Many people across the globe struggle with the painful impacts of inflammation at different points in their lives and for a range of reasons related to health, diet, and other essential factors. However, despite its prevalence, most people don’t fully understand the basics of why inflammation occurs or how to reduce its effects, especially if it becomes a chronic condition.
In the article below, our relief experts at Herbal Ice will explore the essential basics that you should understand about what inflammation is, why it happens, and the key signs that your body is experiencing it. We’ll also delve into what you can do to help reduce its impacts on your life.
Please keep reading to learn more, and also consider exploring our wide selection of other educational resources for access to even more helpful information on different physical conditions and what you can do to reduce their interference in your daily life.
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What is Inflammation, and What Causes it?
There are two basic types of inflammation that people should know about since they both have very different impacts on people’s health and quality of life. These include; acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.
In short, acute inflammation, or swelling, is generally caused by tissue damage and is a natural bodily response to things like injury and infection. These cause the immune system to send out inflammatory cells and blood to the injured or infected area- such as a cut, tear, or burn- to protect and heal it. Because of this, acute inflammation is a good thing on a base level and is essential for helping people stay healthy or helping their bodies heal quickly.
However, every good thing can become destructive when taken too far, which is where chronic inflammation typically comes into play. A range of potential causes triggers this inflammation, including exposure to environmental toxins, high blood pressure, obesity, and lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, stress, and smoking, which can all impact the immune system’s inflammation response.
Chronic inflammation is persistent, long-lasting, and can even lead to dangerous medical conditions, including heart disease, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disorders, asthma, and many more. People need to understand chronic inflammation and its causes because medical research indicates that it’s a significant player in almost every chronic disease that people can experience, which is known to impact approximately 133 million Americans. That’s more than 40% of the country’s total population!
Key Signs of Inflammation
The signs and symptoms of inflammation in the body are more typically noticeable in acute inflammation caused by injuries or infections. These signs usually include swelling after a sprain, fevers when fighting a virus, flushed skin at the site of an injury, and pain or tenderness. However, the signs of chronic inflammation are usually more difficult for people to identify and can include a wide range of symptoms, many of which people wouldn’t automatically associate with inflammation in the first place. Some of these signs include;
- Joint pain or stiffness
- High glucose levels
- High levels of bad cholesterol
- Low levels of good cholesterol
- Weight gain
- Digestive issues and abdominal pain
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Mouth sores
- Skin rashes
Even if you experience these signs and symptoms, it’s essential to talk to your doctor and receive an official diagnosis of chronic inflammation, so please visit your primary physician for more information. They will likely run blood tests for C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and measure the homocysteine levels in your system to determine whether or not you’re suffering from chronic inflammation or another condition.
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How to Reduce Inflammation in Your Body
Suppose you’ve recently been diagnosed with chronic inflammation or are suffering from the impacts of acute inflammation due to an injury. In that case, you’re likely wondering what you can do to help reduce its effects that may be hindering your regular quality of life. Thankfully, there are several tactics you can utilize to help mitigate the impacts of both types of inflammation. Leverage the three essential tips below, and you’ll start seeing some tangible results in your health and wellness in no time at all!
Leverage Helpful Anti-Inflammatory and Relief Products
We highly recommend investing in a top-quality pain relief product to help take away the edge and make some of the other tips below easier to handle for acute and chronic pain. The lab-tested and expertly formulated Hemp Muscle Rub from Herbal Ice is specifically designed to provide cooling pain relief from Chinese herbs, menthol, and 500mg of hemp isolate. This specialized topical is perfect for relieving the pain or soreness caused by inflammation and injuries impacting your skin and muscles.
Hemp Muscle Rub comes conveniently packaged in a roll-on applicator that makes it easy to use and great for on-the-go relief. It’s easy to apply and helps improve the absorption rate of the product, so the formula can quickly target all of the areas where you need the most relief. It’s currently available for only $34.99 per bottle on the Herbal Ice website, and new customers can use the code Welcome10 to get 10% off their first order.
The Herbal Ice shop also features a box of nine Hemp Muscle Rub applicators for consumers who end up loving the product and want to stock up on an ample supply.
Do you struggle with pain in your muscles, nerves, and joints due to arthritis, chronic pain, swelling, or acute injuries? Consider trying our specially made products at Herbal Ice today to see what kind of relief our hemp-based formula can bring to your body.
Exercise Regularly
Keeping up with a daily exercise routine is one healthy habit that can help reduce the amount of chronic inflammation your body experiences, even though the idea may seem counterintuitive. By leveraging the right kinds of moderate-intensity exercises, you can steadily work to improve your body’s immune function and decrease the likelihood that your body triggers an inflammation response unnecessarily. You can leverage a wide range of exercises for this, including walking, yoga, and cycling.
Typical health guidelines call for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week, to help people get and stay healthy. However, if you don’t already exercise regularly, keeping your activities to just 20 minutes a day can be a good starting point. This will help reduce your inflammation, but it will also help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of developing various diseases or conditions.
Stick to a Healthy Diet and Stay Hydrated
Having a diet full of healthy foods is critical for many reasons, including protecting against and reducing the impacts of chronic inflammation. Generally, this means filling your diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, and other well-known healthy foods. However, some foods specifically feature anti-inflammatory properties, meaning they serve as great staples to load up your diet. Some of these foods include;
- Blueberries
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Oranges
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Kale
- Spinach
- Garlic
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Olive oil
- Green tea
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Mackerel
It’s also a good idea to remove a lot of the more unhealthy foods from your diet, including processed foods containing high levels of refined sugar. Additionally, try to stay clear of foods that are known to trigger inflammation within the body, including;
- Red meat
- Foods with trans fats (corn oil, margarine, and deep-fried foods)
- Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
- Alcohol
Beyond adding and removing these various foods from your regular diet, it’s also essential to stay adequately hydrated throughout the day to support proper functioning within your body. Drinking enough water helps flush out irritants and toxins from the body, reducing their chance of triggering bouts of inflammation.
Related: Plantar Fasciitis: Causes & Treatment of Bone Spurs
Other Key Tips For Reducing Inflammation
Aside from the three essential tips above, there are many other effective tactics that people can leverage to help reduce the effects of inflammation, especially chronic inflammation. Some of these tactics include;
- Getting enough sleep
- Managing stress
- Losing weight
- Controlling blood sugar levels
- Not smoking
- Taking supplements
Final Factors For You to Consider
Our team of muscle and nerve pain relief experts from Herbal Ice understands the struggles that so many people go through related to inflammation, whether it’s acute or chronic. Our goal is to help provide consumers everywhere with a selection of practical, top-quality products that can help reduce pain and irritation caused by inflammation, injuries, and other problematic conditions that regularly reduce people’s quality of life. Please consider looking through our website today to learn more about our story and the products we’re proud to offer.
Are you currently struggling to locate a top-quality health and wellness product that can effectively maximize relief in your nerves and muscles? Herbal Ice offers access to doctor-formulated and rigorously tested solutions that may be able to help, so contact us today to learn more!