3 Ways to Fix Inflammation for Good

Everyone has at one point suffered from some degree of inflammation. Whether it is from running a marathon and having swollen calves, to eating something a little off and feeling gassy, or maybe from a condition like arthritis, plantar fascitis, celiac, candida (yeast overgrowth), leaky gut, or even chronic stress - it is virtually impossible to spend your whole life without some degree of inflammation on a pretty consistent basis.

And this is a good thing. In many ways inflammation is important for us. For instance, when we cut ourselves, inflammation is critical in the healing process. It is also important to help us fight off viruses, bacteria, or other infections. If we didn’t have inflammation to save us, it would be pretty hard to make it past even our first birthday.

However, when we are dealing with inflammation on a daily basis, it can be quite uncomfortable. Imagine having arthritis, planter fascitis, or one of the other “-itis” conditions (which I am sure many of you who are reading this have). These people have to deal with inflammation all the time and this can be very debilitating.

Inflammation has been a dear companion to me in the past. In college I had such a bad case of plantar fascitis that I would tear up every morning as I first placed my feet onto the floor. I have had chronic gut inflammation to the point that I was scared to eat anything besides white rice and pickles - yes you read that right - I only ate rice and pickles for a whole month until I finally figured out that I was allergic to the coffee I was drinking. I have been diagnosed with many digestive allergies, celiac, chronic back pain, IBS, a torn ligament in my hip, many sprained ankles, and so much more. Suffice to say I have had my fair share of inflammation.

The good news is that going through all these inflammatory times in my life has made me become a mini-expert on inflammation. If you met me today you would never guess that inflammation was ever a big problem for me as I have it so under control that it rarely shows up for me anymore.

So today I thought it would be nice to talk a little bit about some of the simple tips and tricks I have learnt over the years to help lower inflammation in the body naturally. So lets dig in!

Please note: this blog is for informational purposes only. Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this page for more details.

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  1. Ice

    Ice is number one on my list for a reason. It has been shown in countless studies to be the #1 way to lower inflammation. Now, there is a couple ways you can apply this tip to your daily life. First, you can simply make a pack of ice and put it on the area that is inflamed. I like to put ice directly on the skin and put a timer on for 20-minutes. However, if you have digestive or systemic inflammation (therefore the inflammation is not localized to one area), you can try a cold shower, bath, or better yet join Vancouver for the 100th annual Polar Bear Swim in English Bay on Wednesday January 1st, 2020.

    For more information about the swim click here. Usually the reaction I get when I tell people about the amazing benefits of cold showers, people immediately go “nah-uh! not for me!” However, before you knock it check out this amazing study that shows the benefits of hydrotherapy on many systems in the body here. We haven’t had hot running water in our lives for very long - maybe a couple hundred years. So it does make sense that we would benefit from cold every once in a while.

  2. Diet

    You can also help manage inflammation through diet. It’s pretty simple actually. All you have to do is:

    • decrease the inflammatory foods and,

    • increase the anti-inflammatory foods.

    Here is a list to get started - many of these things will probably not come as a surprise to you.

    Inflammatory Foods (to decrease):

    • Coffee, most tea, caffeine, stimulants and carbonated beverages like soda or pop.

    • Foods high in processed sugar like cakes, muffins, candies, and white bread.

    • Fast foods - especially ones with high levels of trans- and hydrogenated fats like fried foods.

    • Alcohol - especially ones made from grains like whisky, scotch, gin, most vodkas, and beer. However, tequila, wine, and some vodkas (mainly the ones made from vegetable sources) have shown to have anti-inflammatory effects if consumed in moderation.

    • Dairy and gluten. Sorry! both are quite inflammatory.

    Anti-Inflammatory Foods (to increase):

    • Most fruits and vegetables - especially leafy green vegetables including kale, spinach, bok choy, lettuce, chard, or any other delicious green vegetables.

    • Foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids like nuts and seeds (especially chia, flax, and walnuts), and fish (especially salmon and sardines). I like to sprinkle chia and grounded flax seeds onto any breakfast I choose to have in the morning to make sure I have some omega-3s in my diet everyday).

    • Lemons. This one is easy - simply squirt some in your water for a tasty anti-inflammatory treat.

    • Turmeric or Green Tea.

  3. Nutritional Supplements

    Now, I can probably bore you with a long list of all the vitamins and minerals that help with inflammation. However, as a nutrition practitioner I never like to recommend more than 2 supplements to a diet (and truthfully, I only like to recommend them for a short period of time until we re-balance the gut and lifestyle to support your bodies needs). If you simply focus on the diet and change what is needed than these supplements will not be needed. However, from my experience it takes time to change dietary and lifestyle habits, and it is even harder to do if you are experiencing pain! Therefore, to kick start your anti-inflammatory new lifestyle, I recommend these 2 supplements:

    • Omega-3 DHA/EPA supplement

      Many people just simply don’t get even omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, and they are so monumental to to anti-inflammatory process that I find it really helps to start with a supplement to build up the body’s stores then support the body through diet afterwards. If you can get your hands on it, a DHA/EPA omega-3 supplement from Norwegian Cod Liver oil is top notch.

    • Pancreatic enzyme supplement

      Especially for gut inflammation, but for any inflammation in general, a pancreatic enzyme supplement is critical to get your body out of chronic inflammation. Wobenzym, a supplement company that has been around for more than 40 years, has done great independent research that shows the affects of pancreatic enzyme supplements not only for digestive concerns but for inflammation in joints (especially in the lower extremities - hips, knees, and ankles). At first, I recommend people to have one 10-20 minutes before every meal and ween off as you stop getting as many inflammatory episodes.

    Now remember, QUALITY is everything when it comes to supplements. There are a lot of crappy products out there that are probably not providing you with any support at all. If you are concerned about your product quality book a 20-minute free consultation with me and I will walk you through what to look for when purchasing supplements.

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So that’s it for today!

See, I told you that inflammation is pretty simple. Of course this is a general list of techniques that I have used not only for myself to heal myself of all inflammatory issues, but ones that I have used with clients over-and-over and always produce amazing results. If you have a specific condition then I recommend you to consult your doctor on whether it would be worth it to you to consult a registered nutritional practitioner on specific lifestyle and diet recommendations. If you are ready to dive right in, you can book an appointment with me by clicking here.


Until next time,

Britte Nielsen

Core Potentials Academy, Ltd. - Disclaimer for Core Potentials Blog

This blog, its content, and any linked material are presented for informational purposes only and are not for the purposes of medical diagnosis, treatment, prescription, medicine for any disease, illness, or injury, or any other licensed or controlled act that may constitute the practice of medicine. Nothing contained in or accessible from this blog should be considered to be medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or prescribing, or a promise of benefits, claim of cure, legal warranty, or guarantee of results to be achieved. The content of this blog and any linked material does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Core Potentials Academy, Ltd., or the principal author and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up-to-date. Consult with a licensed healthcare professional before altering or discontinuing any current medications, treatment or care, or starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, or if you have or suspect you might have a health condition that requires medical attention. If you would like to communicate with us, please visit our website at http://www.corepotentials.ca

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