Dr Burt Jooste writes;
Here we stand at the beginning of yet another new year, filled with so many new possibilities and opportunities, mostly made possible by the modern era we are living in.
Unfortunately in the same breath we have to acknowledge that specifically due to this modern era, we are exposed to more and more stressors and environmental toxins, which contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation in our bodies.
Yes, unfortunately inflammation is the basis for all disease. Common medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, thyroid disorders, food allergies and intolerances as well as auto-immune conditions all have their foundation in chronic “micro” inflammation. If this inflammation is not controlled, it’s like a gentle smouldering fire that will eventually cause significant damage to the area where it’s burning and result in disease.
Make no mistake; with an acute injury, the ability to be inflamed is absolutely necessary for normal repair processes to occur. It is when the regulation of inflammation is not tempered, or controlled that we begin to have a problem with inflammation.
Another big mind-shift that we need to start making is that although Western medicine saves millions of lives every day, it is unfortunately not the answer to every problem, as with the case of chronic low-grade inflammation.
Most Western Medicine works on the basis of only “reacting” to a specific symptom or complaint. This is where Functional Medicine comes in with a totally new approach. Here our focus is to look for the origin of a condition, the “why” question. Once we can determine why a condition or disease process is occurring, we can start implementing various interventions and integrate them with western medicine to stop the progression of disease. In certain cases, we can even reverse some of the damage it has caused.
The same goes for Inflammation. If we can control inflammation more effectively with lifestyle changes and natural supplements, we will be able to prevent many more disease processes from occurring. More importantly, we need to be aware that this is a journey which starts with a person-specific evaluation, significant lifestyle changes, bio-identical hormone balancing and sometimes more advanced treatment modalities like intravenous infusions or ozone therapy.
Therefore, let the Skin, Body, Brain & Health Renewal team help you to start this year in the best way possible, and lets address the origin of disease, by curbing inflammation. Let’s start by extinguishing that fire and supporting the body in achieving the longevity we are all looking for!
Yours in great Health!
Dr Burt Jooste