Use Stress-Reducing Intervals
Chronic stress contributes to inf lammation,
and simply introducing regular intervals
(in as little as five minutes per day) of
stress-reducing activities like meditation,
yoga, journaling, knitting, or reading
significantly helps counteract inf lammation.
Stress-reducing intervals create a pattern
interruption, upregulating to a more
resilient neural platform and improving
how we perceive and respond to stress.
Stress is inevitable. Becoming less reactive
and more responsive leads to more positive
outcomes both emotionally and physically.
What's one stress-reducing activity you
love that you can gift yourself in the middle
of a busy day for just five minutes?
BIO-INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES
TO INFLAMMATION
There isn't a magic pill or strategy to rid
the body of incessant inf lammation. Rather,
reducing inf lammation begins with lifestyle
choices centered around what you eat, how
you move, and how you manage stress. "Bio-
individuality" contends that each of us has
a unique combination of nutritional and
lifestyle behaviors that either optimize or
disrupt our path to health and happiness.
Bio-individuality asserts that you, the
individual, are the best person to experiment
with and determine what foods, activities,
and stress-management practices provide
the most benefits. We can use science and
research to establish guardrails for us to
discover what does and doesn't work. But we
know there is no single anti-inf lammatory
protocol that will be practical or enjoyable
for everyone. And we advocate that health
and healing ought to be enjoyable!
The journey of health and happiness is
not static and changes throughout our lives.
What worked for us when we were 4 years
old did not or will not work when we are 14,
24, 44, or 88. Rather, every day holds the
possibility of being a healing experiment.
Ask yourself what new thing you will learn
about your health today so you can fortify
a future filled with ease and grace (and less
inf lammation). The key is to understand
your body's unique way of communicating
inf lammation. And that key unlocks the
shackles of inf lammation when we take
pleasurable and persistent actions daily to
reduce, diminish, and prevent trouble before
it arises. Remember, your body loves you
unconditionally.
Notes
1. FinancesOnline, "Chronic Diseases:
An Impending Social Disaster and Its
Crippling Costs," accessed December 1,
2022, https://fi nancesonline.com/the-
crippling-cost-of-chronic-diseases.
2. Yale Medicine, "How Infl ammation Affects Your
Health," April 8, 2022, www.yalemedicine.org/
news/how-infl ammation-affects-your-health.
3. Colorado Center for Functional Medicine,
"Chronic Infl ammation," www.ccfuncmed.
com/conditions/chronic-infl ammation.
4. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public
Health, "The Nutrition Source: Healthy
Eating Plate," www.hsph.harvard.edu/
nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate.
5. Stoyan Dimitrov, Elaine Hulteng, and Suzi
Hong, "Infl ammation and Exercise: Inhibition
of Monocytic Intracellular TNF Production by
Acute Exercise Via 2-Adrenergic Activation,"
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 61 (March
2017): 60–8, www.sciencedirect.com/science/
article/abs/pii/S0889159116305645.
Heath and Nicole Reed are co-founders
of Living Metta (living "loving kindness"), a
continuing education company now offering
touch therapy tools and self-care practices
in their online community. They also lead
workshops and retreats across the country
and overseas and have been team-teaching
touch and movement therapy for over 20
years. In addition to offering live classes, Heath
and Nicole are life coaches offering home
study, bodywork, self-care videos, and online
courses that nourish you. Try their community
free for 30 days at livingmetta.com/trial.
L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 87
Resources
Healthline. "10 Proven Health Benefi ts of Turmeric and Curcumin."
By Kris Gunnars, BSc. Medically reviewed by Kathy W. Warwick,
R.D., CDE, Nutrition. Updated May 10, 2021. www.healthline.com/
nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefi ts-of-turmeric.
Integrativenutrition.com. "New Research Demonstrates Power
of IIN's Core Concept of Bio-Individuality." Darrell Rogers. Last
modifi ed August 2, 2021. www.integrativenutrition.com/blog/
advocacy-update-research-bio-individuality.
UC San Diego Health. "Exercise . . . It Does a Body Good: 20
Minutes Can Act as Anti-Infl ammatory." Last modifi ed January
12, 2017. Michelle Brubaker. www.health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/
pages/2017-01-12-exercise-can-act-as-anti-infl ammatory.aspx.
VIDEO: "GOLDEN MILK
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SAV V Y SELF-CARE
