You think you’re stressed now–by the economy, the earthquakes (in highrises?!), the pending hurricane, you name it. Those are at least things you can SEE. It’s the stuff you can’t see that has me worried. Like, for instance, rampant INFLAMMATION. I’m gonna throw some bad news at you but I’m also gonna throw some solutions your way. Ignorance, after all, is NOT bliss.
A December 4, 2007 Discover Magazine ran an article entitled “Can We Cure Aging?” In it, the author says that leading gerontologists now believe that aging is “actually something that our own bodies create, a side effect of the inflammatory system that protects us against infectious disease.” The theory is that as our body goes to battle to protect us, there is massive collateral damage and our organs are poisoned, our tissues break down and we become our own worst enemy. Click here for more bad news but I’ve seasoned it with some solutions.
The article in Discover Magazine cites many top aging docs who see aging as a “consequence of inflammation.” Inflammation works slowly but surely to undermine your health. It’s like waves lapping at the shore and eventually changing the shoreline. The article also talks about people who suffer from Alzheimer’s having brains that are clogged with plaques that are associated with senility. “Inflammatory cells and cytokines” caused by inflammation are a problem given that cytokines block memory formation.
The Bullet Points “Take-Away”:
- Inflammation also breaks down skeletal muscle and that leads to a decrease in lean muscle mass.
- Inflammation is a predictor of most of the bad outcomes associated with aging. It’s linked to heart attacks, heart failure, obesity, cognitive decline, diabetes, fragility, and even cancer to some degree.
- Inflammation can be inhibited with supplementation with Omega 3’s that help your immune system modulate response.
- An inflammatory system left unchecked runs amok and wreaks havoc on our health. It’s silent, but it’s treatable.
- Avoid “bad fats.”
- Eat lots of veggies and foods rich in antioxidants.
- Exercise regularly.
CRP (C-Reactive Protein) is a great indicator of inflammation levels. It rises during systemic inflammation. Have your CRP levels checked to determine your risk for the ravages of inflammation. Hs-CRP (high sensitivity CRP) is recommended by the American Heart Association site as a predictor of a number of unhealthy conditions.
by 
Greta Blackburn is an actress, fitness magazine editor and Founder/Director of Greta Blackburn’s FITCAMPS, which have taken place for over 20 years in locations ranging from Malibu, Maui, and Mexico to Las Vegas and served as training symposiums for fitness professionals and other interested men and women from all over the world. Today the focus at Fitcamp is making 100 the new 50. In 2011 Greta co-authored, “The Immortality Edge” with Michael Fossel, MD, PhD. (author of the pivotal 1997 tome “Reversing Human Aging”) and Dr. Woynarowski with research and solutions based programs based on the emerging field of Telomere Biology.
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