What is inflammation?
In a nutshell, inflammation is there to help you. It is part of your body’s immune response to an illness or injury. When you have a wound or an infection, inflammation helps fight off germs and facilitates healing. A build up of cholesterol and other substances in your arteries (called plaques or atherosclerosis) can set off an inflammatory response, too.
So, why is it bad?
In the short-term, inflammation is a helpful response of the immune system. But when we have sustained low levels of inflammation, it irritates our blood vessels. In these cases, inflammation may promote the growth of plaques, loosen plaque in your arteries and trigger blood clots — the primary cause of heart attacks and strokes. When a blood clot blocks an artery to the heart, you have a heart attack. If the blood clot blocks an artery to the brain, the result is a stroke. Unfortunately, as we know, both heart attack and stroke may result in disablement or death.
Fast fact: Many people assume that heart conditions are men’s diseases, but more women than men die each year from the various types of cardiovascular disease.
In addition to these, inflammation is responsible for many cases of kidney failure, and for peripheral artery disease that can lead to gangrene and amputations, usually in the legs and feet.
How to overcome inflammation
Diet and supplementation play a large role in managing inflammation. Identifying and reducing inflammatory foods (sugar, trans fats, processed foods, excessive alcohol) in your diet and replacing them with anti-inflammatory foods (think fresh whole foods with lots of colour, nuts and seeds, olive oil and fatty fish) will have a positive impact on your wellbeing.
Each product in our Remedy Greens® range uniquely targets inflammation in the body, making them a great way to supplement with anti-inflammatory foods.
Here are some clinical studies that illustrate the anti-inflammatory properties of certain foods found in our products:
Anti-inflammatory activity of celery
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits of ginger
Reducing inflammatory markers with curcumin
Beetroot: A natural solution for reducing inflammation
The microbiome
The microbiome has been receiving increasing attention with regards to health. This collection of microbes on and within your body has a wide-reaching impact on your wellness, influencing everything from the absorption of nutrients and mood to metabolism and immunity.
Research is shedding light on specific microbes within your gut microbiome, which play a central role in the regulation of hormones—such as estrogen—within the body. These microbes are referred to collectively as the estrobolome, which influences the metabolism of various forms of estrogen and, therefore, the risk of developing estrogen-related diseases such as endometriosis, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
The gut-hormone connection and the estrobolome
This group of microbes (the estrobolome) within the gastrointestinal tract impacts:
Microbes in the estrobolome produce an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. This enzyme alters estrogens into their active forms, which can bind to estrogen receptors and influence estrogen-dependent physiological processes. In general, the more beta-glucuronidase that the microbes in your gut produce, the less estrogen is excreted out of the body. This means that more remains within the body to be recirculated, bind to receptors, and influence various physiologic processes.
When the gut microbes are out of balance (a state known as dysbiosis), beta-glucuronidase activity may be altered, affecting the balance of estrogens circulating in the body (overall intestinal microbial richness also influences this balance).
Dysbiosis can lead to:
Both of which may promote the development of estrogen-related pathologies and chronic diseases.
Dysbiosis of the estrobolome and chronic disease
Given the various roles that estrogen plays in the human body, it is not surprising that this imbalance of gut microbes (or dysbiosis of the estrobolome) has been associated with the development of several chronic diseases. Overall, some of the most common signs of imbalanced estrogen and other hormones include:
Here are a few examples of how an imbalanced estrobolome affects specific issues:
Menopause: Estrobolome disruption in postmenopausal women is associated with an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and loss of bone density, as seen in osteoporosis.
Endometriosis: Some research suggests that the estrobolome of both the gastrointestinal tract and vagina in women with endometriosis may have larger numbers of beta-glucuronidase–producing bacteria, leading to increased levels of circulating estrogens and inflammation that drive endometriosis.
Polycystic ovary syndrome: PCOS is another condition that seems to be influenced by the balance of microbes in the estrobolome. Studies suggest that imbalanced gut microbiota may promote increased androgen biosynthesis and decreased estrogen levels through lowered beta-glucuronidase activity, contributing to the hormonal imbalances characteristic of PCOS.
Cancer: Emerging research also links dysbiosis of the estrobolome to various forms of cancer. This altered balance of gut microbes leads to increased levels of circulating active estrogens, which promote cell proliferation in estrogen-sensitive tissues such as the breasts, endometrium, cervix and ovaries.
Balancing your estrobolome
The composition of your estrobolome is influenced by many factors, including genetics, diet, alcohol intake, environmental exposures and medications—especially antibiotics. Therefore, you can support a healthy estrobolome and balance of estrogen in your body through a combination of detoxification, diet, and supplementation.
Eat a hormone-balancing diet
Reduce toxicity
Many manmade compounds, the xenoestrogens, can mimic natural estrogens in the body as well as alter the composition of the microbiome. There are several steps you can take to reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens in everyday life.
Exercise for hormone health
Lifestyle, nutrition, physical activity, and stress management are all linked to the balance of your hormones. These lifestyle and dietary habits can help you balance your estrobolome and keep your hormones healthy!
]]>Symptoms
In addition to a feeling of exhaustion that no amount of sleep can mitigate, symptoms of chronic fatigue include:
Causes
The exact cause of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown. However, since many sufferers feel their condition originated with a flu-like illness, some experts believe it’s caused by a viral infection. Others think a bacterial infection like pneumonia may trigger the illness. Problems with the immune system are also considered a potential cause, since chronic fatigue syndrome and autoimmune disorders share characteristics - like increased inflammation. Stress and genetics are other possible triggers of chronic fatigue syndrome.
Chronic fatigue and gut health
Studies
Researchers have begun to explore the link between chronic fatigue syndrome and imbalanced gut bacteria.
Improve Gut Health With Supercelery Digestion
The microbiome
Since a growing body of evidence highlights the importance of a healthy microbiome (the community of microorganisms living in our bodies) for overall well-being, it’s not surprising that chronic fatigue syndrome has been associated with the gut.
The microbiome is made up of many different types of bacteria, both helpful and harmful. When we’re healthy, these good and bad bacteria are balanced. But when something happens to upset this balance – whether it’s illness or a course of antibiotics – the microbiome can’t function optimally. When levels of beneficial bacteria dip too low, harmful microbes may take over, potentially leading to a microbiome that’s overrun with bad bacteria. This imbalance negatively impacts our wellness.
The microflora in our gut aid digestion, produce vitamins and support our immune system, among other things. Our microbiome also affects our mental health, with some research pointing to a connection between gut bacteria and mood. Other conditions linked to the microbiome include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diabetes and even obesity.
A healthy microbiome is important for everyone, but it’s especially critical for people with chronic fatigue, who may be experiencing an imbalance of gut bacteria that contributes to their condition.
Probiotic supplements may be effective in supporting the microbiome and reducing symptoms of chronic fatigue:
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The benefits of probiotics
The benefits of probiotics have been widely studied, and science suggests these supplements can help with a whole host of health problems. Here are some of the many conditions probiotics have been shown to treat and/or prevent:
As research suggests that an imbalanced microbiome could be a cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, taking a probiotic to bring the microbiome back into balance may be an effective way to reduce symptoms of chronic fatigue. Probiotics can be a safe, natural and gentle addition to any chronic fatigue treatment plan.
Gut health can also be promoted with the right diet: increase fibre intake to foster the good bacteria and include fermented foods like probiotic yoghurts, sauerkraut and kombucha.
Both our SuperSterol® Immune and Supercelery Digestion products contain Lactospore® probiotics, which are known to survive the digestive tract and make their way into the gut.
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Managing excess acid
Several mechanisms in the body are used to compensate the excess in dietary acid load. One of them is the release of alkaline calcium salts from the skeleton to maintain the acid-base balance. Without adequate alkaline minerals - necessary to offset increases in acidity - your body struggles to maintain its internal acid/alkaline levels. This impacts your general health and energy levels, leading to many common health niggles such as fatigue, heartburn, headaches and gout.
Alkaline minerals
Fruit and vegetable intake provides alkaline minerals. Although large controlled clinical trials are still scarce, there is evidence that an increased intake of base-forming nutrients may be associated with improved health outcomes. Read these quick clinical studies' findings here. Evidence suggests that correction of dietary acid load could improve acid-base balance and thereby reduce chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, kidney stones or sarcopenia (muscle loss).
The high mineral content in celery is noteworthy when considering balancing the acid/base levels in the body. With minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium and sodium, celery can have a neutralising effect on acidic foods — not to mention the fact that these minerals are necessary for essential bodily functions. Remedy Greens® Supercelery Digestion contains 100% certified organic celery powder, in addition to seven other health-enhancing ingredients for powerful gut and overall health support.
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