At FreezeWellness we understand aging and disease. Dr. Karen Freeze is a Naturopathic Medical Physician located in Goodyear, Arizona. She has over 20 years of anti-aging-related experience as well as in chronic inflammatory disease. In this comprehensive blog post, Dr. Freeze will explore some of the most prevalent inflammatory diseases affecting us as we age through our 40’s and onward including arthritis, thyroid disorders, diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancers.
Dr. Freeze believes that as we age our bodies undergo a multitude of physical and biochemical changes due to inflammatory processes. Our cellular engines (mitochondria) begin to slow down during this time. We may or may not notice these changes as they can be very subtle. We may notice a slow increase in weight gain, skin changes, GI issues, anxiety, insomnia, decreasing sexual responses, fatigue, and waning energy. Starting in our 40s health issues, many of which are linked to inflammation, begin to slowly manifest. Understanding the root cause of common inflammatory diseases is absolutely critical to their management and the initiation of repair and support of damaged mitochondria. For example, lifestyles such as poor nutrition, lack of exercise, smoking, stress, toxins, molds, and bacteria/viruses can cause inflammation.
Inflammatory disease is essentially what makes us age. Anti-aging strategies are in essence anti-inflammatory strategies and are one of the same! Additionally, we’ll provide a detailed Q&A section to address common concerns and questions.
Common Inflammatory Diseases as we age:
Arthritis
- Osteoarthritis:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis and
- Lupus:
Thyroid Disorders
-
- Hypothyroidism:
- Hyperthyroidism:
- Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:
Diabetes
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
Gastrointestinal (GI)
- Colitis
- Crohn’s disease
- SIBO
- Ulcers
Asthma
- Bronchospasm
- COPD
- Emphysema
- Allergies
Obesity
- Poor diet and nutrition
- Insufficient exercise
- Hormone insufficiency
Cardiovascular Disease
- Heart attack
- Angina
- Stroke
- High Blood pressure
- Arrhythmias
- Fainting
Cancer
- Chronic inflammation- obesity, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, drugs
- Poor lifestyle – nutrition, insufficient exercise, stressors
- Environmental pollutants, chemicals, toxins
- Bacteria/virus/mold
***Each of these categories will be discussed further in our blog. Stay tuned!
Naturopathic approach to managing inflammatory diseases:
Lifestyle Changes
- Diet/nutrition: A balanced diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, such as fruits and vegetables is important as are the right fats and proteins and is without a doubt, one of the best approaches to tackling issues related to inflammatory disease. Diet and nutrition is a very complex issue and there are many approaches, thoughts and discussions around what is the best type of “diet”. There is so much information and mis-information regarding diet and nutrition circulating and what is the right approach that we will aim to provide a better understanding of this important subject in our blog.
- Exercise: Regular physical activity strengthens muscles, reduces joint stiffness, and improves overall health. Cardiovascular exercise moves oxygen to tissues and organs and provides nutrients while removing toxins – very important for healing our mitochondria and cellular engines.
- Hormone replacement therapy(HRT): HRT therapy (if indicated) is extremely important for managing inflammatory disease. Women and men lose hormones as they age and balancing these can significantly aid in the anti-inflammatory process. Women that go through menopause can benefit from additional estrogen, progesterone and even testosterone. Men can benefit immensely with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
- Peptides and supplements: Peptides including sermorelin, NAD, Glutathione and more can assist in cellular repair. There are many supplements including vitamins, botanicals and nutrients that assist in cellular repair. We will address this further in our blog.
Q&A Section
Q: What are the early signs of arthritis?
A: Early signs of arthritis include joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and decreased range of motion. These symptoms may worsen with activity and improve with rest.
Q: How can I manage my thyroid disorder effectively?
A: The most important thing you can do is find the right health care practitioner who specializes in thyroid disease. Managing thyroid disorders typically involves regular monitoring of thyroid hormone levels through blood work that looks more in depth at what is going on within the thyroid… but also … .what is going on in the body in general. Many factors can influence the thyroid gland including toxins as well as viruses/bacteria and other pathogens. We will address thyroid disease further in our blog.
Q: What are the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes as I age?
A: Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, family history of diabetes, and certain medical conditions such as hypertension and high cholesterol. Diabetes is one of the most common inflammatory diseases in our society and may be corrected through diet, nutrition, and exercise. We will discuss this further in our blog.
Q: Are there natural remedies for reducing inflammation?
A: Yes, however, we believe it is more complicated than just taking a supplement or eating particular foods. An anti-inflammatory approach (natural) requires a “synergistic” strategy. It includes a multi-faceted health management framework aimed at diet, nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, supplementation, and other strategies we will discuss further in our blog.
Q: Am I at risk for Cardiovascular disease as I age?
A: Cardiovascular disease is an insidious disease that can slowly manifest as we age. Hardening of arteries due to fatty plaque deposits cause heart attacks, strokes, and chest pains called angina. Stiffening of arteries and inflammation causes high blood pressure. It is a leading cause of health issues and death for North Americans and can be corrected with the right strategies that we will discuss in our blog.
Q: Can Cancer be prevented?
A: Cancer is a leading cause of health issues and death for North Americans and we can certainly be proactive to prevent cancers. There is a lot of debate on Cancer and its cause and we focus on “epigenetics” which is the science of how we influence our genes through environmental factors. Our focus is once again controlling these environmental factors through diet/nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, toxin elimination, supplementation, and replacing hormones if need be. We will address this further in our blog.
In conclusion, understanding and managing common inflammatory diseases in aging adults is key to maintaining health and well-being. By making lifestyle changes, staying informed, and seeking regular medical care, aging adults can effectively manage these conditions and enjoy a better quality of life.