Pain and inflammation

Living with ongoing symptoms of pain or inflammation reduces quality of life. While we will do our best to get you out of pain as quickly as possible, we know that the only sustainable long-term approach to giving you your life back is identifying the source of inflammation. Unlike conventional medical approaches that aim to suppress pain or immune function to improve symptoms, our integrative approach works to identify the root cause of the inflammatory cycle that is leading to pain and other unwanted symptoms so we can help you heal.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is your body’s response to injury, infection, and illness. To protect itself against damage, your body quickly increases its own production of cytokines, immune cells, and white blood cells leading to increased swelling, heat, redness and pain.

Though helpful in times of illness or injury, inflammation can also occur when you’re showing no symptoms of an infection or injury. Chronic inflammation puts your body at risk of damage, increasing your chances of diabetes, heart disease, dementia and certain types of cancer.

What causes inflammation?

Many medical conditions, lifestyle factors, and dietary habits can trigger your body’s inflammatory response, such as:

Underlying health conditions & infection

Inflammation is increased whenever the body is tasked with fighting infection or repairing tissue due to ongoing damage or injury. Often, patients are experiencing pain and inflammatory symptoms but do not know the trigger or causes of their discomfort. Identifying and resolving the underlying health conditions or infections that signal the immune system to produce inflammation means that your provider can help you address those factors and resolve pain and inflammation.

Refined carbohydrates & sugar

Refined carbs and sugars set off a cascade of hormone reactions in the body when we eat them. Those hormones, aimed at balancing blood glucose and energy production promote inflammation in the short-term. Over time, refined carbs and sugar lead to increased fat storage around the mid-section. That visceral fat becomes an inflammatory trigger as well.

Alcohol

Not only does alcohol promote inflammation in the intestines and liver, but it can also limit your body’s ability to control inflammation levels.

Lack of exercise

Regular exercise—at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week—improves circulation and helps keep inflammation at bay.

How do I know if I have inflammation?

The signs and symptoms of inflammation vary from person-to-person and often depend on the underlying cause of your body’s inflammatory response. However, some of the telltale signs of inflammation in the body include:

  • Fatigue/low energy
  • Stiff joints
  • Joint pain
  • Chronic headaches
  • Digestive issues
  • Muscle pain
  • Nausea
  • Skin conditions
  • Allergies and high histamine reactions
  • Swelling

How is inflammation treated?

BioLounge utilizes comprehensive testing and diagnostic services to identify the source of your body’s inflammation. Once they find out why you’re struggling with inflammation, the team can create a personalized treatment plan for you to reduce inflammation include:

Nutrition and micronutrient optimization

A diet high in healthy fats, lean protein, and bright vegetables help fight inflammation and can even reduce chronic pain. The foundation of any treatment plan at BioLounge includes good nutrition and a whole food diet.  Based on your individualized situation, tailored micronutrient therapies may also be beneficial to improve your body’s ability to heal.

Avoidance of food sensitivities

For most people experiencing chronic inflammation, identifying and removing food sensitivities is a tool to reduce the overall inflammatory process in the body. Over 70% of your immune system is located in the mucosal lining of the intestinal tract, primed to react if anything you eat or drink poses a risk to your health. Over time, everyone’s immune system tags some foods are “dangerous,” stimulating a range of inflammatory reactions when that food is eaten. By removing foods that stimulate or trigger the immune system, in essence, the inflammatory dial is turned down.  While the food my not be the cause of the inflammatory process, it provides a tool to relive pain and inflammation almost immediately. Patients following their unique anti-inflammatory diet often report a reduction or resolution of symptoms within 2-4 weeks. 

The Biolounge team can perform a food sensitivity screening to determine which foods will help you reduce and prevent inflammation in the future.

IV therapy

Intravenous (IV) therapy injects vitamins and minerals directly into your bloodstream for quick, effective results. An IV of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant, can help boost immunity while detoxifying your body.

For a personalized plan to combat inflammation, call BioLounge to schedule your first appointment or book an appointment online.