The Anti-Inflammatory Cleanse

Are all the awful fires lately freaking you out? It's truly so heartbreaking to see so many lives turned upside down and seriously endangered.

Forests and homes aren't the only place where fire is stirring up trouble. Most of us are stoking fires in our own body. We just call it something different. We call it inflammation.

You've likely heard that inflammation is the body's natural healing response to injury? But isn't it also the very thing we're supposed to avoid if we want to be healthy?

So which is it? Good or bad?

While inflammation is indeed the body's natural healing response to injury, inflammation can also become destructive instead of protective or healing. Knowing the difference is important. If the destructive kind of inflammation is burning inside of you, time is of the essence.

The sooner you put out the fire, the easier it will be to heal whatever damage has already been done and help to prevent further damage and discomfort.

2 Kinds of Inflammation

1. The healing kind of inflammation occurs in acute situations and usually involves redness, swelling and pain that is immediate and temporary. It's the body's intelligence acting out of self-preservation. When I broke my toe last year, I was truly grateful for this kind of inflammation.

2. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand is slow to begin in response to continual abuse, is much less obvious, and may persist causing long term tissue damage and inflammatory conditions like arthritis, cancer and diabetes. Many of the unwanted symptoms of aging and self neglect are associated with this type of inflammation. Some of them are headaches, bloating, joint pain, fatigue, weight gain, and mood issues. My chronic bladder condition, Interstitial Cystitis, falls into this category and is a really pain in the you know what!

Every person and every case is different, so it's not always easy to say why inflammation happens, however what we do know is that certain foods cause inflammation, while others, the ones that fall into the high vibration category, can actually help prevent it.

An anti-inflammatory cleanse is a great why to kick start your body on a trend of reduced or eradicated inflammation. In this type of cleanse, we eliminate all or nearly all foods that cause inflammation giving your body a chance to heal and giving you a chance to experience the path of food as medicine. The results will speak for themselves. All you have to do is stay true to the path for atleast 7 days to notice it’s positive impact, and you’ll be singing the praises of the anti- inflammatory cleanse such that it will likely become a way of life.

While 7 days won’t be enough to shift a serious health issue, it’s often enough time to notice a reduction in symptoms so that you feel motivated to continue with this way of eating. When you think of the alternative; presecription medication, horrible symptoms causing a decline in quality of life and a general decline of health, the anti inflammatory diet is a small price to pay for radiant health. The following are general guidelines for foods to avoid and foods to include.

Foods to avoid: High sugar content foods (Yes, fructose is a sugar) Red meat and poultry Artificial sweeteners Fried foods

Wheat products Alchohol Dairy products Trans fats like margarine Food additives Cooked foods Foods to include: Tomatoes Nuts (pre-soaked) Peppers

Foods to Include:

All vegetables especially beets and dark leafy greens (fresh raw preferred) Garlic and onions Olive oil Tumeric Ginger

While fruit is often cited as a low inflammation option for our sweet cravings, and does contain many healthy vitamins and minerals, it’s helpful to reduce or eliminate all fruit for a period of time to encourage a significant decrease of inflammation. Once the body has attained a better state of health, fruit can be re introduced. Please keep in mind that if you’re dealing with candida, it may be necessary to avoid most high sugar fruits for several months. The best way to discover the benefits of the anti-inflammatory diet is to try it. There’s nothing to lose, other than inflammation, and I guarantee you won’t miss it! A week with me in paradise at a private or group retreat is a great way to get your feet wet. It's not only a health affirming experience, but a delcious one too!