Changing your diet may be a powerful way to manage chronic inflammation!
While inflammation is a natural part of the healing process, chronic inflammation can place constant strain on your body and lead to serious health conditions such as:
Heart disease
Asthma
Autoimmune disorders
If you suffer from chronic inflammation, you may have been prescribed medication to address the symptoms without uncovering or treating the root cause. However, extensive research in natural medicine suggests that dietary changes can help lower inflammation and tackle the underlying reasons it persists. The best dietary changes depend on your unique condition, lifestyle, and health factors. Always consult with a professional health practitioner before making significant changes to your diet.
Dietary Changes to Reduce Inflammation
While awaiting professional guidance, here are a few dietary adjustments that may help reduce inflammation:
Cut out gluten.
Limit or eliminate dairy.
Avoid alcohol.
Steer clear of junk and processed foods.
Focus on whole, organic, and locally-sourced meats and produce.
Incorporate fermented foods like kimchi, pickles, or sauerkraut.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for treating inflammation. Take an informed and focused approach to your chronic symptoms by consulting with a practitioner who looks deeper into what’s going on beneath the surface.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your journey to better health!
A study by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging introduces an innovative way to consider aging based on the immune system. This “immune clock” concept explores the relationship between inflammation and the body’s immune response.
Between 2009 and 2016, blood samples from over 1,000 people of various ages were analyzed for cytokine levels—biomarkers of immune response. Researchers identified 50 cytokines as strong predictors of inflammatory age, a key component of the immune clock. Among these, the chemokine CXCL9, which significantly impacts heart health, was found to be the most influential factor contributing to immune age.
What Can You Do to Support Your Immune System as You Age?
Making small, sustainable changes to your daily routine and diet can naturally and effectively enhance your immune health while reducing the strain on your body. To prevent elevated cytokine levels that accelerate immune aging, start with these four steps:
Get enough sleep: Prioritize rest for immune regeneration.
Move your body daily: Incorporate physical activity to boost overall health.
Manage stress levels: Reduce stress to lower inflammation.
Maintain proper hygiene: Prevent infections and support immune resilience.
Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the pineal gland in the brain. Best known for regulating the sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm), it’s commonly used as a supplement by those struggling to catch some Zs. But is it safe to take melatonin every night?
Darkness triggers melatonin production, signaling your body to prepare for sleep. When this process is disrupted, it can negatively affect not only your sleep but also your reproductive hormones and inflammation levels. Here are some common factors that can throw your melatonin out of sync:
Night shifts
Screen time before bed
Jet lag
Aging
Melatonin helps you wind down by blocking the signals that keep you awake. The good news is that high-quality supplements generally don’t interfere with your body’s natural melatonin production. However, it’s always wise to consult a holistic healthcare provider to determine the right dosage and timing for your needs.
Curious about other supplements that could enhance your wellness journey? We’re here to guide you! Make an appointment today!
There may be many reasons why you have excess fat on certain areas of the body: inflammation, gut infection, hormonal imbalance, or simply genetics. Functional medicine takes a different approach to health:
It delves deep into the underlying causes of belly fat, like hormonal imbalances or gut health issues.
Functional Medicine creates a custom plan based on your body’s unique needs, addressing nutrient deficiencies, underlying conditions, and inflammation.
It focuses on stress reduction, sleep quality, and exercise to support overall well-being so your body can focus on other, extra efforts (like toning).
By targeting the root causes, it offers long-term solutions for sustainable results and a healthier, happier you!
Lyme Disease is one of the most common vector-borne diseases in our country. Around 300,000 individuals are diagnosed with Lyme Disease each year in the United States alone! This chronic disease is transferred by infected black-legged ticks carrying the bacteria Borrelia mayonii. If caught early, Lyme Disease may respond with oral antibiotics. However, those who experience chronic Lyme Disease suffer from a wide range of symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and neurological issues. In these cases, lifestyle habit changes are best to alleviate discomfort.
Dietary changes can help ease chronic Lyme Disease symptoms and supply you with lasting energy. The Holistic Wholeness Team provides practice members with an individualized nutritional plan to boost immunity and reduce inflammation.
To expedite the patient’s healing process, some of the recommendations we cover in our nutrition plans may include:
Anti-inflammatory Foods
Reducing foods that trigger inflammation in your diet is the first step on the path to restoring health. Common inflammation-causing foods include:
Replace these culprits with anti-inflammatory foods packed with nutrition. Add antioxidant-packed berries, fatty fish, creamy avocados, and selenium-rich mushrooms into your diet! In addition, our team recommends seasoning meals with turmeric and cracked black pepper for extra detoxification.
Borrelia mayonii brings inflammation into the body. So when you regulate what you eat, you can ease your symptoms.
Immunity Boosters
Those with Lyme disease need to keep their immune system strong. Supply your body with foods that support healthy gut flora. A balanced microbiome can lead to decreased inflammation and increased energy. Fermented foods and a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and legumes feed a healthy and happy gut.
Fueling Energy
Fogginess, fatigue, and cognitive impairment are common side effects of Lyme Disease. Individuals should be sure that they are eating enough calories throughout the day to supply them with the strength they need. Foods with Omega-3 Fatty Acids like wild salmon are a great source of clean energy. Our team may recommend that you pair your salmon with a complex carb like sweet potatoes to provide you with steady energy throughout your day.
Treating Lyme Disease early with oral antibiotics can be beneficial for some individuals to avoid permanent symptoms. When this isn’t an option or is ineffective, lifestyle changes and good nutrition can balance inflammation in the body. Functional testing is crucial to uncover if Lyme disease is truly present as not everyone sees a tick or bulls-eye rash. Chronic Lyme is the most common type of Lyme that we see because it often does not show up on a traditional Lyme lab. The in-depth analyses we use find signs and symptoms of chronic Lyme and their co-infections that can mimic Lyme. Schedule a consultation with us today to relieve symptoms of chronic Lyme disease naturally!
Allergies are a common condition that can have a variety of side effects depending on the person. The reaction occurs when your body responds to a foreign substance that it doesn’t know how to handle. It releases antibodies to fight this substance which causes you to react. There is a wide range of allergies, such as seasonal, food, and drug. People have different responses to these sensitivities as well.
Our Nutrition Team at Holistic Wholeness Institute helps individuals with allergies alleviate their symptoms naturally with food and lifestyle habits. First, we take a look at what you are currently eating, and then we understand which foods are causing you to have a reaction, so we know to limit them. We use both in vivo (real-life) and in vitro functional lab tests) to figure out the right diet for your unique makeup. We also will implement more symptom-fighting superfoods into your diet!
Here are some of the common types of allergies we specialize in and an overview of how we tackle them:
Seasonal Allergies
Treating your seasonal allergies each year with over-the-counter medication can cause drowsiness and increase blood pressure. However, by implementing nutritional changes to your diet year-round, you can decrease your reactions to irritants. The Holistic Wholeness Institute’s goal is to keep our clients at a stable, healthy weight, as those who are obese suffer from more allergy attacks. We also replace foods that cause inflammation with anti-inflammatory options containing Vitamin C, bromine, and omega-3’s.
Food Allergies
Eating a wide variety of foods is vital for obtaining all of our fundamental vitamins and minerals. However, when individuals have food allergies that cut off major food groups, they eliminate essential nutrients. Those with common allergies such as nuts, soy, eggs, milk, and fish are at risk of developing these deficiencies. Our team is here to help you understand which nutrients you lack and give you recommendations on which foods or vitamins to supplement with to be wholly nourished. We also take a holistic look at our patients to see if they are experiencing conditions such as leaky gut or migraines, as these conditions can all link together.
The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)
A typical nutritional plan we recommend to our patients with allergies is the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet. This regime aims to reduce inflammation to defeat allergen symptoms. This diet is also aimed to help those with migraines, leaky gut, IBD, arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders. AIP is broken down into multiple stages. First, we will eliminate certain foods and products that are known to cause flare-ups. Some examples are:
Grains
Nuts/Legumes/Seeds
Coffee
Alcohol
Eggs and Dairy
Nightshade Vegetables (such as tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers)
In the following stages, we slowly reintroduce each food back into your diet in a particular way. Here, we understand which foods may be aggravating you.
If you feel drained from having seasonal allergy flare-ups, looking for nutritional supplements for your food allergies, or seeking guidance for your Autoimmune Protocol Diet, please schedule a consultation with us! We are eager to help you understand how you can use nutrition to advance your quality of life.
FREE WEBINAR
New Year, New You: Addressing Hormones, Belly Fat + Fatigue Naturally
This lecture will focus on INFLAMMATION, HORMONES, WEIGHT, and FATIGUE.
December 30 at 5:00 PM EST
This fun, informative, and useful lecture is a great opportunity to learn more about how functional medicine gets to the root of the problem to transform bodies and lives.
