness can increase, but over time your body heals the bite. Eventually your skin will look normal again. This is the way the body heals itself from all outside forces. However, if your immune system is compromised in some way, inflammation can spread through the body.
This is called chronic inflammation, and it can be a major cause of joint pain and plaque buildup in arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Studies show that chronic inflammation has also been linked to an elevated risk of cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, and more. 1
Eat Fresh, Whole Foods
One of the best ways to combat chronic inflammation is to eat properly. Choose whole foods. That means unprocessed, fresh foods and produce, such as green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc.), fruits, nuts, omega-3 fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, blue fin tuna, trout, herring) and olive oil. Keep added sugars below 25 grams. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Combine good eating habits with aerobic exercise and get enough sleep, 7 to 8 hours each night. 2
Turmeric
Turmeric is an herb that is used in a lot of Indian cooking. It comes from the ginger family. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. That’s how it gets its yellow/orange color. Curcumin contains natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
The most potent way to consume your turmeric is as a supplement because it’s more concentrated than the spice you buy in the store. Doctors usually recommend 500mg to 1,000mg two times a day with food. Fatty foods like avocados, nuts, olive oil will help with absorption. Consult with your doctor before taking any new supplements. Turmeric may interfere with blood-clotting medications and is not recommended for anyone with gallbladder disease.3
Fighting Inflammation with Standard Process Supplements
Supplements can help, too, especially if you aren’t consuming enough natural inflammation-fighting nutrients in your regular diet. Many do not interfere with medication but always be sure. Check with your doctor before taking any additional vitamins, herbs, or supplements of any kind.
At Wholefood Guru, we believe keeping a healthy immune system is the key to managing inflammation and enjoying a healthy life, along with exercise, eating right, and getting enough sleep. Here are a few of our Standard Process supplements that can help strengthen your immune system:
Turmeric Forte is a formulation using turmeric rhizome combined with fenugreek seed extracts to enhance absorption and improve the bioavailability of the turmeric. In a clinical study, the curcumin-fenugreek combination had 24.8 times the bioavailability of an equivalent amount of unformulated curcuminoids. Turmeric Forte is standardized to ensure ideal strength and quality.
Boswellia Complex contains boswellia, celery seed, ginger and turmeric for a potent supplement that can help:
- Support healthy joints
- Support healthy circulation
- Support normal function of the kidneys
- Provide antioxidant activity
The Boswellia component is standardized to contain 180 mg of boswellic acids per tablet, and the Turmeric component contains 70.4 mg of curcuminoids per tablet.
Caution: Not to be used during pregnancy and lactation unless otherwise directed by a qualified health care professional.
Black Currant Seed Oil contains the essential fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).
- Encourages proper eicosanoid synthesis
- Supports the body's normal tissue repair process
- Supports normal blood flow
- Supports healthy immune system function
Each Serving Size (1 Softgel) contains: Black Currant Seed Oil 320 mg, Gamma-Linolenic Acid 47 mg. Other Ingredients: Gelatin, water, and glycerin.
Nutrients & Ingredients
Each Serving Size (1 Softgel) contains: Black Currant Seed Oil 320 mg, Gamma-Linolenic Acid 47 mg. Other Ingredients: Gelatin, water, and glycerin.
For those who don’t like to swallow pills, there’s a chewable version available. The chewable is slightly less potent:
Capsule Chewable
Tuna Oil 1330mg 1080mg
DHA 300 240mg
EPA 60mg 50mg
- Supports general health and the body’s natural inflammatory response function
- Helps bridge the gap in dietary omega-3 intake
- Contains the omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, which is important for normal brain structure and proper fetal eye and brain development
- Omega-3s are essential for normal skin function
Omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in the human body and regulate various functions in the cardiovascular, pulmonary, immune, nervous and endocrine systems. Since EPA and DHA are not made efficiently by the body, it is recommended that these polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) be consumed at higher levels in the diet. However, a large percentage of the U.S. adult population falls below the recommendations for omega-3 fatty acid consumption.
-Dr. Robert Powell, The “Wholefood Guru”
At Wholefood Guru, we strive to provide the most up-to-date clinical information on improving health through whole food supplementation, diet, and lifestyle modifications.
1 https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/want-to-ease-chronic-inflammation
2 https://www.health.harvard.edu/promotions/sumo/fighting-inflammation
3 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/turmeric-health-benefits/