Arthritis, gastritis, colitis, dermatitis, nephritis, neuritis, and cystitis are just some of the common inflammatory conditions that bring people to their doctors. If the doctor's diagnosis ends in the four letters "itis," by definition, inflammation is involved.
There are also numerous diseases or health challenges that are closely linked to inflammation. For example, heart disease, especially coronary artery disease, is thought to be directly associated with inflammation. Inflammation is now considered to be a more important risk factor for heart disease than high cholesterol levels.
Laboratory tests showing elevated levels of ESR, hs-CRP, and fibrinogen indicate the presence of inflammation in the body and a higher risk for heart disease. Also noteworthy is that statin drugs such as Lipitor and Crestor routinely used by the medical profession to lower blood levels of cholesterol are anti-inflammatory in their mechanism of action.
Numerous Diseases Involve Inflammation
Cancer spread is accelerated by inflammation, and many cancer therapies utilize anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids to keep the symptoms of inflammation (swelling and pain) under control. As well, obesity, dementia, migraine headaches, and Alzheimer's disease involve inflammation. So do all infections, allergic conditions such as hives, and virtually all autoimmune diseases.
To this list you can add asthma, diabetes, psoriasis and other skin disorders, and irritable bowel syndrome. The medical treatments for all these conditions use anti-inflammatory drugs as the main therapy. Sports injuries (for example, tendonitis and bursitis) and any musculoskeletal injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident involve inflammation.
Treating Inflammation with Drugs & Surgery
Conventional doctors have always treated inflammation with drugs and surgery. In some cases, interventions such as surgery for an inflamed appendix are lifesaving. So are short-term antibiotics for some infections such as pneumonitis (pneumonia). But while modern medicine is wonderful in treating acute illnesses, it fails miserably when it comes to chronic disease or prevention. In the majority of cases of chronic illness or inflammation, current medical treatments serve only to suppress symptoms without making any dent in the disease process itself.
For example, if you have osteoarthritis, doctors will prescribe NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). Most people who suffer from osteoarthritis are on NSAIDs for life. NSAIDs include drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and numerous others. The trouble with all of these drugs is that they induce blood loss from the stomach or other areas of the gastrointestinal tract if taken for any extended period of time. One NSAID, Vioxx, was banned worldwide from the market a few years ago after it was proven to cause heart attacks and death in hundreds of users.
Side-Effects of Drugs Prescribed for Chronic Illnesses
Other drugs prescribed for chronic illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus are even worse. Drugs such as Imuran and Remicade suppress the immune system dramatically; drugs that are chemotherapeutic agents (methotrexate) and antimalarial drugs (Plaquinyl) can damage the liver, the bone marrow, and other organs. The horrendous side effects of these drugs are sometimes worse than the disease itself.
The one common denominator of all the current medical and surgical treatments for chronic inflammatory conditions is that they do not address the underlying cause of the illness. Doctors say that the use of anti-inflammatory drugs addresses the cause but, if that were really true, why does the disease persist?
You do not make hives better by suppressing the immune system with steroids such as prednisone. You do not cure any form of arthritis by prescribing drugs that cause heart attacks, hemorrhage, and peptic ulcers. You do not reverse prostatitis with a year's prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics that lead to chronic yeast infections. You can mask and suppress symptoms for years with powerful drugs, but you will never reverse the disease process. With symptom suppression, one pays a huge price in terms of side effects and, often, finances.
You cannot prevent inflammation in the body with any drug or surgical procedure. The fact that doctors and surgeons continue trying to do so without attempting a natural approach first is deplorable. Worse is the fact that many still tell their patients that diet has nothing to do with inflammation when there is overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
How to Prevent, Control, Reduce, & Eliminate Inflammation
There is a better way. You can prevent, control, reduce, and eliminate inflammation in the body by addressing the root causes of it in the first place. You do not need drugs in order to do this. Whether or not your doctor agrees, you can prevent or treat inflammation successfully through diet and lifestyle changes. This is not just folklore, herbalism, and old wives' tales — every bit of information in this book [Meals That Heal Inflammation by Julie Daniluk] is backed up by scientific evidence, published studies, and clinical expertise.
My more than 33 years' experience as a medical doctor assessing people for deficiencies, toxins, and allergies and prescribing an anti-inflammatory diet and nutritional supplements has convinced me that anyone suffering from an "itis" can reverse the disease process naturally. There are numerous recipes and meals that truly do heal inflammation. It is indeed possible to improve health conditions without drugs and surgery. Certainly, in Julie Daniluk's good hands, one can be put well on the way to greater health naturally.
©2011 by Daniluk Consulting. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher,
Hay House Inc. www. hayhouse. com.
This article was adapted with permission from the foreword of the book:
Meals That Heal Inflammation: Embrace Healthy Living and Eliminate Pain, One Meal at at Time -- by Julie Daniluk R. H. N.
If you’re one of the millions of people who have been affected by allergies, diabetes, skin disorders, heart disease, arthritis, or any other condition ending in “-itis,” then you know firsthand what havoc inflammation can cause. In Meals That Heal Inflammation, television personality and registered holistic nutritionist Julie Daniluk shows you how to conquer these health conditions with foods that will make you feel fantastic.
Click Here For More Info or to Order This Book.
About the Authors
Dr. Zoltan P. Rona is a graduate of McGill University Medical School (1977) and has a Masters Degree in Biochemistry and Clinical Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut (1984). He is past president of The Canadian Holistic Medical Association (1987-88). He is the author of three Canadian bestsellers, The Joy of Health (1991), Return to the Joy of Health (1995) and Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection (1997). He is co-author with Jeanne Marie Martin of The Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook (1996) and is the medical editor of the Benjamin Franklin Award winning Encyclopedia of Natural Healing (1998). He has had a private medical practice in Toronto for the past 32 years, has appeared on radio and TV as well as lectured extensively in Canada and the U.S. Dr. Rona has just published his new book, "Vitamin D, The Sunshine Vitamin".
Julie Daniluk, R. H. N. , is a leading nutritionist and the co-host of Healthy Gourmet, a reality cooking show that airs on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) in Canada. Julie has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, The Right Fit, and The Marilyn Denis Show. For 12 years, she was the cooperative owner and the Chief In-Store Nutritionist for one of Canada’s largest health-food stores, The Big Carrot Natural Food Market in Toronto.
