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#inflammation #chronicinflammation #health #functionalmedicine #rootcause #wellness #diet #lifestyle #immunesystem #diseaseprevention
(0:00) Introduction to inflammation and its impact on health (2:16) Understanding chronic inflammation (5:22) Chronic inflammation's silent symptoms and examples (9:25) Hidden dangers and traditional care's shortcomings (15:24) Real-life example of resolving chronic inflammation (16:08) Sponsor: Authentic Nutrition (17:14) Lifestyle's role in chronic inflammation (22:09) Functional medicine's approach to inflammation (27:47) Reducing inflammation through stress management and sleep (29:13) Detoxification and environmental adjustments (30:18) Comprehensive strategies for addressing inflammation (31:27) Practical tips for inflammation reduction (33:25) Connect with Alessi Functional Health (34:06) Reminder to subscribe and share (34:31) Preview of upcoming episode with Zeke Samples (34:56) Closing remarks and gratitude00:00:00
This is where traditional care can fall short because focusing on symptoms when there are no
00:00:06
symptoms is gonna cause you to miss something that is underneath the radar.
00:00:11
So we often miss this root cause problem that has been going on for oftentimes years without
00:00:16
people noticing.
00:00:18
Welcome to Health decode, your number one source for real health information with your
00:00:22
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
00:00:28
Alright.
00:00:29
Welcome to episode 3 of Health Decoded.
00:00:33
Today's episode, I'm doctor Alfred Alessi.
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Today's episode, we are going to be talking about inflammation and more importantly,
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decoding inflammation and what we call the silent health saboteur.
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And now why do we call it this is because oftentimes inflammation can go unnoticed and
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unmanaged in the body.
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I wanna thank you for joining us.
00:00:55
I wanna thank you for coming back on the show.
00:00:57
If you listened to our last episode, we discussed root cause medicine and how it
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differs from the standard conventional western medicine approach, which is very much focused
00:01:07
on symptoms and addressing just pain relief and symptom relief versus getting to the bottom of
00:01:14
an issue or the root cause as we call it and really fixing the problem.
00:01:19
So as always, if if you've been listening to the show and you're enjoying it, please sign up
00:01:23
for our newsletter.
00:01:24
You can go to Alessi functionalhealth.com.
00:01:26
Sign up for the newsletter to stay informed.
00:01:29
Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes of the show every Tuesday.
00:01:32
And share this with somebody who you think would benefit from the information that we are
00:01:38
discussing on the show.
00:01:40
So we have a really awesome episode today.
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Tons of information.
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This is going to be probably enlightening to a lot of people.
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And just a topic that I believe is very important because it has snowballed over the
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last decade of becoming from a buzzword to just a real problem in our society and in our
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country.
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The concept of chronic inflammation.
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Now I just really quickly wanna set the stage for what this episode is gonna be about.
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Today's conversation, we are gonna decode the mystery of inflammation, separating the good
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from the bad.
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Let's dive into how chronic inflammation develops, its root causes, and why it's often
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overlooked in traditional symptom based health care.
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Importantly, we're gonna explore actionable strategies to address inflammation at its root,
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empowering you to take control of your health, reduce disease risk, and optimize your
00:02:34
well-being.
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And, really, inflammation is not just about managing symptoms.
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It's about understanding the why behind them.
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Making sustainable changes to restore balance and then live an optimal healthy lifestyle.
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So thank you for joining me.
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Let's dive right in.
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So why did we choose this topic?
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And why is this something important for everyone to have knowledge about?
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It's because inflammation is good and bad.
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And, you know, it really is a protective mechanism in the body.
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But when left out of balance and unchecked, inflammation can become detrimental and often
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life threatening.
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So chronic inflammation is actually linked to 3 out of the 5 leading causes of death worldwide.
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Basically saying that a majority of deaths can be prevented by managing chronic inflammation
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or preventing issues that cause inflammation.
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So what is inflammation?
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Right?
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Let's start with that.
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Inflammation is a natural and essential biological process that occurs when your immune
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system detects injury, infection, or harmful substances in the body, such as toxins or
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chemicals.
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It's your body's way of protecting and healing itself.
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When you cut your finger or you get a cold, your immune system springs into action,
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releasing chemical signals that attract the immune cells to the affected area.
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This acute inflammatory response is beneficial.
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It fights off infections, repairs damaged tissues, and it helps restore your body to its
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normal state.
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So this protective mechanism is a good thing.
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This is something that we want, something that should happen.
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When you work out too hard, your body feels sore and tired.
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That's inflammation.
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It's a good thing.
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It's rebuilding.
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However, inflammation isn't always helpful.
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When it becomes chronic, persisting for weeks, months, or even years, it can turn from a
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protective mechanism into a destructive force.
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Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system is constantly triggered often due to
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underlying issues like poor diet, chronic stress, environmental toxins, or unresolved
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infections.
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These are latent pathogens possibly living in the body, parasites, mold, heavy metals.
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These things can constantly trigger that inflammatory immune response.
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And the problem is that chronic inflammation doesn't announce itself with obvious symptoms.
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It quietly works in the background, causing damage to tissues and organs over time, and
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this is why we refer to it as a silent saboteur.
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So as we said, inflammation is beneficial, helps the body heal and recover.
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It is is a cornerstone of your body's natural defense system.
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When you experience the injury, infection, or irritation, your immune system then leaps into
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action, triggering that inflammatory response to protect.
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And here's the keyword, repair the affected area.
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Your body's always trying to heal and repair and regenerate.
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So you can really think of it as your body's built in emergency response team working
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swiftly and efficiently to contain damage and begin the healing process.
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So here's how that acute inflammation works.
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This is what happens inside the body.
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1st, the alarm gets triggered.
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Right?
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Your body detects a problem, like a sprained ankle or some kind of invading bacteria.
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It sends out chemical signals such as histamines and cytokines to alert your immune
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system.
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What happens next?
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Increased blood flow.
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So these signals cause blood vessels to dilate.
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That means get wider, increasing blood flow to the affected area.
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This delivers oxygen, nutrients, and immune cells to where they're needed most.
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So it's basically opening the floodgates so that the good guys can come and get to the
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area.
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This is why a swollen area like a sprained ankle often looks red, feels warm.
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This is a sign of that increased blood flow and circulation.
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Next, the body recruits immune cells.
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White blood cells like neutrophils and macrophages rush to the site to neutralize
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these harmful invaders and clean up damaged tissue.
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Then it facilitates the repair.
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So the immune cells release growth factors that stimulate tissue regeneration and repair.
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Much like that working out example I mentioned, when you work out, your body feels sore.
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You have torn down muscle fibers and broken down tissue.
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Your body repairs, rebuilds stronger.
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Right?
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Think of, like, scaffolding on a building that they're repairing.
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The building was good, but there were some internal issues.
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They put the scaffolding up, then they fix everything, and then they take it down, and now
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it's better.
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Right?
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And so, you know, I I think the best example most people can align with is the twisted ankle
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or the sprained ankle.
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Swells becomes tender.
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Again, this is this swelling is a result of fluid and immune cells flooding to the area to
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protect and begin the healing process.
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While it does feel uncomfortable, it is a sign that your body is working to repair that
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damage.
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Another great, example is when you get a fever during an infection.
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A lot of people wanna reduce the fever, but in fact, the fever is actually a good thing.
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The fever is your body's positive response to an infection.
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When you have the flu, your body raises its temperature to create an environment that's
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less hospitable to invading viruses or bacteria.
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So it's basically trying to push the bad guys out while it's bringing the good guys in.
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Now while fevers can feel miserable and annoying and obviously they are not not
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comfortable, it's a very important tool in your immune system's arsenal to help fight off that
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infection more effectively.
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So why is it was why is acute inflammation a good thing?
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Because it's fast acting and targeted.
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It responds only to the areas where it's needed.
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It helps to prevent further injury or infection by isolating the problem, and it's temporary,
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only lasting until the issue is resolved.
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So in essence, acute inflammation is a lifesaver.
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It's your body's way of saying, hey.
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I've got this.
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Give me some time to repair and recover.
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Understanding that this process helps us appreciate why a little swelling or discomfort
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isn't always bad.
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Right?
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The same reason again, I keep going back to the workout, analogy.
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When you work out, you should have a little bit of soreness.
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That means you did a good job, and your body is now going to repair.
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It's doing exactly what it's designed to do.
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Now when does inflammation shift from a positive beneficial thing to now harmful?
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And this is when it becomes chronic, when lifestyle factors may cause a high level of
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inflammation.
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Things like stress, poor diet, environmental toxins, or even working out too much can be 1.
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This is something we see a lot.
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And so some of the hidden dangers of chronic inflammation are things like heart disease,
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diabetes, autoimmune disorders, digestive issues, such as IBS or leaky gut, and even
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things like cognitive decline and Alzheimer's.
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Alzheimer's is actually more commonly known now as type 3 diabetes due to the inflammatory
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nature that occurs within the brain due to high blood sugar.
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That excess sugar in the blood is inflammatory to the nervous system.
00:09:56
And so, again, the the roles of inflammation in health and disease, the positive is the acute
00:10:02
inflammation helps with wound healing and fighting off infections.
00:10:04
It's a key player in the immune response and tissue regeneration.
00:10:08
However, the negative role is in things like heart disease.
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Chronic inflammation contributes to the buildup of plaque in arteries, which is a hallmark of
00:10:17
cardiovascular disease.
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Elevated levels of c reactive protein or CRP is a marker of inflammation strongly linked to
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heart attack risk.
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Something that we look for as functional medicine providers on almost all blood work is
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a level of c reactive protein.
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Inflammation is persistent in diabetes and can interfere with insulin signaling, leading to
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insulin resistance, which is basically a precursor to type 2 diabetes.
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It is present in autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
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The immune system is mistakenly attacking healthy tissue driven by this chronic
00:10:54
inflammation.
00:10:55
We discussed that in our last episode, root cause medicine.
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So go back and listen to that.
00:11:00
It'll make a little bit more sense.
00:11:02
Inflammation is highly present in cancer.
00:11:05
Chronic inflammation can promote tumor growth by supplying cancer cells with growth factors
00:11:11
and creating a conducive environment for their survival.
00:11:14
And like I said, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic brain inflammation is implicated in
00:11:19
conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
00:11:23
And so oftentimes, many of those things I just talked about, those diseases, cognitive
00:11:29
disease, cancer, autoimmune, diabetes, heart disease, there's not an initial sign that these
00:11:35
are coming until perhaps you get some blood work and you realize, wow, there's a problem.
00:11:40
And so that's why we talk about it as this silent saboteur kind of lurking underneath the
00:11:45
radar until disease sets in.
00:11:49
And so it progresses chronic inflammation, unlike acute inflammation, progresses slowly
00:11:55
and quietly.
00:11:56
Often, no noticeable symptoms until significant damage has been done.
00:12:00
It is contributing to the aging process.
00:12:03
Obviously, it has earned the nickname inflammaging, is now a term being used to talk
00:12:08
about the aging process that is coming from this chronic inflammation.
00:12:13
It disrupts hormonal balance.
00:12:14
It impairs gut health and healing, and it weakens your immune system over time, leaving
00:12:19
you more vulnerable to diseases.
00:12:24
So, you know, this is where traditional care can fall short.
00:12:29
Because focusing on symptoms when there are no symptoms is gonna cause you to miss something
00:12:35
that is underneath the radar So we often miss this root cause, problem that has been going on
00:12:41
for oftentimes years without people noticing So one of the most common frustrations we hear
00:12:49
from pay patients is I've been treating this problem for years, but it keeps coming back.
00:12:53
And that's because many of the conventional treatments are symptom focused.
00:12:56
They aim to manage pain, fatigue, or discomfort without asking why these symptoms are happening
00:13:01
in the 1st place.
00:13:03
Chronic inflammation is often under the radar because it doesn't always present like acute
00:13:07
inflammation with swelling or redness.
00:13:09
Instead, it operates silently, fueling a host of seemingly unrelated issues like fatigue,
00:13:14
joint pain, digestive problems, or even anxiety and depression.
00:13:19
Things that people think they just have to live with, and they kind of just power through on a
00:13:23
daily basis, not realizing these are actual issues being caused by a root cause problem,
00:13:29
that being inflammation.
00:13:31
And so a good example, I'm gonna I wanna share a real life example of, you know, resolving
00:13:37
chronic inflammation to address said health issue.
00:13:40
So we saw a patient.
00:13:41
Let's just say well, let's just call her Sarah, not her real name, but she didn't wanna
00:13:45
sharing.
00:13:45
So she came to us with chronic joint pain and fatigue.
00:13:49
She'd been prescribed pain relievers, antidepressants because her symptoms had been
00:13:54
affecting her mental health.
00:13:55
Although her depression and mental health was not the cause.
00:13:59
So, again, put on multiple medications.
00:14:02
None of the doctors she had seen, and she had been to a few, really dug deep enough to
00:14:06
understand why she was feeling this way.
00:14:08
And so through some testing, we found that she had markers of systemic inflammation linked to
00:14:13
diet and gut health.
00:14:14
We ran a pretty comprehensive panel on her, over a 100 different foods sensitivities.
00:14:22
She had basically leaky gut SIBO, overgrowth of candida.
00:14:26
And she was consuming foods that she didn't realize were causing inflammation.
00:14:31
1 in particular being gluten, which is this is a very common thing we see.
00:14:35
And highly processed foods, things high in sugar and, you know, seed oils and processed
00:14:40
chemicals.
00:14:42
So what was the approach?
00:14:44
Number 1, we had to eliminate those.
00:14:46
We got rid of those triggers.
00:14:48
We started to rebuild her gut, supporting her gut health with things like probiotics,
00:14:53
nutrient fiber, dense foods, and we incorporated movement to improve circulation.
00:14:59
We did this through chiropractic care and a programmed functional movement exercise
00:15:04
routine.
00:15:05
Within honestly, just within a few months, her joint pain was was nearly gone, if not almost
00:15:11
gone.
00:15:12
Energy levels were through the roof, and she felt like a different person, and we weren't
00:15:17
even done yet.
00:15:18
However, we had started with that elimination approach, and it made a dramatic impact on on
00:15:24
Sarah's life.
00:15:24
So, you know, this is why focusing on symptoms will always miss the mark because without
00:15:30
addressing the underlying problem, chronic inflammation, the the underlying problem
00:15:36
persists and the symptoms will inevitably return.
00:15:40
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Now back to the episode.
00:17:03
Let's get into a little bit of nuts and bolts here, the role of of lifestyle and chronic
00:17:07
inflammation.
00:17:08
So modern habits play a significant role in chronic inflammation, and here's how.
00:17:14
Poor diet, number 1 on our list.
00:17:17
Diets high in refined sugars, processed foods, and unhealthy fats, they create a perfect storm
00:17:23
for inflammation in the body.
00:17:24
These foods are gonna disrupt gut health, spike blood sugar, and trigger those inflammatory
00:17:30
pathways.
00:17:30
And so if they're constantly coming in, that is constantly gonna be on.
00:17:35
Right?
00:17:36
So facts you know, studies show that a western diet rich in processed foods is strongly linked
00:17:41
to higher levels of what we talked about earlier, the c reactive protein, which is a
00:17:46
hallmark for inflammation.
00:17:49
So focusing on what can we do about it.
00:17:51
Right?
00:17:51
Focusing on an anti inflammatory diet, rich in whole foods, like vegetables, fruits, omega 3
00:17:57
fats, lean proteins, such as grass fed, grass finished red meat, and things like herbs.
00:18:05
Thing herbs like turmeric, ginger.
00:18:07
These are highly anti inflammatory incorporating these into our diet.
00:18:12
So one of the other things that can then contribute to chronic inflammation, a sedentary
00:18:16
lifestyle.
00:18:18
So long periods of inactivity slow circulation.
00:18:21
It's gonna impair your body's lymphatic system from draining, and it's gonna allow those
00:18:25
inflammatory markers to build up and not be eliminated.
00:18:30
A study published in the journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism found that just 20
00:18:34
minutes of moderate exercise reduces inflammation markers in the body.
00:18:39
So this is why we always encourage daily movement, whether it's a brisk walk, yoga, or
00:18:45
strength training, tracking this.
00:18:47
So using a watch similar to this one I have here to track your steps.
00:18:52
You should be getting around 7000 if not 8000 steps a day.
00:18:56
More is always better.
00:18:59
The next thing that can contribute to chronic inflammation is chronic stress.
00:19:03
Whether this is mental emotional stress, physical stress, biochemical stress, body
00:19:09
handles stress all the same.
00:19:11
Stress causes the body to release cortisol, which in small doses can be helpful.
00:19:16
This is gonna help you respond to an emergency.
00:19:18
However, chronic stress leads to sustained high cortisol levels, which contribute to chronic
00:19:23
inflammation and suppress your body's immune function.
00:19:26
It can inhibit your body's ability to balance its circadian rhythm and get rest at night,
00:19:33
thus fueling the fire.
00:19:35
Research has linked chronic stress to an increased risk of inflammatory conditions like
00:19:39
heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders.
00:19:43
So how do we combat this?
00:19:46
Incorporating stress reduction techniques, such as mindfulness, meditation, journaling, or what
00:19:53
we call vitamin n, spending time in nature.
00:19:56
All of these things have been shown to lower stress, especially the mental, emotional stress
00:20:02
that many people in this country are dealing with.
00:20:04
As Americans, we're always go go go on on on.
00:20:07
How do we turn it off?
00:20:09
Right?
00:20:11
Another cause of chronic inflammation we have here on the list is environmental factors.
00:20:15
And this is probably one of the toughest ones because it is just all around us.
00:20:21
Exposure to toxins from pollution in the air, plastics, chemical laden products, these can
00:20:27
overload your body's detoxification system and thus promote inflammation.
00:20:33
Poor sleep hygiene, just we talked about, such as inconsistent sleep patterns or excessive
00:20:38
screen with blue lights disrupts your body's repair process, thus exacerbating inflammation.
00:20:45
Studies have found that even one night of poor sleep can increase inflammatory markers in the
00:20:50
blood.
00:20:52
So what do we do about it?
00:20:53
We prioritize clean living by choosing nontoxic products.
00:20:57
There is multiple apps that you can use when you're shopping, scan a barcode of a product,
00:21:03
and it tells you a toxicity scale.
00:21:05
You want it to be a clean product minus the phthalates and those BPAs and these chemicals
00:21:10
that are what we call forever chemicals because they leach into the skin.
00:21:14
If we're talking about topical products or if you're consuming it, it's getting into the
00:21:17
body, and they live in your body because the body doesn't know how to handle them other than
00:21:22
to mount a immune response.
00:21:24
And so prioritizing the clean living, maintaining consistent, and high quality sleep
00:21:31
habits are gonna help combat chronic inflammation.
00:21:36
So takeaway, you know, by focusing on lifestyle factors, we can really address the root cause
00:21:40
of inflammation, which is obviously the goal.
00:21:44
Rather than just masking symptoms by taking some type of medication, and oftentimes,
00:21:49
functional medicine can can be vilified by doctors saying they practice functional
00:21:54
medicine, but they really are just giving you supplements instead of medication.
00:21:58
But the approach is the same.
00:21:59
They're not addressing lifestyle.
00:22:01
So we must address the lifestyle.
00:22:03
Chronic inflammation doesn't have to be inevitable.
00:22:05
It's often just a result of modern living habits, the the world we live in.
00:22:09
By making by making small intentional changes, we can empower ourselves to live healthier
00:22:15
inflammation free lives.
00:22:19
And so let let's discuss a little bit more and unpack how we can move away from symptom based
00:22:24
care to a more comprehensive root cause approach to health.
00:22:28
So I'm gonna explain a little bit how functional medicine focuses on identifying and
00:22:32
reducing the the sources of chronic inflammation.
00:22:36
So in functional medicine, we take a different approach compared to traditional health care.
00:22:41
Instead of merely managing symptoms, we're gonna focus on understanding the why behind a
00:22:45
patient's condition.
00:22:47
As we talked about chronic inflammation is often a root cause of many chronic diseases and
00:22:51
is not always obvious where it's coming from.
00:22:55
That's where functional medicine steps in.
00:22:58
Step 1 is identifying sources of chronic inflammation through comprehensive testing.
00:23:03
Functional medicine looks deeper into biomarkers that indicate inflammation, such as
00:23:07
c reactive protein, homocysteine levels, and inflammatory cytokines.
00:23:12
These are all things that we can test.
00:23:15
We also examine gut health, food sensitivities, hormonal imbalances, all factors that can
00:23:21
quietly drive inflammation for years.
00:23:24
Studies have shown that gut dysbiosis or an imbalance of good and bad gut bacteria is a
00:23:31
major contributor to systemic inflammation and conditions like autoimmune disease.
00:23:37
Quick tangent, I myself had an autoimmune thyroid condition that I was able to heal by
00:23:43
figuring out the root cause was gut dysbiosis and leaky gut.
00:23:48
I had grown up in the nineties where there was not enough much information around certain
00:23:53
foods, and thus was on probably multiple antibiotics as a kid.
00:23:59
And I just had a dysbiotic gut system, always struggled with gut issues.
00:24:03
It wasn't until I became a doctor that I really was starting to feel some issues and this
00:24:09
chronic inflammation that had been going on my entire life.
00:24:12
And so I took a step back.
00:24:14
I ran some comprehensive labs.
00:24:16
I tested.
00:24:16
I used myself as a guinea pig to what I now do to help many, many people in my in my practice.
00:24:24
And so an example would be a patient with chronic headaches might find relief not through
00:24:29
just painkillers by identifying food sensitivities.
00:24:32
When there's a food intolerance or food sensitivity and they eat that food, they always
00:24:36
get a headache.
00:24:37
And so if we can take a step back, 30 foot view, and start to make these correlations, we
00:24:42
can obviously identify the root causes.
00:24:45
Now to speed that process up, because that can take a long time, we can run food sensitivity
00:24:50
testing.
00:24:51
They are pretty specific tests that are able to tell us what foods are triggering an immune
00:24:55
response in the body.
00:24:57
Some of the major ones being gluten, dairy, eggs, things that people eat on a daily basis.
00:25:04
We can incorporate lifestyle and environmental assessments.
00:25:07
We are able to evaluate the patient's entire lifestyle, including their diet, sleep, stress
00:25:12
levels, physical activity, and exposure to environmental toxins.
00:25:16
We can run specific tests to look at things like heavy metals, pesticides, all linked to
00:25:23
inflammatory conditions such as heart disease and metabolic disorders.
00:25:27
Imagine somebody struggling with chronic fatigue and instead of dismissing it as stress
00:25:32
related, we investigate factors like what is the air quality in their home?
00:25:36
Is there mold?
00:25:37
Do they have exposure to heavy metals?
00:25:39
Maybe an amalgam filling that they had removed that then allowed mercury to leach into the
00:25:45
blood, or even mold toxicity, all hidden contributors to inflammation.
00:25:52
So then what is the implementation once we've done this testing?
00:25:55
Well, to reduce the chronic inflammation, we incorporate personalized nutrition and
00:26:00
supplementation plans.
00:26:01
So we create tailored nutrition strategies based on each patient's unique needs, anti
00:26:06
inflammatory diets, focusing on whole nutrient dense foods, while also eliminating common
00:26:11
triggers like refined sugars, trans fats, processed foods, and food sensitivities.
00:26:17
Research in the journal of nutritional biochemistry confirmed that polyphenols in
00:26:21
foods like berries, green tea, and turmeric have profound anti inflammatory effects.
00:26:28
Patients are often encouraged to adopt in our practice a meditary Mediterranean style eating
00:26:34
pattern or a paleo approach emphasizing healthy fats, lean proteins, and colorful vibrant plant
00:26:42
based foods.
00:26:45
The biggest thing that we see not saying this is the only one, but the biggest thing we see
00:26:50
is the gut inflammation connection.
00:26:52
So addressing this is paramount to getting rid of chronic inflammation.
00:26:58
70% of your immune system resides in the gut.
00:27:00
So healing the gut is key to inflammation to reducing inflammation.
00:27:06
Strategies include removal of of offending foods, balancing the gut with probiotics and
00:27:12
prebiotics, digestive support to rebalance the gut flora, using things like enzymes to help
00:27:18
the body to better process food and detoxification.
00:27:23
Studies show that leaky gut or intestinal permeability allows inflammatory molecules to
00:27:30
enter the bloodstream, exacerbating systemic inflammation.
00:27:34
Now this is something that we get a ton of questions on, and so I'm going to film a course
00:27:40
on leaky gut and what it is so that people can really understand what to look for and how to
00:27:46
fix this problem.
00:27:47
So stay tuned for that.
00:27:50
Next step in our approach is managing stress and sleep.
00:27:53
Chronic stress and poor sleep disrupt the body's natural repair mechanisms, keeping
00:27:57
inflammation levels high.
00:27:59
Functional medicine incorporates mindfulness techniques, such as meditation or breath work
00:28:05
alongside sleep optimization strategies.
00:28:09
There are certain supplements, herbs, as well as mindfulness practices we can use to enhance
00:28:16
deep sleep, which is the repairing part of your sleep circadian rhythm.
00:28:21
A study in psychoneuroendocrinology found that a mindfulness practice significantly reduced
00:28:27
pro inflammatory cytokines in stressed individuals.
00:28:33
And then last but not least, probably far from least, is detoxification and environmental
00:28:40
adjustments.
00:28:41
Removing toxins and supporting the body's natural detox pathways are crucial for reducing
00:28:47
inflammation.
00:28:48
Pretty much every patient I have ever worked with in functional medicine begins with some
00:28:53
sort of detoxification because it is rampant that we have a buildup in our system of
00:29:00
external toxic compounds that if we can't eliminate those, we're not gonna even touch the
00:29:07
inflammation.
00:29:09
Functional medicine recommends sweating.
00:29:13
So we always use we used to have in our clinic.
00:29:15
We no longer do.
00:29:16
However, we recommend getting sweating through exercise or sauna, consuming liver supporting
00:29:23
foods, certain herbs, and drinking plenty of water, minimizing exposure to harmful
00:29:30
chemicals.
00:29:31
And this is where using the apps to take inventory of your living environment.
00:29:35
Are we sleeping on plastic sheets?
00:29:37
Are we putting heavy chemical processed, creams and moisturizers onto our face and on our skin?
00:29:45
Toxins such as BPA and phthalates have been shown to trigger inflammatory pathways even at
00:29:51
low levels.
00:29:53
These are very common in the cookware that we use.
00:29:57
The lining of many of the pans that are nonstick contain these chemicals.
00:30:01
Now it's getting into the food, plastic Tupperware, all these sorts of things.
00:30:05
And so not to overwhelm anyone, but make incremental changes over time.
00:30:11
Do one thing that works.
00:30:12
Shift from plastic to glass Tupperware.
00:30:15
Easy fix.
00:30:16
And so why is this important?
00:30:18
Why should we care?
00:30:19
Well, functional medicine doesn't settle for the temporary fix.
00:30:22
It aims to uncover the deeper causes of inflammation and address them comprehensively.
00:30:28
Whether we're helping patients identify hidden food triggers, repairing the gut, or mitigating
00:30:32
stress, the goal is always, always, always long term health and resilience.
00:30:40
So to backtrack and summarize, chronic inflammation doesn't happen overnight, and it
00:30:46
doesn't resolve overnight either.
00:30:48
But by implementing the right tools and a holistic approach, we can identify the sources,
00:30:53
reduce the burden, and give patients a path back to vitality.
00:30:58
This is the cornerstone of functional medicine and what we do with our clinics as well, And
00:31:03
it's how we help people break free from the cycle of symptom based care and truly get them
00:31:08
back to a state of optimal health to live a vibrant, long, healthy life.
00:31:14
So some practical strategies I wanna leave you with, things that you can implement today.
00:31:18
Number 1, eating an anti inflammatory diet.
00:31:22
Prioritizing whole foods, shopping the outside of the grocery store, and not the aisles.
00:31:27
If it comes in a package, don't eat it.
00:31:31
Using anti inflammatory supplements, such as omega threes, like fish and krill oil.
00:31:37
Prioritizing stress management, incorporating a meditation practice.
00:31:42
Highly recommend you look for the app called Happy Happio.
00:31:47
Happy is a app that guides meditation and allows you to not have to focus on, am I
00:31:54
meditating correctly?
00:31:55
Am I doing it right?
00:31:56
They guide you through it all, and you just sit back and meditate.
00:32:01
Getting adequate sleep and staying active.
00:32:04
Again, 8 steps a day.
00:32:06
And addressing addressing gut health.
00:32:10
If you think you have some sort of gut dysbiosis, if you struggle with bloating,
00:32:16
constipation, diarrhea at least once a week, there's something going on.
00:32:20
These are not normal.
00:32:21
And so these are all things that you can implement today.
00:32:27
Highly recommend that you look for a practitioner or give us a call if you want to
00:32:33
dig deeper and and find out what chronic inflammation could be doing inside your body.
00:32:40
And so I encourage you to take inventory of your life, journal your symptoms, and not
00:32:46
settle for a symptom based approach, but rather get to the bottom of the problem and figure it
00:32:54
out so that you can get back to full health.
00:32:57
As always, you can reach out and get in touch with us at Alessi functional health dot com.
00:33:02
You can book a consultation with myself or one of my team, and you can learn what it looks
00:33:08
like to take the next step.
00:33:10
We can guide you through the process of getting functional medicine blood work.
00:33:13
We can guide you through the process of healthy eating and implementing supplementation.
00:33:18
And our goal is always to guide you, lead you, educate you, and then let you go.
00:33:25
We are not in the business of keeping people on long term because that would mean that we are
00:33:30
not very good at our job.
00:33:31
If your car was always in the shop, that means the mechanics didn't fix it.
00:33:35
Right?
00:33:36
So we wanna get your car fixed and then let you go and drive.
00:33:39
And that is our goal.
00:33:41
So please, alexifunctionalhealth.com, we would be happy to hear from you and help you out.
00:33:46
As always, share if you found this valuable.
00:33:49
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00:33:53
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00:33:58
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00:34:04
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00:34:08
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00:34:14
Stay tuned because next week, we are gonna be filming a awesome episode.
00:34:18
We are gonna be relaunching one that we did with Zeke samples, a expert in health and
00:34:26
nutrition and the fitness space.
00:34:29
He is now a member of our team as well.
00:34:31
He leads our wellness division, utilizing his Genesys protocol to help people optimize their
00:34:37
health, lose weight in a natural healthy way that doesn't rebound and cause them to wait,
00:34:44
gain weight later on.
00:34:45
So stay tuned for that.
00:34:46
That's gonna be an awesome episode.
00:34:48
Thank you so much for joining us.
00:34:50
As always, stay curious, stay empowered, and remember your health is in your hands.
00:34:56
I'm doctor Leci, and I'll see you next week.
00:35:00
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded, where we break down the truth about all things
00:35:04
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00:35:08
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00:35:15
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00:35:20
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00:35:23
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00:35:28
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00:35:34
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00:35:35
Stay curious, stay empowered, and remember, your health is in your hands.