Inflammation is a common driver of pain and fatigue. There are simple things you can do at home to support your body in managing inflammation, which will help you recover, have more energy, and live with less pain. Inflammation is managed by our immune system to help heal, protect, and detoxify the body. It does this very well — but can become overwhelmed under the pressures of modern life.
You are aware of inflammation in your body as swelling and redness after injury or trauma, joint and back pain, the discomfort of sinusitis, hay fever and allergies, the flu-like symptoms of an infection, the bloating of food intolerance, and the chronic pain of long-term illness.
Our immune system evolved in a more natural environment, where infection and injury were the major causes of pain and illness. Today the immune system is combating a lot more — and chronic pain and fatigue can be one result. Long-term inflammation has also been associated by research with joint degeneration, cardiovascular conditions, and other chronic disease patterns.
Whatever the cause, there is a lot you can do to support your body in managing inflammation, pain, and fatigue. These four areas are where I'd start.
1. Nourish your body and microbiome
Inflammatory foods are consumed in abundance today. The common ones are sugar, ultra-processed foods, dairy, gluten, excess grain-fed meat, and excess alcohol. These foods are associated with inflammation, and can contribute to bowel flora imbalance — which is itself a major source of inflammation in the body.
Lesser-known inflammatory foods include lectin-containing foods like tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, potatoes, legumes (lentils, beans, peanuts) and grains. Cooking can help break down lectins in these foods and make them easier to digest. Methods of food preparation that reduce the lectin load include boiling, soaking, fermenting, sprouting, peeling, deseeding, and pressure cooking.
If you are managing significant pain and fatigue, you may find it helpful to reduce these inflammatory foods for a period — focusing on plenty of vegetables, with fish and eggs as your main protein sources. Once you start feeling better, you may be able to reintroduce some foods (prepared appropriately) and include low-fat organic meat. Significant dietary changes should always be discussed with a qualified nutritionist, naturopath, or your GP.
2. Be at peace
Existing in a perpetual state of stress and strain exhausts the body, contributing to nervous-system reactivity, fatigue, and immune dysregulation. Practices that support a calmer baseline include good sleep, stress management, meditation, mindfulness, relaxing while you eat, time in nature, yoga, and gentle exercise.
3. Be more active
Commonly, our bodies are under physical stress — either from not enough activity, or from activity that aggravates our muscles and joints. Life for many is sedentary, with many hours of the day spent at a screen. Others who are more active suffer repetitive strain and injury due to too much of the wrong activity.
When at the office, take a break after every two hours of computer work. Walk around. Do some stretches. Use an adjustable sit-stand desk. Incorporate a Swiss ball and ergonomic practices. Go for a walk at lunchtime. Small interventions, regularly applied, add up.
4. Purify your environment
We are subject to toxicity from our environment, and to the re-absorption of toxins from our bowel. By-products of industry, refinery processing, manufacturing, motorised vehicles, and modern farming practices are released into the environment. We absorb them from the air, our food, and our water, and from contact with the products that contain them.
These chemicals — alongside the constant exposure from electrical and digital devices — can contribute to nervous, hormonal, and immune dysregulation, and to oxidative stress.
Minimise your exposure where you can. This includes the plastic and petroleum products we use at home — beauty and cleaning products, furniture, flooring, paint. Filter your water, and eat organic where possible. Reduce time in front of a screen. Increase time outdoors, in the sun, and in nature.
Four ways you can manage pain and fatigue
- Be more active
- Nourish your body and microbiome (good bowel bacteria)
- Purify your environment
- Be at peace
Your body has a natural ability to heal, given the right encouragement.