Douse inflammation by keeping infections under control

10 years ago | Nutrition

By pH health care professionals

Your body constantly fights off a multitude of minor infections, but some still persist. And when they do, they may cause you problems. For example, there’s increasing evidence that chronic low-grade infections may cause inflammation affecting the whole body. This is because inflammation is the body’s attempt to protect itself and remove the harmful issues. Let’s look at the heart for example. There appears to be a link between infections and heart disease. In certain cases, chronic infections may cause inflammation such as arteriosclerosis (“narrowing of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque”) in your heart and make your heart age prematurely. Infections can be caused by bacteria, viruses or even parasites.

So what can you do to avoid chronic inflammation due to low-grade infections?

Maintain a healthy immune system. Eat a diversity of healthy foods and avoid poor nutrition and lifestyle behaviors that can drag your health down. Get regular cardiovascular exercise and work up a nice sweat. Prioritize adequate sleep and sleep patterns.
Avoid extremely close contact with people who are sick, especially if you are not sure whether you have a strong immune system. Do not share utensils and try to avoid close contact. You might consider using face masks when spending time with sick people and consider doing so on public transportation and medical waiting areas.
Sanitize when necessary. If you have had direct contact with something or someone that may be contaminated, like helping to bandage someone with an abscess, then it makes perfect sense to wash your hands and use a sanitizer. You may not want to use sanitizers in certain situations, though, because they also kill “good” bacteria on your skin, which you need.
Wash your hands. Do so before your eat and if you touch a possibly contaminated surface like a gas pump, for example.
Keep a clean, non-toxic environment. Consider using a more natural, non-toxic cleaner on surfaces in your home.
Be proactive and test. Test your blood for inflammation markers and your immune system or specific infections (this can be done at Proactive Health Labs). Consult a doctor about any concerns you have so that if you do have an infection, it can be diagnosed and treated properly.
Use immune-supporting supplements. Talk to your doctor about whether it’s safe for you to use natural supplements such as vitamin C, garlic, burdock, hibiscus tea,Echinacea, zinc, pomegranate, elderberry, probiotics, turmeric or N-acetylcysteine.
Minimize stress. Episodes of stress can cause reactivation of infections, which may lead to inflammation.

Enjoy Your Healthy Life!

The pH professional health care team includes recognized experts from a variety of health care and related disciplines, including physicians, attorneys, nutritionists, nurses and certified fitness instructors. This team also includes the members of the pH Medical Advisory Board, which constantly monitors all pH programs, products and services. To learn more about the pH Medical Advisory Board, click here.