Reminders…

1. Today’s the deadline for submissions for the January Pain-Blog Carnival. Submit here.

2. Enter the Change a Habit Contest!

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I recently came across One Big Health Nut, a health and fitness blog which shares tips on food, nutrition, exercise workouts and other practical ways to stay fit. I was so pleased the author could contribute this guest article!

The inflammatory system in your body is controlled by the immune system. The inflammatory system functions to protect your body from bacteria and viruses. When needed, inflammation is a helpful process, but it must be maintained in a healthy balance. Unhealthy inflammation levels can lead to bone breakdown and prevent the repair of damaged cartilage. If the balance is not maintained, the result is pain and tissue damage caused by inflammation.

As with many other biological functions, the efficiency of the inflammatory system lessens after the age of 30. Your body’s natural balance begins to wane. The inflammatory system restores healthy tissue at a slower rate. The result is a higher level of damaged tissue. This causes an increase in pain from conditions caused by inflammation, like arthritis and tendonitis. But you can still do something to help maintain and restore a healthier balance!

Diet and exercise are essential to combat the pain from inflammatory diseases and conditions.

Exercise will help prevent you from adding extra weight, or help you lose excess weight you may already carry. The extra pounds place additional strain on joints and cartilage that suffer from inflammation. Reducing the weight will alleviate some pain. Exercise will also help maintain muscle tone. Strong muscles can help take up the slack for suffering joints.

A proper diet can provide your body the fuel it needs to repair itself. Your body needs certain nutrients to be able to accelerate tissue repair. Studies have found that carotenoids are helpful in facilitating this process.

Carotenoids are the chemicals that produce the yellow and orange colors in certain fruits and vegetables. Carrots, oranges, and sweet potatoes are great examples of foods containing carotenoids. Antioxidants are also helpful in boosting the repair process. Eating a diet rich in foods containing these nutrients can help your body become more efficient in tissue repair. The end result can mean less pain for you.

You might also like these articles from One Big Health Nut:

• How to Boost Your Immune System
• How to Fit Exercise Into Your Schedule

Thanks again to One Big Health Nut! If you’re interested in writing a guest post, let me know here!

BTW, “Grand Rounds,” a collection of the best medical blog articles of the week, is posted at But You Don’t Look Sick.

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