I am suffering from widespread inflammation in my body – I suspect largely through living in a leaky house. The most significant area is in my neck, which now shows a high degree of arthritis, well beyond that expected for my age and lifestyle. It causes constant pressure on the nerves that run either side of the vertebrae causing pain down both arms, weakness in my hands and a dull pressure in my head.
Whilst there is no proven cause of arthritis, inflammation in general from high levels of stress, poor living conditions or poor nutrition all contribute. So forgetting about the cause of inflammation [arthritis or injury], what can we do to prevent inflammation or reduce it.
There are three main courses of action:
- Taking an anti-inflammatory drug, such as aspirin or NSAID [Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs]
- Diet – avoiding inflammation promoting foods and building up your diet with anti-inflammatory foods
- Nutritional Supplements
Taking Aspirin on a long term basis is highly controversial. Some advocates, such as Dr Oz believe it can reduce breast cancer in women by 30%, and reduces colon cancer by 50% in women. He adds that “anyone over the age of 40 should be taking aspirin”. [Obviously with medical contradictions in mind.]
Others claim that even low dose [baby] aspirin, taken on a regular basis can erode the stomach lining resulting in intestinal bleeding and ulcers. So I set about to seek out more information that would help me make the decision whether to attempt using aspirin on a daily basis, and what other foods and supplements I might try to improve my condition.
