14 Warning Signs That There’s Hidden Inflammation in Your Body (and How to Get Rid of It)

Health

Reduce Stress

We talked earlier about the effect chronic stress has on the body. Now let’s look at a few ways to better cope with and reduce stress in your life!

Regular Exercise - Boosts endorphins and overall mood, reduces stress and relieves you of that worry-anxiety-restless energy.

Physical Contact - Make an effort to connect with those close to you. Hugs, holding hands, sitting close. They all make a difference.

Making Love - Endorphin production can increase 200% during intimate activity! In a 10-year study involving 3,500 people, Dr. David Weeks, a neuropsychologist, found that men and women who have sex four to five times a week look more than 10 years younger than the average person, who only has sex twice a week. Plus it’s fun!

Dark Chocolate - Known by the Greeks as “food of the Gods,” chocolate actually mimics marijuana’s soothing effects on the brain. Always go for dark, real chocolate (above 70% cacao) as it contains the most benefits. Watch out for popular chocolate brands that contain a lot of “stuff” besides actual chocolate. The less ingredients, the better. Just like all other food!

Chili Peppers - The natural spiciness of peppers increase the body’s production of endorphins. Chili peppers also help to boost immune system and can literally burn infections and viruses right out of your system. Have a low tolerance for spiciness? Add a little cayenne to your morning lemon water. You will barely notice it’s there!

Ginseng - Has been shown to balance the release of stress hormones and boost the production of endorphins.

Meditation - An obvious way to slow down, decrease stress, release anxiety and become more present. Getting started can be tricky so begin with 5 minutes each day and increase your time as you become comfortable. Guided meditations are also a great way to begin. I love using these regularly.

Laughter - Hang out with people who make you laugh. Go to comedy shows. Laugh at yourself instead of being embarrassed or discouraged!

Acupuncture - Research has shown the acupuncture can help to increase endorphin production as well as strengthen the immune system.

Massage Therapy - A powerful tool for finding and releasing areas of stress in the body and has been shown to increase endorphin production.

Chiropractic Adjustment - Another healing modality that has been shown to help with healing and endorphin production.

Hydrotherapy - The medicinal use of water increases blood circulation, boosts the immune system and increases the body’s production of endorphins.

Aromatherapy - A study done at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center took patients undergoing MRIs and measured their anxiety levels while either scenting the air with vanilla or leaving it as normal. Those doing an MRI while smelling the vanilla reported 63% less anxiety than those who weren’t privy to the vanilla smell.

Music - Music has always been a healing art for me. If you’ve watched many of my videos, you’ve probably seen me bust out my full DJ set. Good music makes us feel good. It is the language of the universe.

Sleep

If you ask the average person if they got 8 hours of sleep the previous night, a surprising amount of them would say no. It is extremely important to your health and stress levels to get 7-9 hours of sleep every single night.

Sleep deprivation causes an elevated immune response as well as increased inflammation in the body. This can cause type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a myriad of other conditions.

Lack of sleep has been linked to cognitive decline and memory problems. It’s hard to be positive when your mind is exhausted.

Exercise