7 Tips to Reduce Chronic Inflammation

Dry eye is a disease that is driven by inflammation. Inflammation that comes into your eye will create the feelings and sensations of dryness. Patients who suffer from chronic inflammatory conditions are more prone to having dry eye symptoms.  These conditions are often autoimmune disorders like Sjogren’s syndrome and arthritis.

 

Reducing the amount of inflammation inside the eye can be achieved topically with eyedrops. There are several prescription eyedrops that were designed specifically to bring down the inflammation of dry eye.

 

There are three prescription medications on the market currently that are specifically designed to bring down chronic inflammation inside of the eye. These medications are prescription and include Restasis, Cequa, and Xiidra. These prescription medications were designed to be used long-term to bring down inflammation.

 

Steroid eye drops are also sometimes used to bring down inflammation, however, they are not advised to be used as a long-term solution.  Steroids have several side effects including cataract formation and elevated eye pressure.  So, they are often used to control the inflammation of dry eye, but they are not usually used for long periods of time because of these side effects.

 

Any of the above medications require a prescription.  I always recommend for you to see your Eye Care Provider if you are suffering from dry eye symptoms.  If you live in the Ark-La-Tex, I would love for you to see me at Lusk Eye Specialists.  Otherwise, find an eye doctor in your area by using this website.

 

In the meantime, try a preservative-free artificial tear 2-4 times a day to flush extra inflammation from your tears.  Check out my Guide to Artificial Tears to find the best tear to suit your lifestyle.

 

Using artificial tears daily is just one part of the 4 Simple steps I use to treat my patients who are suffering from dry eye symptoms.  If you don't know about these 4 steps already.  You can read about them, or watch the video, in this blog.

 

Here are seven tips to bring down chronic inflammation in your body.  These are things you can do by making small adjustments to your lifestyle.

 

 

Most Americans do not get an adequate amount of water daily. The new standard is to drink half of your body weight in ounces each day. This can sometimes be significantly more than the eight 8-ounce glasses of water we learned about in school.  

 

For example, a 200-pound person would need to drink 100 ounces of water each day to stay hydrated.

 

Probiotics help to increase the number of good bacteria in your gut and improve your digestive system. Breaking down food properly will help to reduce the inflammation in your body.    

 

The quality of a probiotic supplement can vary greatly depending on the brand. It is best to buy your probiotic at your local health food store versus the drug store.  There are two that I like and they do not need to be refrigerated. These are Probiotic Plus  from Nurturing the Soul and Perfect Biotics from Probiotic American

 

 

 

Prebiotic foods include apples, garlic, asparagus, leaks, bananas, artichokes, greens, onion, jicama.  Add these into your cooking recipes by increasing or adding garlic and onions.  Or toss the veggies into a nice green salad.

 

 

 

Get more whole foods into your diet.  Eating more whole foods will leave less room for processed foods. Processed foods tend to be more inflammatory in nature because they are full of Omega 6 Fatty Acids.

 

To me, the best part of eating whole foods is not having to prepare them.  Raw fruits and veggies are a great example of foods that are easily added to the diet without any fuss.  Just grab one and eat it as a snack or part of a meal.  

 

 

Anti-inflammatory foods include turmeric, rosemary, ginger, green tea, and bone broth. These foods help to bring down inflammation throughout the body.  These can easily be added throughout the day by substituting a cup of green tea instead of coffee.  Or, you could use bone broth in a soup recipe instead of chicken broth.

 

 

An American adult should have at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Getting the proper quantity of hours is important, but the quality of that rest is also important.

 

There are several tips about sleep and how to get better quality sleep in my book Alleviate Dry Eye.  Get the book here, and check out chapter 4 to learn more about how sleep affects your dry eyes.

 

Meditation has been shown to significantly reduce the body's levels of stress. Stress stimulates the body to release the hormone cortisol.  And, chronically high levels of cortisol can lead to weight gain.  Reducing your stress can give you a better night's sleep and better overall health. 

 

Meditation has been shown to significantly reduce stress.  You can meditate on your own by taking a few minutes to think quietly, concentrate on your breathing, or say a mantra.  There are also several helpful and inexpensive apps you can download.  One of my favorites is Calm. 

 

 

Dry Eye symptoms are caused by inflammation.  Bringing down the levels of inflammation in the body can help reduce the pain in irritation felt in the eyes.

 

There are many ways to reduce inflammation by making small changes to your habits on a daily basis.  One great way to keep your eyes feeling better is to use an artificial tear.  Get the Guide to Artificial Tears here and know which one is best for your lifestyle.