Is Your Brain Inflamed?

If your body is inflamed, so is your brain.How do you know you are inflamed? Symptoms of inflammation vary; how you experience inflammation is dependent on your body and biology. Signs of inflammation include:

  • Stiff or achy muscles or joints

  • Metabolic dysfunction (high cholesterol, high blood sugar and/or high blood pressure)

  • Fatigue

  • Swelling in hands or feet

  • Water retention

  • Abdominal bloating

  • "Bags" under your eyes

  • Headaches

  • Feeling poorly in general

  • Frequent colds and infections

  • Poor wound healing

You may have become accustomed to the symptoms of inflammation making chronic, low grade inflammation difficult for you to identify. Inflammation may also be silent, in which there are no obvious symptoms. Fortunately, there are biomarkers (i.e. lab tests) to evaluate inflammation, many of which have been linked to depression and ADHD.Talk with an informed health practitioner about these lab tests:

  • C-Reactive Protein

  • Homocysteine

  • Ferritin

  • Vitamin D

  • Fatty acid profile of red blood cells (shows how much omega-3, omega-6, saturated fats, etc. in body cells)

Inflammation is at the root of all dysfunction in the body and chronic diseases. If you haven't had these tests done in the past year, now is the time.Material on this blog is provided for informational purposes only. It is general information that may not apply to you as an individual, and is not a substitute for personalized nutrition or health advice or healthcare. Never disregard medical advice or delay seeking medical care because of something you have read or accessed through this website.

ArticlesHana Abdulaziz Feeney, MS, RDbrain function