By: Karen Cino, Naturopathic PhD, Master Herbalist, MS - Nutrition, CNHP
We’d all like to have a “health span” that equals our life span. Lifestyle choices (like nutrition, activity, and how we manage stress) can help overcome our genetic weaknesses. Here are five ways to help increase your health span:
Reduce inflammation
Chronic inflammation, which can be caused by poor nutrition and excessive stress, affects many parts of the body and injures cells. We might feel the effects of chronic inflammation when it causes pain in a specific area, but are less likely to recognize when that same inflammatory process impacts other areas, such as the brain. We may notice some fatigue or cognitive changes, but we don’t identify it as inflammation.
Reworking your diet to cut inflammatory foods is essential. Consider herbal remedies such as turmeric or Boswellia or even a proteolytic enzyme such as TRMA to help keep inflammation in check. CBD is another way to help keep inflammation in check, especially if it impacts the brain. 55Plus has an excellent formula with no THC and turmeric to quickly reduce inflammation.
Balance your gut flora
Beneficial gut bacteria maintains the lining of the digestive tract and keeps dangerous compounds from circulating throughout the body. Factors like poor diet, stress and infections can damage the gut lining. Once the intestinal wall is compromised, inflammatory compounds seep into the rest of the body, leading to a variety of health issues. Be on the lookout for the symptoms of flora imbalance and leaky gut, such as diarrhea, constipation, intestinal pain and bloating, chronic joint pain or headaches.
To support the microbiome over time, maintain a diet rich in probiotic foods and plenty of prebiotic foods (fiber that feeds the beneficial flora), including onions, jicama, raw dandelion greens and bananas. Taking a daily probiotic is another option.
Digest your food
Weak digestion, or the inability to break down foods, results in lowered nutrition and ultimately health issues. We often crave what we can’t digest. Our cells need the nutrients and if we don’t digest it well enough, we keep craving it. Ultimately, we begin to avoid that food because of all the stored waste of it, making us feel sick. Ask yourself, “What did I use to crave but now avoid?” If we don't digest proteins we will tend toward blood pressure issues. If we don’t digest carbs, we will tend towards anxiousness and poor mental clarity. If we don’t digest fats, we will often develop hormone imbalances. Most of our health issues are digestion and elimination related. Plant based enzymes wit meals can improve the breakdown and assimilation of our foods.
Manage stress
It is said stress is out number one health problem as chronic stress leads to a wide range of health issues. Nearly half of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. Stress promotes inflammation, slows wound healing, and suppresses cell-mediated immune function. Prolonged stress increases cortisol levels which damages brain cells, weakens the immune system and breaks the body down. Digestion and the immune system will slow down from chronic stress. Stress creates anaerobic dominance which causes the muscles to become sore due to lactic acid build up.
To help manage your stress load, spend time in nature, meditate or deep breath. Supplements for adrenal support or adaptogens, such as ashwagandha, can be very helpful to rebalance. There are wonderful homeopathic remedies to help with stress as well.
Keep moving
Exercise also helps mitigate the aging effects of stress. Any exercise you do -regularly, whether that’s yoga, strength training, or cycling, will help you metabolize stress -hormones, maintain better energy, and offset chronic inflammation.
But note, while regular exercise is essential, exercising too often or too aggressively without adequate recovery can actually increase stress for the body. Remember to cool down and consume proteins to help the body recover more quickly.
Karen Cino, PhD
Karen enjoys helping others find their way back to health and wholeness so they can live their full potential.