Welcome to Part 3 of Ludmila’s series on Pain, Tiredness and Low Mood.
How can lifestyle impact pain, inflammation and low mood?
PART THREE OF THREE: Lifestyle is where it all begins.
The search for the logic behind symptoms can help us look at our conditions with more compassion for what the body tries to achieve in its silent fight for survival. This is an important aspect especially for those who need to develop an understanding around pacing of activities and acceptance of the impact of their chronic diseases on lifestyle. More importantly, working with the body with a view to understand what is going on behind symptoms can help us look for additional ways we can improve our own circumstances with beneficial lifestyle changes. For example, some of the chemicals produced by the immune system to turn off inflammation and finalise repair are called 'resolvins' and research shows that resolvins are created in the body from substrates derived from dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids. In other words, natural oils from dark-skin fish (such as sardines, salmon, mackerel etc) and some seeds (chia, hemp and linseeds) are good food sources of important substrates used by our bodies to control inflammation. Diets lacking in essential omega-3 fatty acids are linked with a handicap ability of the immune system to manufacture 'resolvins' and therefore turn off inflammation with successful completion of the repair phase. Although chronic inflammation from ongoing damage is a complex systemic process, it is still very useful to work with the body aiming to provide the essentials of a healthy lifestyle that include both physical and emotional aspects.
What else could be there to influence systemic low-grade chronic inflammation from a lifestyle point of view? A lot more than what we once believed. Research has shown us there are direct links between the brain, the stress response, and our immune defence. It is well known now that prolonged or excessive stress can adversely affect immune resilience. Some of the early signs of immune weakness can be detected through the thinning of immune barriers such as gut and lung mucosal linings. These are our first line of defence against viral, bacterial as well as other microbial invaders or environmental toxins. The great majority of the immune system resides within these mucosal barriers and for good reason: through these linings, we sample the outside from the inside and inform the body of many dangers. When our defence barriers weaken, we probe our immune system towards more reactive and aggressive inflammation as invasion starts to occur more often. The health and strength of our immune barriers depend on good levels of nutrients being available for their constant renewal. The strength of our immune barriers is also dependant on our ability to buffer stress. Stress can cause a huge drain on available resources and mucosal linings are amongst the first parts of the body to suffer for it. Prolonged stress literally thins our mucosal barriers.
A walk in the forest has now been proven to be therapeutic exactly because it strengthens our immune barrier defence and promotes anti-inflammatory activity of the immune system whilst contributing to counteract stress. Russian and Japanese researchers were the first to show that trees release chemicals from the canopy which penetrate our immune system after we inhale the air from green open spaces. These chemicals originally called ‘phytoncides’ modulate the immune response and help to protect against low-grade chronic inflammation. Other lifestyle interventions that activate parts of the nervous system controlled by the vagus nerve are also effective in counteracting stress, pain and inflammation. This is known as the Polyvagal Theory and relatively simple measures such as breathing techniques, yoga and meditation are examples of activities that can have a therapeutic effect. Science is catching up on what we have always known: we belong to nature and not the other way around. Our bodies hold a lot more wisdom than we grant them and there is more going on about our health than just the symptoms we wish to suppress.
Even genetics submit to the power of the environmental and lifestyle influences. We now have a whole science dedicated to studying how lifestyle circumstances impact on the expression of our genes. This relatively new science is called ‘epigenetics’ and it shows that even genetic diseases might not manifest when we lead healthy lifestyles that avoid the situations that would trigger activation of certain genes linked with diseases.
As I like to tell everyone who is interested, working with our bodies from this perspective is very rewarding because the human body makes the most of every bit of help it can get to keep us going. Humans are the most advanced survival experts on the planet and that is something we can count on when working with our bodies through lifestyle interventions. The more we acknowledge this drive for survival as inner wisdom, the better we can trust our bodies to do its best for us. The more we understand the impact of the circumstances we create for ourselves, the better we can help influence the course of our health in the right direction. There is always something you can improve about your lifestyle and the circumstances around your health. To find out how, you can start by paying attention to the signs your body has been sending and observing what they might mean to you. If you need help with this task and other lifestyle-related goals, health & wellbeing coaching is here for you. Come talk to us.
If you are struggling with symptoms of chronic pain, please speak to your GP who could consider a referral to Ludmila for further help.
By Ludmila, Health & Wellbeing Coach