The image above can represent just about any part of the body, your joints, heart, brain, arterial network even soreness in your muscles. Arthritis is certainly an inflammation cause but yet they have not been able to come up with a cure for it and only have dangerous medications that camouflage the problem for a short time.
There is a difference between Autoimmune arthritis and degenerative Arthritis but they are closely related and can be overlapping. This is a study in it self.
This feature is going to key in on the causes of inflammation and perhaps some lifestyle changes that you can make.
One of the biggest sources of inflammation is Autoimmune disease and there are over 100 of them. The definition of this disease is as follows......
"Autoimmune diseases arise from an inappropriate immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the immune system mistakes some part of the body as a pathogen and attacks its own cells".
Allergies
Allergy response and autoimmune response is basically one in the same. It is a technical medical area to explore. Be my guest in researching it because I haven't quite figured it out yet. My only interpretation is that allergy reactions are not as severe as certain autoimmune reactions that can result in a systemic/whole body affair and actually a disease.
First below is a technical explanation of an allergic reaction.
The early phase of the allergic reaction
typically occurs within minutes, or even seconds, following allergen exposure
and is also commonly referred to as the immediate allergic reaction or as a Type
I allergic reaction . The reaction is caused by the release of histamine and
mast cell granule proteins by a process called degranulation, as well as the
production of leukotrienes, prostaglandins and cytokines, by mast cells
following the cross-linking of allergen specific IgE molecules bound to mast
cell FcεRI receptors . These mediators affect nerve cells causing itching ,
smooth muscle cells causing contraction (leading to the airway narrowing seen in
allergic asthma) , goblet cells causing mucus production , and endothelial cells
causing vasodilatation
and
edema. The items above are all tied directly into inflammation and don't
forget inflammation is not only soreness, redness, pain etc. Some
inflammation such as in Alzheimer disease is silent, you don't know you got it at least until it is too late.
Now a simpler explanation in fruit peddlers terms is whenever you introduce something into your body that for one reason or another you are allergic too, the bodies defensive system will perceive it to be an invader.
Allergic reactions are distinctive because of excessive activation of certain white blood cells called mast cells and basophils by a type of antibody called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). This reaction results in an inflammatory response which can range from uncomfortable to dangerous.
A variety of tests exist to diagnose allergic conditions. These include placing possible allergens on the skin and looking for a reaction such as swelling. Blood tests can also be done to look for an allergen-specific IgE.
We recently had blood tests taken to determine what my particular allergy issues and inflammation causes were and hopefully they will determine the silent inflammatory issues that have caused neurological deficiencies.
Patients who have an autoimmune response can result from an acid diet so let me set the stage for at least this implication.
Acid diets from eating too much acid forming foods and not enough alkaline forming foods to balance off the acid attack is the main culprit.
Before we look at the list below of both types of food let me finish the staging.
Calcium/minerals
The lack of a mineral balance can trigger a allergic/Autoimmune reaction.
The body needs minerals and in particular calcium. Calcium is the bodies regulator almost like a microprocessor in a computer. Keeping the body balanced with enough alkalinity is critical and eating acid foods is counter productive big time.
When the body is deprived of calcium it goes into an emergency mode and actually cannibalizes your bone matrix to obtain enough calcium to buffer the acid assault as come hell or high water the blood pH must be maintained at a 7.37 pH and the body mechanism is determined at all costs to maintain this balance. Is this incredible or not?
Now there is a big down side to this process because as perfect as Mother nature is these emergency events can leave an unwanted residue in the process and this unwanted residue is the bi-product of what is left in its wake after the cannibalizing event. It shows up in the blood as excessive calcium that has gone awry. This calcium bi-product is inert and just a lot of trouble. It certainly is not a calcium form that can be metabolized.
This is where the autoimmune system comes forth and tries to neutralize this residue and dispose of it. Unfortunately this creates the havoc that the autoimmune system is notorious for. In fact it can turn into a full blown disease and cancer can be close behind as in myeloma, a blood cancer issue.
What do you do?
One of the first things a Doctor and patient should determine is the level of inflammation from either an allergy or more serious autoimmune issue.
C-Reactive Protein
Below is a scientific explanation gleaned from the Internet.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is made by the liver and secreted into the bloodstream. It can be measured with two different tests: the CRP test and the high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) test, each measuring different ranges of CRP levels in the blood. The hs-CRP test can more accurately detect lower concentrations of the protein (it is more sensitive) than the standard CRP test. CRP increases with inflammation and infection as well as following a myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack), surgery, and trauma. As a result, CRP is one of several proteins that are often referred to as acute phase reactants and is used to monitor changes in inflammation associated with many infectious and autoimmune diseases.
Further information on CRP.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein found in the blood, the levels of which rise in response to inflammation.
When you sign up for a blood test ask your Doctor to include C-Reactive Protein. It may not be the tell all but it could help to determine whether you should take it a step farther. I certainly wouldn't go to extremes if my CRP was in or close to the normal range and if it was slightly over the acceptable range I would want to take some time like a month or two to determine whether an aggressive lifestyle change will move this number into the acceptable range.
I go back to my experience with my wife's breast cancer issue where a Doctor in Germany (Who works closely with MD Anderson in Texas) told us if our Cancer Tumor Cell count was in the normal range to do NOTHING. If I was given a diagnosis of cancer I would ask for a CTC test before I did anything else.
The medical community seems to feel obligated to do something to justify their billing and to avoid liability which has become a monumental cop out.
Inflammatory reactions are part of our defense system, but as we age we lose the ability to turn off inflammatory reactions. Excess inflammatory reactions have serious negative side effects, one being excess tissue acid wastes that are produced and accounts for most of our ills.
Chronic inflammation not only appears to facilitate the transformation of normal cells into cancer, but also increases the proliferation of existing cancers, that could be well on its way to a full blown problem, but could also encourage dormant conditions to resurface. The classical example would be those in remission from cancer or for that matter heart operations, or perhaps the first indications of Alzheimer’s.
In the young Inflammatory conditions result from genetic factors, bad eating habits, smoking, smoking exposure.
High C - reactive protein readings indicating higher than normal inflammatory conditions may be an independent risk factor in macular degeneration as well as Diabetes.
We are not going to get into all the vehicles that cause inflammation in this feature as it would result in a book that most readers would find hard to complete. Environmental causes as in chemicals we use every day, the air that we breathe, lack of exercise, not enough liquids to keep the system flushed and a host of other causes.
As soon as it is discovered through symptoms and common blood runs before relying on drastic measures, I have discussed with patients going on a high alkaline diet (Fruits and Vegetables) and not only raw but in addition a concentrated daily vegetable smoothie with high calcium and alkaline properties as in Kale, Arugula, Spinach to name a few with some fruits and berries, a little Stevia to safely sweeten it up a little.
http://www.blueeyedcurse.com/smoothies.htm
In fact I have advised patients upon finding out that they have a serious auto immune disease to grab the bull by the horns and go on this crash diet of alkaline foods, minimize acid food, obtain enough sun as the sun along with Cholesterol plays a vital role in body balance. I personally would undertake this "Manhattan project" approach before I myself or a loved one subjects themselves to the standard of care frying pan.
I have always been astonished that some in the medical community send their patients home without instructions to change their lifestyle and of course a prescription to ease the pain. These medications can bring them closer to the undertaker with the negative effects of some of these high powered drugs when a simple lifestyle change could make all the difference in the world. My only impression is that some Doctors do not think the patient has the will to change their lifestyle and/or they are afraid the patient may not need their services. In both cases this is unconscionable. In fact the dictionary says unconscionable is on par with unscrupulous.
Keep in mind health problems are balance problems. You get your body in balance miracles to your immune system and everything else takes place.
In agriculture we had no choice but to spread lime with Calcium and Magnesium on the land and hope that the special soil conversion of nature would make nutrients more available to the plant. The human body is different than land. The human being does not have this luxury of soil conversion and has one hell of a job metabolizing calcium out of a mine and bottle.
Below is list of both Acid and Alkaline foods and a 75% alkaline to 25% acid ratio is desired. This gives you the ability to ingest meats as they are acid and this includes fatty fish like sardines with their pin bones on board loaded with calcium. Omega 3 fatty acid foods as in certain fish are essential to your immune system.
Blood runs can show high amounts of concentrated Calcium that is not being metabolized because of acid diets as well as poor forms of calcium ingested.
We believe natural calcium will balance all the minerals in the body and eliminate the need for the autoimmune system to go on alert.
Acid forming foods
Note: In all foods there is a degree of either alkaline or acid forming. Some foods are very acid producing as in meat and strenuous exercise but as noted above moderate exercise is alkaline producing. Nuts for instance are border line. Almonds in particular lean a little toward the alkaline side. I am not going to get into proportions in each food. Some foods and supplements are powerful in their anti-oxidant properties as well as their chemistry. It is possible you could take in a whopping amount of acid and neutralize it with a modest amount of alkaline foods. Just keep in mind it isn't so much the volume of alkaline foods that you take in that is as important as the diversification. The most dangerous free radicals in the form of acids are complex and assaulting them with a barrage of different complexities in defense may be the only way you can win the game. We take in a very moderate amount of the known exotic supplements. Astaxanthin, Curcumin, Resveratrol, Mushroom extract, Garlic extract to name a few and one square a day of an 80% dark chocolate (Ghirardelli's Midnight Revere) very powerful anti-oxidants and free radical acid enemies.
All
meat (beef, pork, lamb, chicken) and fish
Alkalizing forming foods
Practically
all vegetables
Practically all fruits with the exception of blueberries,
plums, prunes, and cranberries. That doesn't mean avoiding them, prunes in
particular are the champion of all anti-oxidants. Just go easy on them.
Even citrus fruits such as lemons, which we think of as being acidic, are
alkaline-producing in the body. They are rich in organic salts, like citrates,
which are converted into bicarbonates. Beans such as string, soy, lima, green,
and snap peas, potatoes with the jacket, Arrowroot flour grains such as flax, millet, quinoa, and
amaranth, Nuts like almonds, pignoli, fresh coconut, and chestnuts sprouted seeds
of alfalfa, radish, and chia unsprouted sesame fresh unsalted butter, milk,
cream, goat's milk, eggs, whey, plain yogurt
Sweeteners
like raw, unpasteurized honey, dried sugar cane juice (Sucanat), brown rice
syrup, Fruit juices (Go real easy on sweet fruit juices, next to nothing is best,
blending that retains the fiber is the best way to go, as it buffers the sugar
and acid) All vegetable juices,
most herbal teas, garlic, the herb Stevia.
Cayenne
pepper, gelatin, most all herbs miso
Most
vegetable and unprocessed sea salt, most all spices, vanilla extract, brewer's
Yeast
Most unprocessed, cold-pressed oils are neutral or alkaline-forming (even margarine seems to be neutral, but I don't recommend that anyone eat this "liquid plastic")
This information is intended to heighten awareness of potential health care alternatives and should not be considered as medical advice. See your qualified health-care professional for medical attention, advice, diagnosis, and treatments.
The following
information is based on our opinion and the opinions of others. Any of this
information may or may not apply to you or anyone else and hopefully you can
find a health care facility that can correctly treat you. Please be alerted to
the fact that information changes on a regular basis in medical technology.
What applies in our information could be stale and in some cases inaccurate.
Check with your current medical provider for the latest in treatment
information.