Silent Inflammation

What is Silent Inflammation and why does it matter?

Silent Inflammation is what happens when your immune system no longer recognizes “other” from “self” and begins to attack your own body’s cells. This is linked to many diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart attacks, and obesity. This post discusses causes, effects, and ways to prevent and reverse this condition.

Inflammation is your body’s first response against injury or infection. When the body detects a pathogen, the injured or infected cells produce eicosanoids and cytokines which recruit immune cells to attack the invaders, destroy them, clean up and repair the damage. We recognize this as redness, swelling, and tenderness or pain. Usually this is the body’s perfect way of fixing the problem; however researchers now recognize that there is another type of inflammation, one that actually harms the body instead of fixing it. This is called “silent inflammation”.

Silent inflammation occurs when the body is constantly under attack from environmental pollutants and poor lifestyle. Toxins from the environment, our food, water, air, etc., and stress can cause a constant immune system response. This constant low-level demand that the immune system has to deal with causes immense changes to the order of the typical response system resulting in an immune system breakdown. Eventually the body’s immune system response order becomes intermingled and is no longer able to recognize invaders from its own cells, causing the body to attack itself. Chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart attacks, and obesity are all the result of silent inflammation.

Silent inflammation is so dangerous because it operates below the threshold of pain. Because we cannot feel this type of inflammation, all too often we do not know it is happening until we develop a chronic disease or have a heart attack. We can test for silent inflammation by checking the levels of aracadonic acids and eicosapentaenoic acids. Low levels of these acids mean better health, while higher levels usually mean a chronic disease state is present or developing.

Medical science has developed drugs that are “anti-inflammatory” such as aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, Cox-2 inhibitors (Cox-2 are enzymes responsible for inflammation and pain), and cortical steroids. All of these drugs decrease the level of eicosanoids that cause inflammation. However, anti-inflammatory drugs also suppress the immune system and bone marrow, cause osteoarthritis, heart attacks, and death when taken “correctly”. More people die each year in America from taking the correct dosage of anti-inflammatory drugs then die from AIDS.

Your first line of defense against silent inflammation is controlling your insulin response and losing inflammatory fat. A high carbohydrate diet will cause the body to produce more insulin, which lowers blood sugar and increases fat production (see my post on the Metabolic Syndrome). Both "belly fat" and visceral fat (fat around your internal organs) pumps out inflammatory hormones at all times. On the other hand, a low carbohydrate diet will make the brain hungry, which causes a state of stress for the body, which will then secrete cortisol to turn muscle into food/energy in the form of glucose for the brain. This causes insulin resistance and is the primary cause of weight gain. By controlling the level of insulin and glucagon in the form of carbohydrates and protein, you are controlling your fat and inflammation.

Eating a diet that consists of a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats will keep your insulin levels balanced and reduce nutritional stress. Start by dividing your plate into three sections. One section should consist of low-fat protein; the other two-thirds should be overflowing with vegetables (low-glycemic carbohydrates), one side cooked and one side raw. Then, add a dash of good fat (olive oil, avocado, almonds). Avoid fats that cause inflammation such as red meat, eggs, canola oil, or anything fried. Grains and starches should be decreased, while fruits and vegetables should take their place. Other tips to avoid silent inflammation include:

• Make sure to get enough sleep and the right amount of exercise to avoid physiological stress
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs (prescription and otherwise), drinking caffeine, and eating too much sugar or non-organic food, as these are all chemical stresses
• Cleanse the body on a regular basis using colonics, juicing, and fasts
• Purge your home of toxic chemical including cleaning and body care products
• Reduce stress on all levels and eat a nutritionally balanced diet of frequent whole food meals

Here is a great list of toxins to steer clear of: http://ow.ly/HSC5

Call your Health Coach today if you want to get started on a balanced meal plan and reduce your stress and toxin levels!

Physics and Philosophy

Philosophy: A critical study of fundamental beliefs and the grounds for them. It is a study of what we believe and what the bases for those beliefs are.

The word “philosophy” is an ancient Greek word meaning “love of wisdom”. It is a personal outlook or viewpoint on matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, justice, validity, mind, and language. What makes philosophy different from other ways of making sense of these things is that it is a more critical, generally systematic approach and relies on reasoned argument to answer questions.

Physics: The science of matter and energy and their interactions.

Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity explains that energy is mass times the speed of light. Energy is therefore relative only to the speed of light and the mass that you are in relationship with at one particular time. Albert Einstein showed us scientifically that how we view the world is all relative and can be completely different from those around us.

Sir Isaac Newton also explained energy and motion through his Third Law. Newton’s Law states that for every action there is an equal opposing reaction. What ever kind of energy you are generating, it creates an equal force generating that same energy back to you. This can also be seen as the more recently coined term “Law of Attraction”. The Law of Attraction states that a thought that turns into a belief, with some emotion (or energy) behind it, will come to you at the same intensity of that emotion. What you put out, you get back.

The science of matter and energy and their interactions shows us that everything is connected and interrelated. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form or manipulated. We have the choice, the power, to manipulate the energy on our lives, and the lives of those around us, for the better. What great news!

I love this quote by Marianne Williamson:

“I suggest to every person dealing with a serious illness in themselves or others that they consider starting a journal in which they “communicate” with their illness. Seeing sickness as our own love that needs to be reclaimed is a more positive approach to healing than is seeing the sickness as something hideous we must get rid of. Energy cannot be destroyed. It can, however, be miraculously transformed.”

The healing power of energy can be astonishing if we only understand that it is possible and know how to manipulate it in our favor.

The energy we are putting out there does not differentiate between humans and other species. It comes back to us whether we are aware of it or not. The fact that we are usually disassociated and disconnected with the consequences of our actions does not make them any less real. It is this disconnect that is ultimately breaking us down as a society and causing many of the devastating health and environmental effects we are seeing grow more rapidly then ever before.

The way we understand both physics and philosophy is the same: through observation. Because we know that observation is based on our relative position in relationship to matter and phenomena, we can begin to look at the world around us from a much larger perspective. We can begin to understand that the way we see things is not the only way that those things are seen. Our belief systems, or what we observe to be true, are what creates our world view. Once we understand that everything is interconnected, we can see and understand the value of looking at things from a more whole view, a view that is outside of ourselves and will help us to understand the view of others. Taken from a larger perspective, physics and philosophy explain the true interdependence of life. Everything is really connected to everything else.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. As the name suggests, metabolic syndrome is tied to your body’s metabolism, and more specifically to the ability of the hormone insulin to function correctly. Insulin is one of the most important hormones in the body. It either directly or indirectly regulates the absorption of all nutrients into the cells and acts as one of the main anabolic (building) hormones, turning on rebuilding pathways of proteins, fats, and sugars. However, when the signs and symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome start to show themselves, we can bet that insulin is no longer able to work properly, which means heart disease, stroke, and/or diabetes is not too far away. Signs and symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome include:

• Obesity, particularly around the waist
• High blood pressure
• High levels of blood fat called triglycerides and low levels of HDL (or “good”) cholesterol
• Resistance to insulin

Having one component of Metabolic Syndrome means you are more likely to have others, and having three of these factors has been shown to double the risk of heart attack and triple the risk of heart disease. However, there is good news. The good news is that even if you find yourself in this position, there is something you can do to begin reversing the risk right away. Aggressive diet and lifestyle changes, including eliminating all sugar and refined carbohydrates, getting more physical activity, and quitting smoking will help. To understand why these changes will make a difference let’s look at a healthy response to insulin and follow the pathophysiology that leads to Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome.

In a healthy body insulin takes the glucose (carbohydrates/sugars), fatty acids (fats), and amino acids (proteins) that were broken down by your digestive system and carries them into your body’s cells to be used as fuel. If this fuel is not used up, it just gets stored in the cell. If over a period of time that stored energy still has not been used, but insulin continues to add more and more of it into the cell each time you eat, the cell eventually becomes full and can no longer take in any more nutrients. At this point the cell will literally close its receptor doors to the insulin, not allowing anymore nutrients to enter. When insulin is no longer able to do its job in carrying these nutrients into the cells, this is called Insulin Resistance. Insulin Resistance is common in people who over-eat and do not exercise, as well as in people who have been yo-yo dieting for many years. People on yo-yo diets often ignore the body’s cravings for food and therefore force the body (through what they consider willpower!) to use up its own reserves from the muscles and bones to keep vital functions going. This leads to less lean body mass and less cells for the insulin to fill up with energy in the first place.

Another way we get Insulin Resistance is through the function of Counter-Regulatory Hormones (CRH’s), which actually block the action of insulin. CRH’s are activated when we are under stress (Cortisol and Adrenaline are both CRH’s). Stress in the body occurs not only when we are under emotional stress, but by skipping meals (nutritional stress), lack of sleep or over exercising (physiological stress), drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs (prescription and otherwise), drinking caffeine, and eating too much sugar or non-organic food (chemical stress). It is important to look closely at all of these factors when trying to reduce stress. After a while, if we continued to be stressed, the CRH response wins out over the insulin and the body begins to break down, causing the warning signs and symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome.

Other factors that may lead to Metabolic Syndrome include genetics, which in some cases do not allow insulin secretion to keep up with demand; free radicals that cause oxidative damage to the beta cells of the pancreas that produce the insulin; and free fatty acids that have leaked out of fat cells and are toxic to the pancreas, blocking the secretion of insulin. The irony here is that Insulin Resistance is what causes the fat cells to leak in the first place, causing an anti-inflammatory response (see my post on Silent Inflammation) which includes the release of the CRH Cortisol, and so we begin to see the this vicious cycle literally feeding itself.

Other risk factors that increase the chances of having Metabolic Syndrome:

• Age. 40% of people in their 60s are affected, however we are beginning to see more and more school-aged children having three or more signs and symptoms listed above.
• Race. Hispanics and Asians seem to be at higher risk for Metabolic Syndrome than other races.
• Obesity. Body Mass Index (or BMI, which is calculated as height/ (weight x weight) x 703) of greater than 25 increases your risk of Metabolic Syndrome.
• History of Diabetes. If Diabetes runs in your family you’re more likely to have Metabolic Syndrome.

Type II Diabetes is an advanced stage of Insulin Resistance. The only difference between someone with Metabolic Syndrome and Type II Diabetes is that the pancreas of the Type II Diabetic is no longer able to keep up with the demand for Insulin, becomes over-worked and stops producing it. Diabetes leads to complications such as nerve, eye, kidney, and blood vessel damage. Either way, being in the last stages of this disease can be devastating.

Unfortunately, the signs and symptoms of the Metabolic Syndrome don’t show up until pretty late in the game. Stage I and II of Insulin Resistance actually look almost exactly like normal metabolic function. If we were to get our blood levels checked, they would still be in the normal range, except in Stage II where we would begin to see Insulin Resistance at the muscle level. Although it is difficult to diagnose someone at these early stages, looking at diet, exercise, and stress levels can show us if we may already be headed down this pathway.

As with anything else, prevention is the key. Understanding what foods cause an increase of insulin and balancing insulin response is the first step. Eating small frequent meals (always including breakfast) that are balanced with protein, good quality fats, and complex carbohydrates will slow down an insulin response. Avoiding sugar, refined carbohydrates, and long-chain saturated fats (as in animal protein) is going to be very important as we heal the digestive system and start to unload the over-filled cells. Getting an abundance of antioxidants will also be important as oxidative damage is highly likely to be occurring. Getting enough sleep, practicing de-stressing techniques such as meditation, yoga, or deep breathing, not missing meals, and avoiding chemicals (including coffee, alcohol and caffeine), will slow or avoid a response from the CRH’s. Exercising is also a key factor in reversing the Metabolic Syndrome, however starting an exercise regimen without changing to a properly balanced diet first, or exercising too much, would be seen as a stress in the body which we know releases CRH’s and is a cause of Insulin Resistance.

If you think you have any one of the signs or symptoms of the Metabolic Syndrome, please talk to your doctor immediately and have your blood levels checked. Remember though, the first stages of this disease process are hardly recognizable with tests. The only way to be sure from the start is to look at your overall diet and stress levels. If you suspect or are even unsure about if your current lifestyle and food choices are causing an overproduction of insulin or of the CRH's, you should sit down with your Health Coach to review these things right away. We can talk about ways to implement a more balanced lifestyle, avoid or reverse Insulin Resistance, and make sure you are on the path of health and wellness.