Category: Inflammation

What Triggers Inflammation?

First off, we have to understand inflammation. So, we have to answer the question, what is inflammation? According to my research, “Inflammation is a process by which the body’s white blood cells and chemicals protect us from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses.” So what triggers inflammation, or  what are the triggers of inflammation? Form what I have found, there are four basic triggers; trauma, deficiency, stress, and toxins. We’ll take a look at each of the four basic triggers, and then look at how we can deal with inflammation.

When we mention the word “trauma”, the first thing that probably comes to mind is an accident which causes some sort of serious or critical bodily injury. Trauma is typically associated with pain and suffering as a direct result of that injury. Even though most inflammation causes pain and/or suffering, inflammation can be a good thing, because inflammation is a natural part of the healing process. As a matter of fact, “without inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal.”

Our bodily cells are alive. They are called the “building block of life”, by many scientists. Cells are constantly changing, and they are directly affected by everything we do. They grow or change according to the foods we eat. Starving (deficiency) our cells of the proper vitamins, minerals, and nutrients causes our cells to become inefficient, even to the point where they break down. Thus deficiencies can and do happen, weakening the cells causing a chain reaction within our body, ultimately triggering inflammation.

Emotional stress can also cause inflammation. It’s been noted that in stressful situations our brain releases chemicals, stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol), that trigger the release of many inflammatory processes.
Because of the widespread damage stress can cause, like inflammation, it’s important to know your own limit. However, how much stress is “too much” differs from person to person. Many individuals can roll with the punches, while others fall apart at the slightest sign of frustration.

Research points to the fact that we live in a toxic world, and that our bodies are swimming in toxins. Toxins are every where you turn. They are in every breath we take and the food that we eat. It’s been noted that some foods are contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals.

I’ve even read that foods that carry toxic compounds “can cause the body to hold on to extra pounds by starting an immune reaction that causes inflammation.” Toxins created inside and outside our bodies are seemingly unescapable, which leads us to believe that there is no escape from inflammation producing poison.

Our bodies are truly amazing as it can respond to trauma, deficiency, stress and toxins with inflammation. As mentioned, inflammation is the bodies natural healing process, but where it all goes wrong is with runaway (chronic) inflammation wherein the body can’t shut it down causing auto immune, and many other, diseases.

So how do we keep inflammation in check? Some suggest that we should learn to become a partner with our bodies. We need to watch for the signs that can trigger inflammation. We should also reduce basic nutrient deficiencies by eating healthier foods and taking quality supplements. One aggressive inflammation fighter is found in the nutrient called Betalains, an ingredient in some inflammation fighting supplements.

According to health experts, we need to walk, run, stretch, and become more active. Activity and/or exercise in any form keeps your mind alert, blood flowing, and muscles moving. We also need to ease our emotional stress and learn how to relax. Anything we can do to help fight off the triggers that cause inflammation will help us live longer and healthier lives.

Jeffrey Sloe
TriVita Independent Business Owner, 12871028
Visit My TriVita Business Site

The above information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

As the cold and flu season is upon us, it’s time to talk about its causes, and how we can protection our selves from having it effect our lives. Although it’s something we cannot control, I believe there are measures we can take to decrease the impact the flu may have on our bodies.

I for one have always suggested preventative medicine as being the best medicine, like taking vitamin C at the first signs of the change in weather, if you’re not taking it all year ’round. I’m also a huge proponent of a taking a daily multiple vitamin, something I have done ever since I could remember. I’m also a big advocate about the proper amount of sleep. The three items listed above, vitamin C, multiple vitamins, and sleep, I believe, can go a long way in protecting you from not only the flu, but other diseases as well.

Since I’m not a medical doctor or science professor, I’ll leave the explanation of the proper way to protect your self from the flu up to TriVita’s Chief Science Officer, Brazos Minshew.

Important Health News – Protect Yourself from the Flu
by Brazos Minshew, TriVita’s Chief Science Officer

About this time of year many people ask me what they can do to prevent the flu or minimize its impact. That has never seemed more relevant than today; so, I will address this with the best science we have available today. I say “today’s best science” because we simply don’t know everything we need to know about preventing and treating the flu. And we need to remember that not all that long ago “current science” said that the earth was flat and diseases were caused by evils spells or dead ancestors.

Many people never get the flu – no matter which strain we are talking about. Do you? When you get the flu, are your symptoms severe? Are there high-risk people living with you? Then your preference for or against preventive measures must take them into consideration. (What if you got it and survived but transmitted it to them and they died? How would you feel?) In any case, 35,000-40,000 people in North America die of the flu each year. It is estimated that this number will double with H1N1.

Flu protection

There are three pathways you need to focus on with flu protection – any variety:

• Transmission
• Infection
• Inflammation

Inflammation

We will begin at the ending: Inflammation from the immune system that incapacitates – even kills – people when they have the flu. MOST IMPORTANT: The flu kills people not by transmission or by infection, but by an inflammatory immune system response called the “cytokine storm.”

Our immune system is designed to neutralize and excrete any non-self protein it finds. That includes the influenza virus. The size of the immune response needs to be equivalent to the strength of the invader.

Think of this as a building on fire: small fires are extinguished by local fire fighters. Some fires are so big that fire fighters from other departments have to be called in to help. So, fires are designated as “one-alarm,” “two-alarm,” “three-alarm,” and so on. At a certain point, our immune system pulls all of the alarms and immune system fractions from all over our body rush to put out the fire, so to speak. However, this is a case of fighting fire with fire. Cytokines are inflammatory. They kill viruses and bacteria by creating inflammation.

The cytokine storm is responsible for all of the symptoms we feel: fever, body aches, nausea, diarrhea, etc. It is also responsible for filling the lungs with mucous (pneumonia/pneumonitis) which is often the fatal trigger in influenza, SARS, Hanta virus, bubonic plague, etc.

To survive we must modulate the cytokine storm so that it does its job but doesn’t overwork and kill us. We make it work smarter, not harder. So we don’t use Vitamin C or Echinacea or anything that “boosts” the immune system. We use immune system modulators so we get exactly the right response. Quercetin, green tea polyphenols and ginseng (Panax and Eleutherococcus) all help balance the body’s immune system and decrease the cytokine storm.

Infection

Prior to the cytokine storm is the infection stage of influenza. The virus infects the cell by matching a cell receptor called Hemagglutinin. Hemagglutinin (the “H” in H1N1) allows the virus to gain entry to the cell and mutate the cell DNA so it can breed an infection. It also allows the newly mutated DNA to be incorporated into surrounding cells and through cell lines. Hemagglutinin describes “infection” with the flu. Two powerful natural bulwarks of Hemagglutinin are green tea polyphenols and ginseng (Panax and Eleutherococcus) found in some B-12 supplements.

Transmission

Neuraminidase describes “transmission” of the flu where the virus disarms the immune system with an enzyme. This is the “N” in H1N1, H5N1. Neuraminidase inhibitors like Tamiflu limit the ability of the virus to transmit its DNA strands. Two strong natural Neuraminidase protectors are green tea polyphenols and quercetin. It is likely that green tea polyphenols and quercetin will help your body do what it does best: resist infection. Think of them as the first line of defense to arm your immune system and help protect against the flu virus from disarming it. *** End of Article ***

If inflammation and the flu are related, to me, preventative medicine makes more sense, and if vitamin C and/or multiple vitamins, can do one-half of what has been scientifically proven, I believe many people will be protected from the flu, not to mention living healthier and more active lives.

The flu can be extremely dangerous to your health. However, I believe, like so many others, that inflammation may even be more dangerous, because it is related, or the leading cause of so many diseases. And if we can continue to fight inflammation I believe we can all live longer and healthier lives.

Find all of the great supplements listed in the article above by going to My TriVita Business Site.

Jeffrey Sloe
TriVita Independent Business Owner, 12871028
Visit My TriVita Business Site

The above information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

I’ve been writing about omega-3 fatty acids for some time now. Research continues to show how important these fatty acids really are to the human body, and how omega-3 fatty acids and inflammation are somehow related. A study a few years ago at the University of Pittsburgh confirms what subsequent studies have found, how important Omega-3 fatty acids really are.

“Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine went on a molecular fishing trip and netted a catch of new mediators that not only can explain how omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation, but also hint at novel treatments for a host of diseases linked to inflammatory processes.” [1]

Before I continue with this study, let’s take a look at what omega-3 fatty acids are, and the health benefits behind them. To do so I’ve included a quote below from the University of Maryland Medical Center’s web site:

“Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids: They are necessary for human health but the body can’t make them — you have to get them through food. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut, other seafood including algae and krill, some plants, and nut oils. Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function as well as normal growth and development. They have also become popular because they may reduce the risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish (particularly fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon) at least 2 times a week.” [2]

All of the research I’ve found concurs that “omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and may help lower risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in the brain and appear to be important for cognitive (brain memory and performance) and behavioral function.” [2]

This information is not from a single study, rather from numerous studies over several years in which universities have been doing research. Runaway inflammation can lead to various serious health problems in the body involving the heart, arteries, lungs, joints and more. That’s probably why so much research is being done not only on inflammation but also on nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids, that fight inflammation.

If you’re looking to incorporate more omega-3-fatty acids into your diet, fish is your best bet. The purest choice fish include canned sardines or mackerel, wild Alaskan salmon and sable fish, and small, troll-caught tuna. However, if you’re not a fish eater, Vital Choice’s Sockeye Salmon Supplements provides all of the fatty acids and abundant vitamin D3 found in salmon head oil.

There are also other Omega-3 supplements, and many contain a premier and unique blend of four different types of the most highly regarded Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) oils – Fish, Flaxseed, Evening Primrose and Perilla Seed. They may also use contaminant-free fish oil that has undergone an intense distilling process.

Just as research on omega-3 fatty acids will continue, I will continue to write about what researchers find regarding this highly important nutrient.

Jeffrey Sloe
Independent TriVita Business Owner – #12871028
440-725-3729
Visit My TriVita Product Site

Resources:
[1] www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100502173503.htm
[2] www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm

Healthy Choice Foods High in Fatty Acids

The above information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

I’ve been researching Omega-3 essential fatty acids for a few years now. It amazes me as to all the attention this all natural nutrient continues to receive. And, may I add that everything I’ve read, including the article posted below, is nothing short of good news.

From one of my previous article, I’ve reported that “most of us have heard about how fats are bad for us; however, this isn’t always the case. Some fats are very good for our ongoing well being. Two of these fats are Omega-3 and Omega-6. Not only are they good for us, they’re actually indispensable, which is why they are also called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs).”

I’ve also mentioned that omega-3 fatty acids “are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the body.” And, I’ve concluded that if you’re not a fish eater, the best source of EFAs, then you may need to be taking a daily omega-3 supplement, such as the one developed by TriVita®.

I’ve also written about inflammation. Omega-3 is “one of the best nutrients to reduce runaway inflammation. This may be new to you, but runaway inflammation can lead to various serious health problems in the body involving the heart, arteries, lungs, joints and more.”

Now in a recent study, by-products of omega-3 has been proven to reduce pain, caused by inflammation, in laboratory mice. In the article I’ve posted below, omega-3 is also safer than any NSAID on the market. If you’re still skeptical, please read the entire article entitled, Pain May be Relieved by Omega-3 Byproducts, which was written by Craig Weatherby of Vital Choice.

Pain May be Relieved by Omega-3 Byproducts – Study in mice suggests that omega-3s from fish could ease pain … and form the basis of a safer new class of potent analgesic drugs

by Craig Weatherby

Non-prescription analgesic drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen make life more bearable for millions of people suffering from all sorts of pain.

But these so-called “non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs” – NSAIDs for short – come with serious side effects that kill or injure thousands of Americans every year.

Estimates of the annual deaths in the United States attributable to NSAIDs vary from 3,200 to higher than 16,500 (Cryer B 2005; Lanas A et al. 2005).

And among elderly Americans alone, there are an estimated 41,000 hospitalizations related to NSAIDs each year (Griffin MR 1998).

Current NSAIDs alleviate pain and inflammation by blocking the action of one or both of two cyclooxygenase (COX) type enzymes … either the COX-1 enzyme and/or the COX-2 enzyme, depending on the drug.

The COX-1 enzyme promotes inflammation, but drugs – such as aspirin, ibuprofen (e.g., Advil), and naproxen (e.g., Aleve) that block it can produce gastric bleeding, duodenal ulcers, kidney problems, and cardiovascular complications.

Scientists developed COX-2 drugs such as Celebrex and Vioxx to get around the adverse gastric effects of COX-1 drugs … but it turned out that they, too, can cause gastric injury.

And sharp increases in cardiovascular complications led to withdrawal of Vioxx from the market in 2004.

Clearly, it behooves the medical community to find alternative analgesics that do not work in the same way.

We’ve reported on the recent discovery that when we metabolize omega-3s from fish – especially DHA – they yield critical anti-inflammatory compounds called resolvins.

Now, the analgesic potential of omega-3-derived resolvins has gained significant support in a mouse study from the Pain Research Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital … a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Mouse study yields encouraging findings on an omega-3 fat’s analgesic potential

A research team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital reports that resolvins that the body produces from the two key omega-3s in fish fat and human cells – DHA and EPA – may serve as a new class of painkillers for treating inflammatory pain (Xu ZZ et al. 2010).

The Boston-based group believes that resolvins reduce pain both by damping inflammation and by acting in the spinal cord to prevent and reverse chronic pain.

Inflammatory pain, such as arthritic and post-operative pain, is triggered by tissue injury, leading to the release of compounds that increase inflammation and also act within the spinal cord to promote persistent pain.

The researchers found that two resolvins – RvE1 (derived from EPA) and RvD1 (derived from DHA) – reduced inflammatory pain symptoms in mice.

The results showed that RvE1 was 10,000 times more potent at alleviating pain than omega-3 EPA itself, which suggests that resolvins should be targets for drug development.

Confirming the mechanism by which omega-3s can relieve pain indirectly, an artificial compound called Chemerin – which binds to the same cell receptor as RvE1 and RvD1 – also significantly reduced pain symptoms.

Aside from its proven anti-inflammatory effects, they also found that RvE1 acts in the spinal cord to prevent the persistent activation of nerve cells that underlies chronic pain.

Importantly – and unlike powerful analgesic opiate-class drugs like codeine or oxycontin – the analgesic effects of the omega-3-derived resolvins did not alter the animals’ normal sensitivity to pain.

We hope that findings like these will lead to a new class of analgesic drugs that are much safer but just as effective as NSAIDs.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Sources:

• Cryer B. NSAID-associated deaths: the rise and fall of NSAID-associated GI mortality. Am J Gastroenterol. 2005 Aug;100(8):1694-5.
• Griffin MR. Epidemiology of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-associated gastrointestinal injury. Am J Med. 1998 Mar 30;104(3A):23S-29S; discussion 41S-42S. Review.
• Lanas A, Perez-Aisa MA, Feu F, Ponce J, Saperas E, Santolaria S, Rodrigo L, Balanzo J, Bajador E, Almela P, Navarro JM, Carballo F, Castro M, Quintero E; Investigators of the Asociación Española de Gastroenterología (AEG). A nationwide study of mortality associated with hospital admission due to severe gastrointestinal events and those associated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use. Am J Gastroenterol. 2005 Aug;100(8):1685-93.
• Singh G, Triadafilopoulos G. Epidemiology of NSAID induced gastrointestinal complications. J Rheumatol 1999;26(suppl):18–24.
• Tarone RE, Blot WJ, McLaughlin JK. Nonselective nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and gastrointestinal bleeding: Relative and absolute risk estimates from recent epidemiologic studies. Am J Ther 2004;11(1):17–25.
• Tenenbaum J. The epidemiology of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Can J Gastroenterol. 1999 Mar;13(2):119-22. Review.
• Xu ZZ, Zhang L, Liu T, Park JY, Berta T, Yang R, Serhan CN, Ji RR. Resolvins RvE1 and RvD1 attenuate inflammatory pain via central and peripheral actions. Nat Med. 2010 May;16(5):592-7, 1p following 597. Epub 2010 Apr 11.

*** End of Article ***

If you believe that omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce pain caused by inflammation, taking a daily omega-3 supplement may be the right choice for you. Many omega-3 supplements contain a premier and unique blend of four different types of the most highly regarded Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) oils – Fish, Flaxseed, Evening Primrose and Perilla Seed. Some also use only contaminant-free fish oil that has undergone an intense distilling process.

Some omega-3 supplements meet the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, with only one daily dose. They provide the amount of Omega-3 recommended by the AHA for healthy individuals, as well as for those who have heart disease or the risk of it.

If you would like additional information on Omega-3 Supplements or many other nutritional product, you can Visit My TriVita Product Site to learn more. TriVita® ensures that you get the safest, freshest, and most effective products available on the market today. Each product is made under the strictest quality controls in the nutritional supplement industry.

Jeffrey Sloe
Independent TriVita Business Owner – #12871028
440-725-3729
Visit My TriVita Business Site

It has been stated by reliable sources that just about every person living has or will experience inflammation at one time or another. Stats are available from many different web sites to back up this fact. So is it possible to live a life without suffering from the pain associated with inflammation?

I guess you would have to break down inflammation into two categories, good and bad inflammation to find the answer. Since, according to scientists and medical personnel, good inflammation is necessary. However, it’s my understanding that it’s the bad inflammation that causes all of the pain and suffering.

And who better to answer the question about inflammation and how you can live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle, but Brazos Minshew, Chief Science Officer for TriVita.

How To Lead An Anti–Inflammatory Lifestyle

Wellness is created in the way our immune system interacts with our environment – based on our genetics and modified by our behavior or lifestyle. Illness is really a disharmony produced by injury, toxins from inside or outside our body, deficiencies in vital elements like air, water, sleep and nutrients and emotional distress.

Sometimes we ask the wrong questions when we start to experience disharmony in our body. In effect, we ask, “What makes sick people sick?” As pertinent as that question is to a sick person, it is usually more productive to ask, “What keeps healthy people well – and how can I be one of them?”

Good inflammation?

Can inflammation really be good for you? Yes! For example, your body temperature is 98.6 F/37 C. We are able to maintain that warmth because of controlled, focused, balanced inflammation. We call this type of inflammation metabolism.

Our immune system also functions through focused inflammation. For example, “bad” bacteria are neutralized by inflammation from macrophages: critical elements of our immune system.

Bad inflammation
Four imbalances create disharmony in our immune system. They are:

• Trauma or injury – Injured tissues first respond with beneficial inflammation. But if the inflammation becomes chronic, it will limit circulation by blood and lymph. Poor circulation allows waste created by the cells to accumulate, eventually becoming a toxic cesspool which can be the target for infection and disease.

• Toxins from inside or outside of your body – Fat-soluble toxins and poisons from our environment may accumulate in our tissues and smolder for decades. These toxic tissues become chronically inflamed. Fatty tissues in our body such as our brain, liver and reproductive systems accumulate toxins and become the target for inflammation and disease.

• Deficiencies in elements critical for life – Many people are deficient in oxygen though there is an abundance of air surrounding them. Oxygen deficiency causes acidic tissues; an acid body foments disease. Deficiencies in air, water, sunlight, sleep and nutrients are the most common causes of chronic inflammation.

• The immune-suppressing scourge of emotional distress – Sustained emotional distress is a trigger for chronic inflammation. Actually, stress is also a known trigger for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Obesity causes more emotional distress and more chronic inflammation.

Your anti-inflammatory plan

We are made with the ability to respond to trauma, toxins, deficiency and stress with inflammation. Therefore, inflammation is not the enemy; however, runaway inflammation is definitely our enemy! Stop the domino effect of runaway inflammation before it starts by learning and living the 10 Essentials for Health and Wellness.

• The simple act of breathing deeply can help reduce the impact of stress on your body. Oxygen also encourages an alkaline body; alkaline tissues are resistant to chronic illness.

• Sleeping peacefully can also help reduce the impact of stress.

• Exercise can ease the imbalance created by injury or trauma. Exercise may also make you less prone to future injury.

• Reduce basic nutrient deficiencies by eating the appropriate servings of fruits and vegetables daily:
  • 5 servings for children
  • 7 servings for women
  • 9 servings for men

Further “fill in the gaps” of nutrient deficiency by taking the Healthy Foundation program.

• Help reduce the effects of many internal and external toxins with Nopalea™.

• Ease the disturbances caused by emotional distress with anti-stress Adaptogen 10 Plus®.

A word about inflammation and disease
Once runaway inflammation is triggered, it follows an amazingly intricate course leading to catastrophe. Many of the disease processes are known to medical science, but many are not. One thing we know: stop runaway inflammation and health will improve! So, no matter what the “condition” is that is causing distress, reducing excess inflammation can help improve the way we feel.

According to many resources, inflammation is the one condition that lies at the root of your troublesome allergies, asthma, heart disease, and many types of cancer. It may be true what Hippocrates said, that “all disease is one.” I just wonder if he was talking about inflammation?

If inflammation is the problem you may want to contact your doctor or health professional to find out your best options.

Jeffrey Sloe
TriVita Independent Business Owner, 12871028
440-725-3729
Visit My TriVita Product Site

The above information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.