You didn’t work out. You didn’t get hurt. You didn’t eat anything you know you are allergic to. And yet, you are still asking yourself: why am I sore?
If you often experience soreness with no apparent cause, you could be suffering from chronic inflammation and could benefit from learning more about what exactly triggers an inflammatory response, how you can reduce it, and what you can do to avoid it in the future.
What is Inflammation exactly?
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to toxins, harmful microbes, and injury. When you get hurt or fall ill, inflammation helps to protect the body from experiencing further damage or trauma. Unfortunately, the immune system isn’t perfect and can easily become overactive, sometimes triggering inflammation when there is no problem or injury to heal.
Rather than helping the body, unnecessary inflammation can be the cause of illness or injury putting pressure on healthy organs, joints, and arteries. Inflammation also triggers white blood cells to travel to the site of swelling to eradicate whatever is causing the discomfort.
When chronic, prolonged inflammation without injury occurs, these white blood cells end up attacking healthy tissue. Anyone that deals with chronic inflammation/ arthritis pain will tell you: swollen joints and muscles are painful, and can make even the smallest, easiest tasks extremely taxing. Over time, inflammation can cause permanent damage, which could last long after the inflammation itself has dissipated.
Lifestyle Related Inflammation
Frustratingly, one of the most common causes of inflammation is life. Stress, disordered eating, weight changes, and even your sleeping patterns can send your immune system into overdrive, causing inflammation throughout the body. For most of us, stress and limited sleep are just facts of life, but there are still ways to stay healthy and happy in the process. The most common lifestyle causes of inflammation include:
- Stress
- Exposure to industrial chemicals and pollution
- Smoking
- Disordered sleeping
Inflammatory Foods
Diet has an enormous impact on health, so it should come as no surprise to learn that food is a common cause of inflammation. Some foods are considered universally inflammatory and can cause people with no allergies or sensitivities to experience painful swelling throughout their bodies. Common foods/ingredients that are known to cause inflammation include:
- Alcohol
- Aspartame (sugar replacement in diet drinks)
- Casein (found in dairy)
- Gluten (wheat, barley, rye)
- High fructose corn syrup
- Processed carbs
- Red meat
- Salt
- Saturated fats
- Table sugar
- Trans fats
How To Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation can be extremely uncomfortable, and if left untreated, may result in chronic pain and tissue damage. Fortunately, you have already taken the first step to combating inflammation by finding out what causes it, which will help you to make more informed decisions in the future. In addition to avoiding those things that cause inflammation, you can work to directly combat it by using these strategies:
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Cutting out anti-inflammatory foods is the first step to following an anti-inflammatory diet, but to enjoy the true benefits of this lifestyle change, you’ll also need to add foods. Eating the right foods can help reduce and prevent inflammation, so if you have been feeling sore and puffy, try adding these ingredients to your meals:
- Blackberries
- Black pepper
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Cherries
- Green tea
- Ginger
- Olives & Olive Oil
- Kale
- Legumes
- Salmon
- Spinach
- Strawberries
- Turmeric
-
Tuna
Stress Management
Your mind is powerful, and even low-levels of stress can have a profound effect on your physical health. Stress is known to cause inflammation, so even if you avoid inflammatory foods and do your best to lead a healthy lifestyle, regular everyday stress can cause you to experience swelling. Practice such as stress management techniques, like yoga, meditation, journaling, art therapy, sports. etc., can give you peace of mind and help your body to relax and release.
How Cannabidiol (CBD) can Help!
Although CBD isn’t a psychoactive compound, and won’t give you the ‘high’ often associated with cannabis, this powerful cannabinoid can also help address stress and anxiety. Known to promote a sense of calm and relaxation, taking CBD could help you fight inflammation in more ways than one.
A daily CBD dosage for inflammation can make a world of difference, and may even allow you to continue eating some of the foods that trigger inflammation “in moderation”. For even more powerful anti-inflammatory effects, try taking CBD enriched with turmeric, a plants rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants. When combined with the soothing, pain-reducing effects of CBD, this potent combination can help create balance within the body.
At Vitaldiol, our goal is to make your wellness journey easy and convenient. Relief by Vitaldiol is an easy-to-take capsule that delivers a healthy dose of CBD and turmeric, providing fast relief that is long-lasting and helps ward off future inflammation. Visit our product page for more information on how Relief can help you!