Inflammation is the start of almost all disease processes and illnesses. Inflammation can be the beginning of arthritis, muscle soreness, muscle tears, and tendonitis. Additionally and more importantly, it is now recognized that heart disease, vascular disease, strokes and even cancer are all caused when there is too much inflammation in the body.
The suffix “-itis” means inflammation, so other inflammatory diseases are: appendicitis, pancreatitis, vasuulitis, cystitis, prostatitis, dermatomyositis, polymyositis and myositis just to name a few. Other common inflammatory diseases are IBS or irritable bowel disease, Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and most digestive disorders.
What can you do? Since stress can cause inflammation, avoid stressful situations and add activities that help de-stress such as exercise, yoga, massage, reading or meditation.
The area you have the most control of and can have the most harmful impact is what you eat. Flour (especially white flour), sugar, dairy, “corn-fed”, high-fructose, and corn syrup are the inflammatory food groups that need to be avoided, or at least minimized.