Tag: muscles

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Pelvic Floor 101: Is Your’s Doing What It’s Supposed To?

By Amanda Dawson, B.Sc., M.Sc. P

The pelvic floor is an area of the body that was most likely left out of your grade 7 health class, but it participates in everything we do, every day.

We can find this group of supporting muscles, ligaments and tendons at the base of our abdominal canister. It helps to create stability with motion (lifting anything), draws blood flow into and out of the lower part of body, has sexual function, and contracts to allow us to hold stuff in, then releases to let go of anything we want out (think bowel and bladder functions). Anatomically speaking, male and female pelvic floors are surprisingly similar.

We are increasingly understanding the importance of looking at pelvic floor function in relationship to the rest of the components of the aforementioned abdominal canister. If we consider the pelvic muscles in the photo above as the floor, then we may consider the ceiling to
be our diaphragm. The walls would be our abdominals and low back muscles.

Commonly, we hear about pelvic floor strength. It has been decided colloquially that stronger is better. We as clinicians hear many stories of people being told to just “do more Kegels” to aide their pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, and essentially any other
pelvic floor dysfunction. The problem is – Kegels (aka pelvic floor contractions) alone do not teach us how to move the canister all together.

Let me introduce you to the concept of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). When we look at the canister created by our pelvic floor, diaphragm, abdominals and low back, we might be able to picture it like a piston in an engine. As the diaphragm descends to fill our lungs, the pelvic floor moves in the same direction at the same time. The system coordinates. When we laugh, cough or sneeze, the system creates enough pressure to expel air out. Try a little cough with your hands around your lower rib cage to feel what I mean. When we lift something heavy, that stable feeling in our midsection comes from the system contracting and closing all exit points to create more IAP. The pressure creates force and control. Each component of the system has to manage this pressure properly and in perfect timing, otherwise we can picture this piston more like a tube of toothpaste with the cap off.

Mismanagement of the IAP appears to be correlated with many common dysfunctions (incontinence, back pain, internal pain, etc.) and is especially visible in higher intensity sports such as running, power lifting, and CrossFit where the pressures are more exaggerated. It’s important to be assessed by a professional who can tell you how all your parts work together – and which area of your system to focus on. The good news is, IAP mismanagement is often something that can be fixed with a little concentration and the right rehabilitation process, and most of the time your therapist will help you find ways to continue doing whatever it is that floats your IAP boat.

We now know how important this system is for your daily movement, make sure you read the owners manual and do all the proper maintenance!


Raizada V, Mittal RK. Pelvic floor anatomy and applied physiology. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2008 Sep;37(3):493-509, vii. doi: 10.1016/j.gtc.2008.06.003. PMID: 18793993; PMCID: PMC2617789.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2617789/


Park H, Han D. The effect of the correlation between the contraction of the pelvic floor muscles and diaphragmatic motion during breathing. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Jul;27(7):2113-5. doi: 10.1589/jpts.27.2113. Epub 2015 Jul 22. PMID: 26311935; PMCID: PMC4540829.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4540829/

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Gain Mobility And Performance With This Tool

By Dr. Gavin O’Handley

Voodoo floss, also known as compression band floss, is a flexible elastic band that is used as a form of self-myofascial release therapy. It is made of latex-free material and can be easily wrapped around a specific body part such as a joint or muscle group. Voodoo floss has gained popularity among athletes, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, and fitness enthusiasts due to its numerous benefits. In this post, we will discuss some of the benefits of Voodoo Floss.

  1. Increased Mobility: If you have ever used a foam roller or percussion gun, chances are you have heard of Myofascial Release. Voodoo floss can help to increase mobility by breaking down adhesions and scar tissue that may be limiting movement in a joint or muscle group. Flossing is a form of release because you’re physically compressing the fascia via pressure. As you move the muscles around the compressed area, the adhesions and restrictions get broken down and dissipate. You’re getting rid of all the ‘gook’ between the muscle and fascia, the way you would get rid of plaque between two teeth. Resulting in the ability to move more and with less pain.
  2. Improved Circulation: Compression band floss can also help to improve circulation in the affected area. By applying pressure to the tissues, blood flow is temporarily reduced followed by flooding it with a significant rush of nutrient and oxygen rich blood which can aid in the healing process and reduce inflammation.
  3. Improved Recovery: Using voodoo floss as a form of self-myofascial release therapy can also help to improve recovery time. By breaking down adhesions and scar tissue and improving circulation, the body can more effectively repair and rebuild damaged tissues.
  4. Saves you time: In a minute-over-minute comparison, flossing offers more benefit than foam rolling. Flossing and foam rolling both work to release tension in the fascia that surrounds our muscle tissues but flossing makes the process much more efficient by releasing a whole set of tissues, as opposed to one localized muscle at a time. Simply put, flossing is a faster way to relieve knots and trigger points, improve recovery, and get back an extra few minute a day.

In conclusion, voodoo floss can be a valuable tool for anyone looking to improve their mobility, reduce pain, and aid in recovery. It is easy to use, cost-effective, and has numerous benefits for athletes, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, and fitness enthusiasts alike. However, it is important to note that voodoo floss should be used under the guidance of a healthcare professional or trained practitioner to avoid any potential risks or injuries. See it in action here.

References:

  1. Gorny V, Stöggl T. Tissue flossing as a recovery tool for the lower extremity after strength endurance intervals. Sportverletzung Sportschaden: Organ der Gesellschaft fur Orthopadisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin. 2018 Feb.
  2. Weber P. Flossing: An alternative treatment approach to Osgood-Schlatter’s disease: Case report of an adolescent soccer player. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2018 Oct 1;22(4):860-1.
  3. Prill R, Schulz R, Michel S. Tissue flossing: a new short-duration compression therapy for reducing exercise-induced delayed-onset muscle soreness. A randomized, controlled and double-blind pilot cross-over trial. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. 2018 Oct.
  4. Driller M, Mackay K, Mills B, Tavares F. Tissue flossing on ankle range of motion, jump and sprint performance: A follow-up study. Physical Therapy in Sport. 2017 Nov 1;28:29-33.
  5. Driller MW, Overmayer RG. The effects of tissue flossing on ankle range of motion and jump performance. Physical Therapy in Sport. 2017 May 1;25:20-4.
  6. Yasuda, T., Brechue, W. F., Fujita, T., Shirakawa, J., Sato,Y., and Abe, T. (2009). Muscle activation during low-intensity muscle contractions with restricted blood flow. J. Sports Sci. 27, 479–489.
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Lessons To Avoid Back And Shoulder Pain

By Tim Irvine

I have a problem. It’s not exactly world shattering, but it will allow you to learn from my mistakes.

While I’ve progressed my thinking in many areas, I seem to be stuck with a mindset from my 20’s as it relates to my physical capabilities. Back when I could sprint, jump, throw, catch, hit, etc., all at full speed, at any moment.

Time has moved on and, apparently, so have my capabilities. There have been a series of injures, none particularly catastrophic, but all avoidable.

Like the parallel bars in a park in Quebec last winter. Shoulder tear.

Or my no warmup hockey game the winter before. Searing back pain.

And most recently, an early morning, post-run deadlifting session. A different kind of back pain.

It seems ridiculous given my education, experience and profession, but taking my own advice has never been my strong suit.

Here is what you can learn from my ridiculous mistakes.

  1. Sitting can really mess you up.

I’ve gone from a day filled with workouts, sports, and more than 15,000 steps, to sitting 6-8 hours daily. Weekends are a break from it, but the overwhelming repetition of my butt on a chair wins in a landslide. What does this look like in real terms?

  • Slightly rounded forward shoulders put the shoulder joint in a poor functional position. When you are doing some parallel bar work after a decade away from it, this new shoulder position is a disaster. Ouch!
  • Short hamstrings, short hip flexors, weak abs. When you start moving fast, and I use ‘fast’ loosely these days, with major structures like these tugging on your pelvis and spine with reduced abdominal support, bad things happen. Painful things happen.

Solution: Don’t sit so much (Nobel prize, here I come). If you do need to sit, change position or move every 30 minutes. No joke. EVERY 30 minutes.

  1. Warmups are actually good for you.

Before a track meet, my daughter needs to be there over 90 minutes ahead of her event so she can warm up properly. She’s 16. If a 16 year old trained athlete needs an hour +, why do I think it makes any sense to show up, forgoe the warmup, and just giver’ in my hockey game? Spoiler alert, there is no reasonable answer for this other than something including the word stupid. The pressures of time usually means we cut the warmup short, or remove it completely. Take it from me, this is a bad idea.

  • No warmup means muscles are not prepared for demands placed on them, dramatically increasing the risk of a strain – aka a tear.
  • No warmup means the neuromuscular system is not ‘primed’ to protect joints and their supporting structures resulting in an increased risk of ligament or tendon injury.
  • If you really want to increase your injury risk, workout first thing in the morning without a warmup.

Solution: Always, always, always warm up. The more intense your activity, the longer and more specific the warmup needs to be.

  1. Know where you are at and do what fits.

If there is one lesson that is most important for me, and many others, it’s this one. If I just put my M.Sc. to work for myself, I would program and train myself much differently, and the first two lessons above would be mute. I’d sit way less and warmup really well. Everything would be much less risky as it relates to injuries.

Solution: Forget about what was and focus on what is. Where are you at today and what is appropriate to be doing? It doesn’t mean the pursuit of performance is dead, the process just needs to be thoughtful and match one’s current abilities.

Bonus considerations.

Tissue pliability changes with age, but more so with use. Keeping your muscles pliable, flexible, supple goes a long way to keeping your movements ‘young’. If you are 30 and have been sitting for your job the last five years, your tissues have lost pliability. Realize this and remember this is how Tom Brady played until he was 45.

When you do sustain an injury, appropriate activity really helps with recovery. Gone are the days when rest was the go to way to recover from any kind if tissue injury, including surgeries. My most recent back injury is a perfect example. I hurt it in the morning but had a full day ahead of me and I had to plow through. Appropriately. I took my own advice for once and moved carefully all day with a resulting 30-40% decrease in my pain before heading to bed. Had I laid on the couch all day, I would not have had the same improvement.

The above is written with tongue in cheek, however, the messages are no less important. There are many things I do right, but a lack of time usually leads me to make decisions I know are not ideal, but I think I’ll be able to get away with it. Sometimes I do, but when I don’t, the result is a real pain.

Take my advice and be smart with your decisions

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Save time, make gains: The efficient 3/7workout

By Tim Irvine

Alex Hutchinson wrote an incredible article about the 3/7 workout. In short, it is a five-set program with escalating repetitions, but only 15 seconds of rest between sets. You can learn all about the details by reading it here.

There are two key messages. One, to gain strength effectively, muscles must reach a point of failure. The 3/7 method accomplishes that as long as you are using 70% of your maximum weight for a given exercise. Not particularly surprising, but many people who resistance train don’t reach failure. Why? It hard. And painful. These are two things that most people shy away from.   

The second key message is efficiency. In my opinion, this is the most important factor in staying in a routine. If it’s too long and we get bored, or we find ourselves in a hurry, the likelihood of us continuing over the long term decreases. But if we can get in and out in a short amount of time, AND create progress, well that’s very motivating.

My conclusion about the 3/7 workout is that it is exceptional for efficiency and effectiveness. It creates gains in a short period of time, even in high-level sports. That’s great for motivation as well as allowing us to manage our busy lives AND take care of our physical selves. I acknowledge the hard work and pain part can decrease motivation, but the beauty of the 3/7 is that it is a very short duration with not a lot of time to think about it. Contrast that with six sets of six reps of heavy squats with two and a half minutes of rest in between. That’s close to 15 minutes. That is a lot of time, period. It’s also a lot of time to think about how hard and painful it will be. That works against our nature of wanting to avoid pain and suffering.

Give it a try if you are just getting back into workouts, or if you just want to mix things up. Your body will thank you either way.

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Protect Your Joints From Injury

By Tim Irvine

Moving is an incredible cure for so many physical and psychological ailments. It is imperative we move, but it’s also important that we move correctly to avoid pain and/or injury.

In the world of ergonomics, there is a saying. ‘The perfect position is the next position’. Meaning, always change the position your body is in to avoid adaptations that put your joints out of alignment.

Sitting, for example usually results in rounded shoulders and a low back. Excessive or prolonged time in these positions alters limb mechanics and corresponding joint positions. When we move dynamically, those joints don’t magically return to their optimal position, they remain out of alignment and these small imbalances increase the wear and tear on the joint structures.

What can we do to reduce the risk of joint degeneration?

  1. Move-in all directions regularly.
    1. For example, if you are a runner and do so multiple times weekly, you need to perform some movements that ‘undo’ the mechanics of running so your body does not get pulled out of balance.
  2. Avoid getting stuck in any one position for too long.
    1. In our society, most of us are desk-bound which means sitting way more than we should. That’s a problem waiting to happen for our joints. Work from all sorts of different positions during the day. Standing, sitting, lying, etc. Just keep changing and avoid joints getting ‘stuck’ in certain positions.
  3. Hydrate.
    1. Yes, you’ve heard it over and over, but it works. Consuming ample amounts of water helps keep our joints hydrated and reduces the risk of damage. Sugary beverages don’t count as they add inflammation to the body.
  4. Eat a low inflammation diet.
    1. When we perform a dynamic exercise like tennis, for example, it naturally inflames the body. This is good inflammation. If we eat an inflammatory diet, however, we are not allowing the exercise inflammation to recover. We’re putting nutrition inflammation on top of exercise inflammation and that sets us up for problems.
  5. Stay strong.
    1. This is probably the most important strategy of them all. If your muscles weaken, they allow for more joint movement for the same given activity. This may mean the range of motion can exceed ‘strong’ ranges and put the joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles in vulnerable positions. Weakness may also allow the joint to move in ways it shouldn’t, thereby increasing the risk of acute injury.
  6. Supplement with products when necessary.
    1. Our diets are not perfect. Sometimes we need to supplement with products that promote better health. For joints, an example is a collagen supplement.

Typically, people complain of joint pain as they get older. This is in part because of the natural ‘experience’ or wear and tear on the joint over time. More often the degradation is a result of poor habits applied over years. We don’t do ourselves any favours and then seemingly out of the blue we start experiencing joint problems. Practice joint health habits early and often and you will be able to continue to move young as you age.

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How to get the most out of everything you do

By Tim Irvine

The rest is as important as the work! I remember my strength coach in university talking with us about this very fact. In retrospect, it was probably the best program I have ever been on. Lots of variety in programming as well as intensity, and room for some fun too. What I didn’t know at the time was how universally the message applies. I’ve now seen it in action for two decades (plus) with a wide variety of clients, but also with research and real-world experiences.

Let’s start with the obvious, the highest levels of sport. Twenty-five years ago, it was rare to hear about an elite athlete competing at the highest level beyond 30 years old. In 2022, it is commonplace with more and more of them still competing at 40+. The biggest change by far is how much recovery the athletes receive. The old methods applied high intensities in practice along with the same in individual workouts. Fatigue was a natural result and that lead to a greater incidence of injury, performance lag, and in most cases, retiring before 30.

The emphasis on recovery has been incredible, particularly in the last five years. If you heard the term ‘load management’ ten years ago, you would think it related to a forklift in a warehouse. Now it’s common to manage an athlete’s overall workload to ensure proper levels of recovery so they can perform at their best at the most important times.

Moving into the real world, the same theme can apply to non-athletes who are incredibly busy. Imagine a person who works 60 hours weekly. That means long days, as well as weekend time, focused on work. (As I write the number 60, it doesn’t seem dramatically high, but when you think about it, that is a big, big number). Sixty hours a week for 50 weeks will create fatigue that you may not even be aware of. It will compromise your work performance and not allow you to achieve the quality you would like. It will also dull your experiences outside of work. That fatigue is real and if you carry it into your close personal relationships, they will not be as positive as they otherwise would be. Events that should be fun feel like work. This can create a vicious cycle by increasing stress which, in turn, makes it more difficult to recover.

Circling back to the title of this article, the way to get the most out of everything you do is to make sure you have the energy to make it successful, but also enjoyable. Constantly ‘powering through’ life is not a positive strategy. If that is more your norm, then focusing on one or more of the following is a good idea.

  1. Sleep hours each week – >50
  2. Work hours each week – <45
  3. Hours focused on your personal enjoyment each week – >= 7
  4. Social time each week – >=7

As one of my peers recently said to me after going through a tough patch in his life, “You need to persevere, but you also need to live life”. He couldn’t be more right about that and everything you do will get better as a result. The rest is just as important as the work!

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Do This One Thing For Overall Health

Tim Irvine

I’m often asked, “If you could make one recommendation for overall health, what would it be?”

Man, that’s a tough one. Sometimes being science and evidence based is restrictive. Each situation is different and my ‘one piece of advice’ would be different for everyone. Individuals require individual approaches.

There are an almost infinite number of possible answers to this, but I’m going to provide two personal favorites to this question: 1a and 1b.

1a is to move in nature. It doesn’t matter to me if you are walking, rolling, running, or biking. Just get out and move in nature. The movement and the greenery have been studied extensively and there is an overabundance of evidence 100% of the population will benefit from both.

1b is to sleep well. As with moving in nature, the benefits of sleep for body and brain are extensively proven scientifically. Recovery, emotional control, cognitive ability, hormonal profiles, etc. Good consistent sleep is incredibly beneficial to your overall health. It’s not up to me to tell you how much that is because everyone is different. If you want a guideline, I’d say 7.5 – 8 hours nightly, uninterrupted. If you are wondering what your natural schedule is, you would need to sleep without an alarm clock for at least a week or two, and on those last two days of the period, you would find out how many hours you sleep naturally. That would then become your nightly goal.

So, there you have it, my one-ish answer to the magical question. You are seriously ‘winning’ when you are doing both above well.

Now I have a question for you? Which one do you think you could improve the most on, and what will you do to take one small step in that direction? Information is power, but information and action is what really counts.

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Secrets To Living Long

Written by: Tim Irvine

The picture you are looking at is that of Arthur Kennedy Sr. He’s one of my heroes and a shining example of how to live life. You can learn from him, so read on to find out how.

Arthur is 90 years old and took this picture a few weeks before writing this article. His trip to the Grand Canyon was part of his 90th birthday celebration. I’ve only known him for the last ten years, but in that time, he’s travelled to many exotic locales in the world, usually multiple times a year. Herein lies the important message.

Arthur isn’t managing his health to the nth degree; he’s just enjoying life doing things he loves to do.

Sure, he pays attention to what he eats, but not religiously. He loves a great meal and a nice bottle of wine.

He exercises regularly but does so to continue to do the things he loves, with travel being at or near the top of the list. It helps to keep him young.

He has family that he spends a lot of meaningful time with, including some of his travel.

Regardless of a person’s age, there are many lessons to be learned from Arthur. There is, however, one thing that he has just nailed:  He fills his life with experiences and people that he loves, and supports it with behaviours that allow him to do it whenever he wants. That’s the secret sauce that brings him happiness. It is also the same sauce that brings the rest of us happiness.

It’s worth thinking about how you might be able to adapt to this simple overarching approach. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, give yourself a score on how well you are doing but exclude 7 altogether. If you are 8 or higher, you are already doing a great job. If your score is 6 or lower, you may want to consider adjusting some things to have a bit more joy in your life. Pick just one thing you would like more of and take any size of steps towards it. You will get there one way or another.

To adapt a slogan from Nike, forget about ‘Be like Mike’, be like Arthur instead!

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Good Sore vs. Bad Sore: Why Inflammation Matters For Both

Dr. Tamara Kung, ND

If you have been fortunate enough to feel the after-burn following an unexpectedly long adventurous walk, an intense cardio blast class, or from working out with your trainer, you have had the privilege of meeting some friendly inflammation. This physical microdamage triggers your immune cells to activate acute (momentary) inflammation so that your body can heal. This is where you reap the benefits of your actions, making the time spent in recovery key to making progress in your fitness goals. The influx of immune cells and fluid to the damaged area causes pressure on surrounding nerves which lead to familiar soreness. It is also these immune cells that are responsible for muscle regeneration, and repair. 

As you perform a workout, your muscles get fatigued and your strength within that session will decrease as a result. Studies show that after a bout of exercise that decreases in session strength by 20%, it can take up to two days to recover full strength. For those workouts that decrease in session strength by 50%, it can take up to seven days to recover. Having a recovery plan is important to protect ourselves from injury and give yourself sufficient time to get back into it. 

The more we exercise however, the better our muscles can adapt, and recover more quickly as your body learns to better control the inflammation.  So, if you’re just starting, know that you can work up to it slowly. 

And as annoying as it is to be reminded of this process with each tender step you take down the stairs, it is a helpful kind of inflammation which leads to muscle growth, fat loss, insulin sensitivity (because of more muscle tissue to take in glucose), and reduces chronic inflammation for the long run. Which ties into better health and protection from some of our major diseases.

Even if you are not exercising, this process can occur daily unbeknownst to us.

Physical damage that triggers our immune system also comes from added sugars, processed foods, sleep deprivation, and new science is showing, even loneliness.  When we put this kind of exposure on our bodies and minds, nonstop, we are causing sustained, unrelenting damage to our body. This can lead to joint pain, and conditions such as arthritis, and headaches, and more general feeling of fatigue, as your body goes through this extended wear and tear. It also impairs physical performance.

This is the wrong kind of inflammation! 

By tapping into the foundations of health, enjoying real, colourful foods, treating your sleep as precious, and getting yourself out there with friends and family, we can swing the detrimental impacts of inflammation to work in our favour. The key is to keep it acute, momentary, and then recover to allow it to turn off.

So, if you have soreness from good old exercise or movement, let yourself recover and reap the benefits. Speak with an expert on the types of recovery that may suit you and your goals best! Also know that the more you move, the more quickly your muscles can bounce back. Tie in eating real foods, 7-9 hours of sleep, and some social time, and that will take recovery to the next level!

Reference:

Doherty, R. et al. (2019). Sleep & nutrition interactions: implications for athletes. Nutrients 11(4). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11040822

Peake, M. J. et al. (2017). Muscle damage and inflammation during recovery from exercise. The Journal of Applied Physiology. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00971.2016


Van Bogart, K. et al. (2022). The association between loneliness and inflammation: Findings from an older adult population. Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.801746/full

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Three Things I Never Knew About Inflammation

Tim Irvine

This article falls into the category of ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’.

Presenting to companies over the last two years has provided me the opportunity to have a passenger seat to some incredibly bright people form Totum who have presented their expertise to thousands. It has been like being in a university class you just can’t fall asleep in. Although I consider myself an expert, I also consider myself a realist and the older I get the less I think I know. Through all of this, one area that I have had my eyes opened is nutrition. 

I’ve become fascinated by inflammation, to the point I’ve sat our kids down for ‘the talk’, but instead of it being about the birds and the bees, it was about inflammation. Even with decades of experience, the knowledge has influenced me so much that I’ve changed my eating, my sleep, I’m moving more, and I’m more focused on avoiding things that contribute to inflammation. I’m not quite ready to start The C.A.I, (Church of Anti-Inflammation), but I’m close.

Using my somewhat ‘expert’ background, combined with this important new information the layman in me has learned, I’d like to try and convert you to my new religion.

Here are three key things I think you need to know about inflammation

  1. Inflammation makes you old
  2. Inflammation makes you sore
  3. Inflammation makes you sick

With the help of some of those incredibly bright people, I will dive a bit deeper into each of these topics, but for now, I’ll highlight some of the reasons we get inflamed.

Acute inflammation is generally good. You scrape your knee and an inflammatory response to heal the cut is triggered.

Chronic inflammation is the one you need to avoid. It damages cells and is the road to many chronic diseases. It can be caused by auto immune disorders, exposure to certain chemicals, or acute inflammation that never heals properly. Besides these, the body of evidence around lifestyle factors is growing and it’s clear, certain things we do on a day-to-day basis pre-dispose us to more inflammation.

In an article from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the following are identified as lifestyle factors that have been shown to contribute to inflammation:

  • Being overweight
  • Consuming too many bad fats (think trans fat) and not enough good fats (think omega 3)
  • Eating too many refined carbohydrates (most packaged foods in the grocery store)

We also know being chronically stressed, under slept, or consuming sugary foods and beverages (yes, alcohol is included here) will also contribute to an inflamed body.

The bottom line is inflammation is bad and anti-inflammation is good.

It’s time to start putting out the fires.

And check out the additional articles on inflammation making you old, sore and sick to find out how this is happening and what you can do about it.