Is inflammation making you feel like you need to lose weight?

Folks often say, “Ugggh, I really need to drop about 10 pounds” (sometimes I hear 5 pounds and other times I hear 40.)  If I had a nickel for every time someone said that, my student loans would be paid off. 😆

What I think most are saying is that they want to reduce the appearance of looking heavy which is manifesting as swelling, puffiness and poor water metabolism.  Many times, systemic inflammation which can make someone appear bloated and heavy is what’s contributing to challenging weight maintenance and feeling overweight.

I recently got an update from a patient who I hadn’t seen in months.  She was suffering from very itchy and uncomfortable hives and eczema.  She went to her MD a few times but didn’t receive much immediate relief nor a strategy for long term prevention.

My suggestion was to look at the foods she was eating as possible triggers causing the outbreak. This hadn’t been suggested to her previously.  My daughter also has bouts of hives and eczema so I have a very close and intimate experience with an removing food triggers. In traditional Chinese medicine, food play an intimate role in treating the body.

I asked what she’d be eating lately and about stressors.  She was very busy due to new work demands and was eating more quick and easy meals than usual.   I don’t know if it’s a So Cal thing or what but I have lots of patients who have a secret addiction to tortilla chips and this patient was no different.  She’d had more corn, sugar and wheat than normal.  From my experience, these are some of the biggest triggers for hives and eczema but there are even more that you would never have imagined. 

The road to quelling the fire from hives and eczema is a long one.  To keep a flare up truly at bay may take moooonths of avoiding “trigger foods”. I for warned my patient and she assured me that though it wouldn’t be easy, she was committed. 

Fast forward about 4 months… I got a happy update.  No major flare ups, some itching with a clear link to the trigger (a special dietary treat, like cake) and 15 pounds of weight loss! She looked less puffy and bloated and her eyes were clearer.  She really wasn’t even trying to lose weight- it was a secondary goal but was very happy. 

When we make adjustments in our diet and remove inflammatory triggers, it can have a direct and profound impact on weight.  What’s most important is wellness and the elimination of toxins in the body. Food can sometimes be toxic to an individual, in addition to household cleaners, pollution, heavy metals and chemicals and more.

Toxicity can contribute to not just skin issues and weight but also food cravings, mental fogginess, poor digestion, joint discomfort and more.

To check your toxicity level, I invite you to fill out a Toxicity Questionnaire found here.  Print, fill out and let me know your number and I can share possible next steps.  You’ll see that toxicity can have an impact on all of the systems of your body.

Be on the look out for my Wellbody Detox program coming soon.  It will help address: inflammaiton, weight, low libido, skin clarity, fatigue, mental clarity and more.

Until next time….

Blessings,