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What is Inflammation and Why Should I Care?



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Welcome to Season 2 of Edible Rx!!


Coming at you in a new year with some new equipment!! I got a new podcast mic and some headphones. So...finally doing these proper around here!


I set a goal for myself to produce 52 podcast episodes in 52 weeks this year and so far, I'm a few weeks behind...


I got sick a few weeks ago and that really threw me off because my voice was no where near podcast ready...


Then with my ordinary work schedule and re-recording the cooking videos inside my meal prep course, it's just been a lot.


But here I am and today I wanted to give you a quick update on my mold detox journey because I finally feel like I am out from under that mess and I wanted to share with you now that I'm feeling like my old self...what worked the best so that if you too are struggling with mold toxicity, you can try some of these things with the guidance of your practitioner as well.


Then, I'm going to get into the topic of today's episode which is: what is inflammation and why should I care?


But first, if you're new here...hi there, I'm Laura Rodriguez - holistic chef, autoimmune warrior and creator of the Flare Free Academy. In 2015, I started cooking the same anti-inflammatory healing meals I was preparing for cancer patients at work, for my family at home. And within 3 months, my eczema, migraines and joint pain completely went away. Now my healing journey wasn't a linear one. It had many twists and turns along the way, and diet wasn't the only thing I changed. But through blood, sweat, and tears, and a lot of trial and error, I learned that in order for me to stay well, I have to consistently use anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle as medicine.


But I don't think this information should be hidden. And I think there's power in hearing other people's stories. So you can know what's possible for you, so you can have hope for your future, and you can find the motivation to heal from within.


Healing is possible. You just have to have the right tools, guidance, support and resources to make it happen. And that's what this podcast is all about.


So let's get started, shall we?


DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, nurse, dietician, or nutritionist. Nothing mentioned in this podcast is a replacement for the proper professional medical advice of your doctor. Everything mentioned in this podcast is purely my own experience. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition. Please consult your physician before trying anything mentioned in this podcast.





MOLD UPDATE:


Alright, so last summer my husband found a ton of mold growing in the subfloor of our house.


He worked so hard to remove all of it then installed a dehumidifier and fans under the house so we can hopefully (fingers crossed) prevent this from happening again.


You can learn more about it in the last episode of Edible Rx but for the purpose of this episode, I wanted to share with you the things that I believe helped me the most go from being in constant pain daily from mold induced inflammation to feeling like myself again and unless I work a super long day, having virtually no pain at all.


1.) My husband removed the mold by spraying undiluted 30% hydrogen peroxide on everything 3 times


2.) We fogged the sub-floor with a non-toxic substance that is proven to kill mold spores (to address any places he couldn't see or reach)


3.) Daily hot and cold therapy (sauna blanket and cold plunges)


4.) Daily binders and minerals


5.) Flare Free Meal Prep: I don't think I would have been able to lessen the total body inflammation I had from the mold if I was eating junk while trying to detox the mold and meal prepping made that super easy and do-able


6.) Sublingual glutathione


7.) Glutathione pushes from my doctor


8.) ELT / ALT -electro lymphatic therapy that is 75-80% more effective than manual lymphatic massage (your lymphatic system removes toxins from the body - ELT helps move lymph)


The last time I had a toxic mold exposure, all I did was ELT, removed myself from the moldy house, and stopped drinking coffee and eating other mold-prone foods. And within 10 days I felt better.


This time, considering I couldn't just up and leave my house, I worked very hard to remove the mold from my body while my husband worked very hard to remove the mold from our house.


Abd it took about a month after the mold was finally gone for my pain to go away. And these are the things that I believe worked the best!


If you have questions about anything I just mentioned, DM me on Instagram and I'll be happy to share more!





WHAT IS INFLAMMATION AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?


Now, regarding inflammation...


There are two types of inflammation. Acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.


Acute inflammation is the body's natural response to injury and infection. For example, you cut your finger. Your skin will turn red, it will swell, and it will warm up around that cut. That's your immune system doing what it needs to do to repair and protect that cut from infection.


And that's exactly what acute inflammation is. It's the immune system's ability to identify and remove foreign stimuli.


Alright, so in essence, this is good. This is the good type of inflammation that all of us need in order to be healthy.


Now, there's also chronic inflammation. And this is the type of inflammation that we don't want. The type of inflammation I personally work to fight everyday and the type of inflammation all of my recipes were designed to help you fight everyday.


What happens essentially is the that same immune response that I talked about earlier with acute inflammation is happening inside our bodies 24 hours a day for either months or years.


When you have chronic, prolonged, unmanaged inflammation like this, your body will eventually start producing pro-inflammatory cytokines that can cause your immune system to attack itself.


And that's how we get autoimmunity.


So for me, because I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, essentially, the way that I understand it is...


(And reminder, I'm not a doctor, a nurse, a dietitian or a nutritionist. Everything I'm sharing with you today, I've learned from the top leading functional medical professionals from around the globe and I'll link my resources at the end for anyone who wants to fact check me.)


I was riddled with chronic systemic inflammation for a long period of time that made my immune system confuse my own joints as a foreign invader and thus, start to attack those joints.


The way that I understand it is, your DNA determines how inflammation presents itself in the body. So whatever inflammation related condition you end up with will to a certain degree, depend on your DNA. But a lot of it also has to do with epigenetics. How diet, lifestyle, environment, etc. can turn on these "bad genes" and activate illness.


Which brings me to my next point...


Autoimmunity is not the only chronic illness linked to chronic inflammation.


Stroke, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, asthma, allergies, etc. are all chronic inflammation related conditions.


And you'd be surprised by how many common things can contribute to the onset of chronic, prolonged, unmanaged, systemic inflammation.


Things like:


-eating the Standard American Diet

-poor sleep hygiene

-chronic prolonged unmanaged stress

-gut microbiome imbalance

-poor detox capabilities

-toxic burden (think mold toxicity, heavy metal toxicity, etc.)


Chronic inflammation is the most popular cause of death around the world.


In fact, according to an article from the National Library of Medicine from 2020, "More than 50% of all deaths world wide are attributed to chronic inflammatory diseases."


I know that can be a bit grim.


But the good news is, there's a lot that can be done to prevent, manage and even reverse chronic inflammation which I'll get into in the future.


So...how do you know if you have chronic unmanaged systemic inflammation?


First of all, according to my research...


Some people may test high for inflammatory markers but have no symptoms at all. So if you have any of the things I mentioned earlier that can contribute to the onset of chronic inflammation but you have zero symptoms, you may consider getting your CRP levels tested. I recommend seeing a functional medical doctor that is trained in treating the root cause of your symptoms and I have a full list of those on my blog if you're looking for a new doctor.


But many (if not most) people suffering with chronic inflammation do experience the following common symptoms:


-chronic fatigue

-joint pain

-muscle aches

-muscle weakness

-stiffness

-lack of mobility

-brain fog

-anxiety

-depression

-diarrhea and other chronic digestive issues

-insulin resistance

-lower back pain

-frequent infections

-frequent illness

-sudden or prolonged weight gain

-sudden or prolonged weight loss

-etc.


Does any of that sound like you?


Stay tuned to learn how food can fight inflammation so you can get some relief.


Ready to start today?


Download my free set of 4 quick-cooking and easy-to-execute anti-inflammatory meal prep recipes that will help you stock your fridge with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert for a family of four in 3 hours or less so you can use Flare Free food as medicine with ease throughout the week!


(All of the recipes are gluten/dairy/sugar/corn/soy/peanut free and anti-inflammatory. Vegan substitution recommendations included.)


xo,


Laura


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