A new study has linked depression to systemic, or chronic, inflammation. Research has discovered that markers for inflammation are predictive of depression. In other words, people who have high chemical markers in their blood for inflammation also have depression.
In addition they’ve discovered that giving people who suffer from depression anti-inflammatory medicines help ease the depression.
For an in-depth look at the research read this article by Dr. Mercola.
There are several ways to reduce inflammation in the body without taking anti-inflammatory medications. Inflammation is a response of the immune system, so tracking down what’s causing the immune response is the first step in understanding the inflammation in your body.
The absolute best way that I’ve found is by choosing foods that don’t cause inflammation, and by choosing foods that are natural inflammation fighters.
The difficulty comes in when you consider that each person is an individual with specific chemical reactions unique to our individual bodies. For me, all grains cause inflammation, sugar and most legumes cause inflammation. I also can’t eat fresh pineapple, or potatoes, because they cause me to swell.
I recommend to clients that they do an elimination diet to determine what foods might be causing inflammation.
How can you tell if a food causes inflammation? Your fingers might swell, your face might look a little fuller. I get dark puffy circles under my eyes when I eat some things. You might experience abdominal swelling. Or, you just might feel “off.”
Foods like nuts, coconut oil, Salmon, any food high in Omega 3, seaweed, foods high in antioxidants, and fermented foods help reduce inflammation in the body. Also, Vitamin D is helps the body reduce and control inflammation, so it’s important to get enough Vitamin D, ideally from sensible sun exposure, but from good quality supplements if sun exposure is impossible for you.
Another powerful anti-inflammatory is simple walking. Two to five hours of walking per week can help reduce inflammation through out the body. That’s only about 17 minutes per day for the minimum number. Personally, I notice a difference in how I feel if I don’t get my personal minimum number of steps each day.
