So many people think health is measured by how they feel. Bloodwork and fitness are also some measures that people use to define health. Within our lifespan, there is health span, and disease span. So many people have hidden diseases they don’t know about until they have a serious diagnosis, or death.
True health for optimal longevity means we should be disease free. This includes being free from 2 of the major diseases people live with every day, and still think they are healthy.
This includes auto-immune diseases, and diabetes. We are finding that people are living longer, but they are living with more diseases. By the time people are reaching the age of 28, they have more age-related diseases than ever before. Why is this? It is found to be because of the increase of infections, physical inactivity, stress, pollutants, toxins, and poor diet to name a few. The average individual is exposed to more than 82,000 chemicals per week. Chronic inflammation is the result of all of this.
Chronic inflammation is the culprit behind nearly every disease. The immune system starts over-working, and our own stem cells that are responsible for regenerating healthy tissue, become exhausted. This is referred to as immune exhaustion. This causes increased inflammation as we age, and accelerates aging, inside and out. Three out of 5 deaths worldwide today are due to inflammation. Some of these diseases include heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. There is also an increased number of younger people suffering from kidney disease today.
The most common of all chronic inflammatory diseases is osteoarthritis, or OA. It affects millions worldwide. The inflammation wears down cartilage within the joints. 24% of all adults or 58.5 million people in the US alone have osteoarthritis.
This is the leading cause of work disability as more than one half are of working age. OA used to be thought of as an over use condition, or due to obesity. Now we know that chronic inflammation is the cause. The average cost is $129,600 over a lifetime and 54% of the people will receive total joint replacement. This is one of the major burdens in our healthcare system. We would hope that surgery should be the last option as a result. A knee replacement is actually an amputation, and I have written about this before in other articles. You cannot “try a replacement”. Once it’s done there is no turning back. By reducing your inflammation, and receiving regenerative therapies, many replacements should not be necessary.
So how do we reduce chronic inflammation? It’s not as difficult as you may think. Diet and lifestyle must be changed. Even if slowly done, changes must be made. Inflammatory oils in our foods, chemical exposure, and other things I mentioned earlier in this article must be eliminated. It’s a process and it takes time. We help people every day in my office to make these changes to reduce that chronic inflammation that they had for so long. And for those who have already so much damage, regenerative therapies are generally the best option. Once they work on some of the inflammatory processes, they’re ready to receive regenerative treatments that may help to rejuvenate the tissue that was damaged.
Regenerative therapies are not only for damaged joints. They are also indicated for antiaging and prevention of chronic disease. Many professional athletes are receiving these therapies to prevent damage before it happens. Should you have any questions regarding this for a complimentary consultation on a second opinion for surgery, or anti-aging, please call my office.
For any questions regarding my articles, please contact me at [email protected] or call my office for an appointment.
Leisa-Marie Grgula. DC
Chiropractic Physician
Accurate Care Medical Wellness Center
18261 N. Pima Rd. Ste. #115
480-584-3955
www.CaringPainRelief.com
