Nutrition for Chronic Inflammation: Autoimmune Conditions, Digestive Issues, Hormone Imbalances, & More

Inflammation is a natural part of healing. When something harms our body, we mount an immune response. Think about what happens when you step on a nail. You experience pain, redness, and swelling. Inflammation can be an uncomfortable part of healing, but without inflammation our immune system would not spring into action allowing us to heal.

Inflammation comes from a word that means “setting on fire”. Inflammation becomes a problem when it becomes ongoing, which can initiate a disease process. Instead of healing, chronic inflammation, even low level chronic inflammation, can become a root cause of diseases and conditions effecting the gut, brain, skin, hormones, cardiovascular and immune system.

What Common Conditions are Associated with Inflammation?

• Digestive conditions (irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, GERD, bloating and gas…)  
• Autoimmune diseases (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease…)
• Hormone imbalances
• Arthritis 
• Cognitive decline
• Anxiety and depression
• Eczema
• Weight gain
• Pre-diabetes & type 2 diabetes

What Causes Chronic Inflammation?

• A diet that does not meet your specific nutritional needs
• Lifestyle factors such as over or under exercising, smoking, chronic stress, and lack of sleep
• Exposure to environmental toxins
• Hidden infections and pathogens
• Suboptimal digestion

How Can Nutrition Help Quell Chronic Inflammation?

The body’s natural immune function can be reset by identifying and removing the triggers and causes of inflammation, implementing a supportive diet and lifestyle and adding in targeted supplements as needed. No one diet is optimal for every body. The key is to figure out what foods restore and then support optimum conditions for the immune system to thrive in each of us.