“Inflammaging” is a relatively new term and concept although its reality has been around since the beginning of time. In short, as you get older, your body starts to break down and inflammation rises in an effort to keep you functioning.
This isn’t news. “Inflammaging” is simply a part of the human experience.
What is new is how we think about inflammation and the rate at which inflammation is accelerating and wreaking havoc on the human body. Humans are now experiencing greater frequency and quantity of chronic diseases earlier in life mostly due to increased inflammation.
While some inflammation is a natural, normal and expected part of life, the excess inflammation humans are now experiencing comes primarily from nutritional, environmental and lifestyle factors. Read our latest articles Taming the Flames – Fighting Inflammation and Chronic Disease & You for more details.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, “inflammaging” results from excess air and fire-type imbalances (vata & pitta doshas) that can be managed, subdued and rejuvenated with appropriate therapies, nutritional and lifestyle habits.
Science & Signals
The symptoms of chronic inflammation are often similar to, but less obvious, than those of acute inflammation (such as during an injury). Many of the symptoms of chronic inflammation are more subtle, can come and go over time and tend to go unaddressed. These signs and symptoms may include:
- fatigue and lack of energy
- depression and/or anxiety
- muscle aches and joint pain
- constipation, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal complaints
- menstrual difficulties, including PMS and painful periods, in women
- menopausal symptoms
- changes in weight or appetite
- headaches
- a “fuzzy” mental state.
A host of external factors can exacerbate inflammation including eating certain foods (especially processed and fried foods, as well as refined sugars), living a sedentary lifestyle, substance abuse, inhaling or applying toxic chemicals (such as in household cleaners, lotions, soaps, self-care products, etc.) and environmental pollution, among other factors.
Stress absolutely leads to higher levels of inflammation. When the activation of cortisol (the stress hormone) fires again and again, your tissues and immune cells become less sensitive to its effects. As a result, cortisol becomes less effective at regulating the inflammatory response, and inflammation can spiral out of control.
The process by which aging leads to inflammation is highly complex, involving a number of different cellular processes. To spare you the details, suffice it to say that you will experience more inflammation as you get older, the cells and the immune system start to break down and the entire body needs to work harder to maintain homeostasis.
What matters is that you pay attention to the signs from your body and make an intentional effort to lower the markers of inflammation in your body and keep your general inflammatory response in a normal range for you.
Ayurvedic medicine has proven that excess “fire” in the mind and body (stress and inflammation) will degrade the tissues and cells, lead to chronic health problems, and compromise quality of life in mind, body and spirit.
Western and Eastern medical sciences agree that long-term, low-level, chronic inflammation can damage tissues and organs over time. This becomes especially true as we age and our cells and tissues become more susceptible to oxidative stress, leading to a depletion of immunity, strength and overall vitality.
Both sciences agree that nutritional and lifestyle support practiced together are key to long-term healing.
How to Rejuvenate
For thousands of years, Ayurveda has implemented rasayana, or rejuvenation, therapies to help us stay healthy, mobile and vital as we enter our later years. In fact, the foundation of almost all Ayurvedic therapies, no matter age, is to rejuvenate the body so that it functions optimally with an appropriate amount of inflammation and free from disease.
In short, Ayurvedic remedies can prevent, treat and possibly even cure the associated symptoms, diseases and imbalances related to “inflammaging”.
Each person’s “inflammaging” picture will look different and, therefore, their rejuvenation protocol will look different. But, in general, from an Ayurvedic perspective, the best time to rejuvenate is after cleansing the body of toxins, usually through a process called panchakarma.
In fact, Ayurvedic science tells us that rejuvenation therapies without cleansing can actually lead to more toxic buildup…and, therefore, more inflammation. For more information on Ayurvedic cleansing, read our article on The Ayurvedic Approach to Cleansing and Cleansing in Kapha Season.
If you aren’t yet ready for a cleanse, there are things you can do (click on this link to learn more) to help lower inflammation in your body now and promote healthy “inflammaging”.
There are also a few supplements we recommend to help promote healthy aging through enhanced antioxidant and mitochondrial support, increased sirtuin activity and effective collagen delivery:
- Protandim Tri-Synergizer supports reduces oxidative stress and combat the effects of aging, supports the cell’s natural repair and rejuvenation processes, enhances daily energy levels, mood, and performance, supports healthy longevity and the removal of cellular waste (autophagy), supports a healthy inflammatory response and healthy vascular system.
- True Science Liquid Collagen activates your body’s collagen production, replenishes depleting collagen levels, and maintains those levels by reducing enzymes that break down collagen. It also helps protect against the damaging effects of oxidative stress, caused by free radicals.
If you are ready for custom-tailored support to reduce your inflammation and start rejuvenating today, contact us at Path Wellbeing.
The information contained within this article is for educational purposes only and should not replace the direct advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult a medical or other professional healthcare provider when considering a new health regime.
