Overview
Hidden inflammation is at the root of all chronic illness—conditions like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, dementia, depression, and cancer. So if inflammation is at the root of most modern diseases, how do we find the causes and get the body back in balance?
Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m excited to talk to Dr. Shilpa Ravella about what is driving our epidemic of inflammation and inflammaging, why it plagues so many people, and what we can do to combat it. The human body is genius, doing remarkable things to keep us healthy at every turn. Inflammation is a perfect example of this—an ancient force that evolved to defend against injury and foreign pathogens. While acute inflammation is helpful, there’s another form of inflammation happening in far too many of us—and most of us don’t realize it.
Dr. Ravella and I talk about how to tell if you have hidden inflammation and when it becomes a problem. Our modern environments have been significantly transformed, from the food we eat to the air we breathe to how we move and relate to others. Dr. Ravella and I talk about how our immune systems are constantly triggered in this new environment, leading to chronic and often low-level inflammation that is linked to various kinds of disease. Sixty to seventy percent of our immune system is in our gut.
Dr. Ravella explains the role the gut microbiome plays in regulating our immune system, what we are doing to damage our microbiome, and how that begins to ramp up inflammation in our body. One way to gauge where inflammation levels are in the body is through testing.
Dr. Ravella walks us through the various tests she uses in her practice to assess and diagnose inflammation. We also talk about the important role diet plays when it comes to inflammation, the top inflammation-fighting foods, and what lifestyle changes we can make to mitigate the effects of inflammation. I hope you'll tune in.