What to do when your gut goes up inflamed

WHAT is inflammation and why is everyone so anti-it?

Inflammation is a buzz word these days, as research discovers more ways it affects the body.

Inflammation is a natural process initiated by the body in response to certain stimulus.

An example of a healthy inflammatory response is an infection. A cut gets red, warm, swollen and tender around the edges because your immune system is fighting off bacteria that have infiltrated the area. Inflammation is a sign that your immune system is working.

Obviously if your immune system is working, that is a good thing.

However it can turn bad if the inflammation hangs around too long or occurs for an inappropriate reason.

When an inflammatory response happens on your skin, it’s easy to see and feel. When inflammation is occurring inside you, it is much harder to tell.

Let’s look at the gut, for example.

The modern diet contains many new substances that our gut isn’t accustomed to digesting. This triggers long-term, inappropriate inflammation in most cases, affecting digestion and being linked to an increasing number of diseases.

So what to do? Avoiding processed foods, refined sugars and seed or nut oils is a great way to avoid encouraging gut inflammation. For many, substances such as lactose or gluten also trigger inflammation.

Good anti-inflammatory foods are fresh herbs and spices, green leafy vegetables, berries and deep sea fish.

For your health, it’s time to up the anti. Join me next time as I share more ways to combat inflammation.

Dr Michael Osborne is a chiropractor at HealthGuard Wellness, East Toowoomba, and a member of the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia.