How to Tackle Inflammation

Want to lower your cardiovascular risk?

Start by tackling inflammation.

Because even though we all hear a lot about managing blood pressure and cholesterol, in functional medicine we dig deeper for the root cause.

One of those potential causes is often a low-grade and chronic inflammation—also known as “inflamm-aging.”

🩺 Research shows that this type of inflammation can trigger the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, which are responsible for heart attacks and strokes.

Aside from increased blood pressure, some other signs of chronic inflammation can be:

💥 Joint stiffness

💥 Muscle aches

💥 Skin rashes

💥 Autoimmunity

💥 Brain fog

💥 Anxiety or depression

I don’t recommend self-diagnosis (what you actually have is probably a lot less scary than what you think!).

The best way to address your health and root-causes that might put you at risk for a heart attack, stroke, or other chronic disease is to work with a qualified practitioner.

When we work with our clients, we create individualized protocols to:

✔️ Optimize your diet with anti-inflammatory foods like colorful fruits, veggies, and healthy fats

✔️ Find enjoyable daily movement

✔️ Customize supplements to save money and maximize impact

✔️ Relieve stress in ways that work best for you

✔️ Address specific risks based on your history, conditions, and labs

If any of this is resonating with you, comment “next steps!” and we’ll send you info on getting started with our practice.

❤️ You’ve got this—and we’re here to support you in optimizing your health every step of the way.

Youthful Skin from the Inside Out

This is not an overnight quick fix, but nutrition can have a huge impact on how your skin ages!

First the must-have foundations:

✔️ Water (to hydrate the skin)

✔️ Protein (as a building block for collagen & elastin)

✔️ Fruits & Veg (for antioxidants to block free radical damage)

✔️ Healthy Fats (to keep inflammation in check)

Then the targeted nutrient supplements:

✔️ Collagen (supports skin firmness and elasticity)

✔️ Antioxidants like curcumin, pomegranate, and green tea (support antioxidant defenses)

✔️ Omega-3s (support healthy inflammation & defenses against sun damage)

Here’s the thing:

If you jump to the supplements without first having the foundations of a skin-healthy diet in place, you won’t get the results you deserve.

If you want to dial in a plan to support your unique skin health and maintain youthful skin—given your biochemistry, goals, and vulnerabilities—our functional approach is for you.

🥾 Take the first step through the link in our bio.

REFERENCES:

-Cho S. The Role of Functional Foods in Cutaneous Anti-aging. J Lifestyle Med. 2014;4(1):8-16. [link]

-de Miranda RB, Weimer P, Rossi RC. Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Dermatol. 2021;60(12):1449-1461. [link]
-Michalak M. Plant-Derived Antioxidants: Significance in Skin Health and the Ageing Process. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(2):585. [link]

#elementsnatmed #skincare #skinhealth #rootcause #rootcausehealing #guthealth #naturalmedicine #naturopath #naturopathic #functionalmedicine #functionalmedicinetesting #holistic #holistichealing

Inside-Out Skin Tips

The main driver of unhealthy skin is 💥inflammation💥 which means a sustainable solution has to address this root cause.

We do that from the inside out, with things like:

✔️ Omega-3 Fats (essential fatty acids in fish, nuts, & seeds)

✔️ Sleep (disrupted sleep increases markers of inflammation)

✔️ Movement (exercise improves metabolic health to reduce inflammation)

✔️ Water (skin is approximately 64% water)

✔️ Colorful foods (antioxidants help to combat inflammation)

✔️ Probiotics (supporting the microbiome and gut-skin axis)

These are just a few examples of how we help our clients combat breakouts, redness, rashes, and irritated skin. The best solution for your skin will be unique to you, and we would love to help.

Ready to get to the root cause of your unhealthy skin?

🔗 Click the link in our bio to get started!

How to Move Past Food Sensitivities 💥

If you deal with food sensitivities ➡️READ THIS 👇👇

Just because you react to a food now does not mean you will never be able to eat that food again.

You read that 🧐 right.

Some people are able to optimize their gut & immune health and then happily eat foods that used to trigger them—without a problem 🥳

To be clear: I am talking about food sensitivities and NOT true food allergies here. You can see my recent posts that describe the difference.

Here are some ways to support your digestion & immune system to help calm reactivity:

✔️ Eat an “anti-inflammatory” diet, meaning whole foods that are rich in antioxidants

✔️ Support the gut microbiome with probiotic-rich foods

✔️ Chew your foods thoroughly and eat mindfully

This is only a tiny glimpse of all the things we can do to support people with food sensitivities because the solution is highly ✨individual✨

Curious about working on a root-cause approach to your health?

Schedule an initial visit and we can discuss food sensitivity protocols 💚

Do You Know These 4 Food Reactions?

👋 Hey there! If you’re wondering if foods might be triggering you ⬇️⬇️

Lots of people get this confused, but do you know how many different types of food reactions there are? 

👉👉there are 4️⃣

🚑 Food allergies trigger an immune reaction that can be life-threatening.

🤷‍♀️ Food sensitivities trigger more gradual reactions that can be harder to recognize. 

🥛 Food intolerances occur because of an inability to digest certain foods (like lactose).

🍞 Celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to gluten.

Of all the types, food sensitivities are the most confusing, so I’ll be sharing a series of posts on this soon. 

Be sure to tap FOLLOW if you want to learn how to recognize food sensitivities and what to do about it!