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Most of our adult lives are focused on working, saving and investing as much money as possible for our family’s future.
But not nearly enough emphasis is placed on creating and maintaining our health. And when you think about – what good is accumulating financial wealth, if we’re not healthy enough to enjoy our lives?
It makes no sense at all, yet this has been the case for millions of people in the Western world for a very long time. Perhaps you can relate?
Today, more than ever before in our history, people are waking up and taking back control of their health and wellbeing.
“If it’s to be,
it’s up to me!”
That’s one of my personal sayings, and it applies to my health as well. I prefer to take good care of my body, so my body can take care of me.
As we all know – those of us who have lived long enough – we can mistreat (or neglect) our bodies while we’re young, without paying the piper. But sooner or later, the effects will start to show up, if we don’t do something different.
Little by little, imperceptible at first, we may start to notice how we get a little more agitated than we used to. Or our minds don’t seem as sharp as they once were.
Because I know that health is wealth, what can I do to take better care of my body? What can I give it, so I can live a long, happy and vibrant life? I put an emphasis on ‘vibrant’ because I don’t want to just live longer… I want to live healthy, while living much longer. I bet you feel the same way too!
We’re fortunate today to have so many amazing advancements in health care. We’ve come a long way and have experienced so many breakthroughs in science and medical technology.
While we’ve made great strides, there are still some very worrisome challenges to overcome. Challenges that often prevent us from living the joyful, healthy lives that we all want and deserve. The kind of health that
I believe is our birthright.
As we look at these challenges, there are some very positive things happening that you’ll want to know about. Knowledge is power—but only when we DO something with that knowledge.
I want to share some information about the culprit behind many chronic diseases that continue to plague so many people… chronic inflammation.
First, let’s distinguish between ‘acute’ inflammation and ‘chronic’ inflammation. Acute inflammation is what happens when you cut your finger or get stung by a bee – or when bacteria gets into your system some other way.
What happens? Well, first you feel the pain, swelling, and redness. This is the intelligence of your body, rushing in to attack any foreign invaders. They will be quickly neutralized, and you’ll feel better very soon.
But what about inflammation that your immune system fails to eliminate quickly and, instead, morphs into a condition that can last for many months – or even years?
This is called chronic inflammation. It’s when your white blood cells attack nearby healthy tissues and organs (looking for the bad guys), which sets up a chronic inflammatory process.
Left unchecked, this inflammatory process plays a central role in some of the most challenging diseases of our time, according to a Harvard Medical School Guide, Understanding Inflammation:
Scientists suggest many factors contribute to chronic inflammation, including genetics, exposure to environmental toxins, and lifestyle factors.
There’s not much you can do about your genes. And it’s an ongoing challenge to avoid toxins, like polluted air, heavy metals, and pesticides… even though we do our best.
We can, however, make some lifestyle changes that are just common sense. We can make sure we eat healthy fats, instead of the unhealthy ones. We can avoid processed foods. We can exercise. And we can (and must) get plenty of sleep, so our body can restore itself.
Our body is an amazing vehicle, but it does require some TLC to run efficiently.
You’ve probably heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” I feel there’s a lot of truth to that — and the British Journal of Nutrition agrees. In their May 2016 edition, they summarized a number of studies, supporting the notion that dietary polyphenols may lower inflammation in the body.
Which foods are high in polyphenols, you may ask? They include:
And the Harvard Medical School Guide, Understanding Inflammation, suggests a few specific foods that provide healthy doses of omega-3 fatty acids, which have LONG been shown to reduce inflammation:
Now, this is amazing because omega-3s can cross the blood-brain barrier, so they may even help lower inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease and reduce the risk of stroke.
Learn More: Click Here
