One of the biggest mistakes people make with respect to their health is to assume that the absence of symptoms is indicative of good health.

Not necessarily so.

You see, sickness and disease don’t just suddenly pop up out of nowhere. Instead it is more of a gradual process that you might not even pick up on for a while.

Here’s what I mean—it all starts with irritation which progresses to inflammation. 

You irritate me

When something is awry in your body, you won’t necessarily get major symptoms like pain.

Instead you might get little warnings, and these warnings come in the form of "irritation."

Irritation can be things like skin rashes, acne, an itchy nose, or gas and bloating.

Other examples include increased body odor, bad breath, lethargy, moodiness or change in appetite. These are all gentle nudges that your body gives you to let you know something isn't right.

But typically most people will either brush off the symptoms or take an over-the-counter drug as needed.

The land of the inflamed

If you ignore the signs of irritation or merely rely on drug store remedies, the situation can deteriorate into full-blown inflammation.

Now, it's important to note that not all inflammation is created equal--it can be acute or chronic.

Acute inflammation is your body's natural response to challenges like infections, injuries or insect bites. It's a sign that your body's "repairmen" (including your immune cells and cholesterol) are doing their job to "fix" the problem.

Once the healing process is underway, acute inflammation naturally subsides.

But chronic inflammation is another story.

This is when inflammation is not related to an isolated, temporary health challenge, but instead is caused by other underlying factors and becomes constant and long-term.

Chronic inflammation can last months or years and manifests itself as conditions like:

• Arthritis
• Atherosclerosis
• Asthma
• Eczema 
• Crohn's disease
• Elevated cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Migraines
• Muscle pain
• Accelerated aging
• Type II diabetes
• Stroke 
• Degenerative joint disease 

Unfortunately, when you get to the point where you're facing one of those monsters, that's when the prescription pad comes out. 

And it's all downhill from there!

Because the underlying problem—chronic inflammation—just continues to progress. So your symptoms can get worse and worse, and you'll need stronger and stronger drugs (or perhaps even surgery).

So clearly, it’s crucial to do whatever you can to control inflammation.

Here is how you can give your body the help it needs:

1- Get enough Omega-3 essential fatty acids

Omega-3 essential fatty acids are Nature’s anti-inflammatory, but unfortunately most of us are grossly deficient in these crucial fats.

It wasn’t always that way. Way back when, we used to get a healthful supply of Omega-3 EFAs from the meat, milk and eggs from pasture-raised animals, since the grasses they ate were bountiful sources of Omega-3s.

But now the animals for our food supply are grain-fed (often with GMO grains to boot!)—which not only means they don’t give us the Omega-3 fats they used to, but they also are loaded with inflammation-stirring Omega-6 fats instead!

Plus processed foods, refined grains and vegetable oils also stir up inflammation, and heaven knows we eat our share of those! 

So we are adding fuel to the inflammation fire every day, and our poor bodies are paying the price.

Although fatty fish are a good source of Omega-3s, much of the fish in the supermarkets is farmed and contaminated with disease and pollutants, which makes them more harmful than helpful! 

To make sure your body maintains a health-supporting level of Omega-3 EFAs, supplementation with a pure pharmaceutical-grade fish oil formula like VitalMega-3 is crucial.

2- Do the avoid-dance

These inflammation-causing foods should be avoided as much as possible:

• Sunflower oil, corn oil and other processed vegetable oils
• Margarine and buttery spreads
• Refined sugar
• Salt
• Bleached white flour
• Processed, packaged foods of all kinds
• Deep-fried foods
• Fast food
• Soda
• Coffee
• Meat and eggs from conventionally farmed animals, especially beef and chicken. Strive for organic versions of these.

3- Other helpful measures

Try to incorporate lots of fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet and eat a tossed salad every day with dinner.

Drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses of filtered water a day, and if you must have coffee, try to limit your consumption to one cup in the morning. 

Also, although medications are sometimes necessary, we’ve gone WAY overboard with our reliance on them. If you are on any medications, talk to your doctor about reducing your dose or trying natural alternatives, such as VitalMega-3 fish oil for high blood pressure or cholesterol.

If your doctor refuses to listen to your concerns, find one who will.

See the difference it can make when you safely and naturally help control inflammation in your body!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia