If you’ve been under the weather recently, you may have noticed some fatigue and lack of motivation associated with the illness. This “sickness behavior” is your body’s intelligent way to force you to direct your energy toward healing rather than going about day to day life. If we don’t shift our short-term focus toward healing, we prolong the healing time and the underlying fatigue may become chronic.
The Long-Term Effects Of Sickness Behavior
The cause of this fatigue can be a result of altered brain function due to a cascade of neurotransmitters, ultimately ending in inflammation. Many people became more aware of this concept with the talk about Long Covid.
Systemic chronic inflammation is the precursor to many diseases including diabetes, kidney disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis. These outcomes may be avoided with lifestyle decisions to keep inflammation at bay. So, if it feels like an illness has been hanging on for a while, what’s the best plan of action to efficiently reduce the inflammation and get back to 100%?
What Nutrients Do I Need To Be Healthy?
Start with getting enough nutrients into your body. If you are unsure about your diet, you can bolster your anti-inflammatory nutrition with supplements while you start adding healthy foods to your meals. Ask your healthcare provider before starting any supplementation, as the therapeutic levels may be significantly higher than the recommended daily intake.
Here are some top anti-inflammatory nutrients and where you can find them in nature:
Omega-3 fatty acids are in fish like salmon, anchovies, and sardines.
Vitamin A is in liver, sweet potato, carrots, and spinach.
Vitamin C is in citrus fruits, peppers, berries, and broccoli.
Zinc is in oysters, red meat, crab and lobster. Baked beans and pumpkin seeds are good options for vegetarians, but still relatively low in zinc, so supplementation may be necessary.
Vitamin D is produced by the body after sun exposure. If you can’t get outdoors with plenty of exposed skin, a supplement is the best option. (For light-skinned people, think shorts and t-shirt and enough sunlight to start to see some pink or tan color on your skin. If you’re dark-skinned, the color test may not give you adequate feedback. Either way, a blood test will give you the most accurate reading of vitamin D levels.)
Fibre-rich foods include raspberries, celery, carrots, pears, peas, and apples.
I Eat Right But I'm Still Sick All The Time
Chiropractors take a holistic look at someone's health. That means considering the physical, chemical, and emotional inputs that contribute to your current health. Electra Chiropractic offers free 15 minute online consultations with a chiropractor to discover more about the current state of your health. Speak with a native English speaking chiropractor in Tokyo, licensed and registered in Japan, Hong Kong, and the USA. Book online here.
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