The UltraMind Solution (55 page)

I have irritable bowel syndrome (spastic colon).
I have neuritis (problems like ADHD, autism, mood and
behavior problems).
I have heart disease or have had a heart attack.
I have diabetes or am overweight (BMI greater than 25—a BMI chart
has been printed in The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide for
your convenience.)
I have or my family has a history of Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.
I have a stressful life.
I drink more than three glasses of alcohol a week.
I don’t exercise more than thirty minutes three times a week.
* For your convenience, this quiz has been reprinted in The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide. Simply go to www.ultramind.com/guide, download the guide, and print out the quiz.

Scoring Key—Inflammation

Score one point for each box you checked.

Most of us are familiar with inflammation. Classic signs are pain, swelling, redness, and heat. Think about a bad sore throat, a swollen knee, or an infected fingernail. In each case, the part of your body that’s affected is inflamed.

Inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system against infection, irritation, toxins, and foreign molecules. When your body detects problems like these, a cascade of events occurs in which white blood cells and chemicals called cytokines (
see the text box on page 175 to learn more about these important chemicals
) mobilize to protect you from foreign invaders.

In this capacity, inflammation is a good thing. It fights foreign invaders of all types.

However, when the natural balance of your immune system (which produces just enough inflammation to keep infections, allergens, toxins, or other stressors under control) is disrupted, the immune system shifts into a chronic state of alarm, spreading a smoldering fire of inflammation throughout the body.

In essence, the part of your immune system that is designed to protect
you from foreign invaders starts attacking the cells and tissues of your own body. When this happens it can create
major
problems.

This fire in the heart causes heart disease, in our fat cells causes obesity, in the whole body causes cancer, in the eyes causes blindness, and, when this fire spreads to your brain, it can cause depression, dementia, autism, ADHD, Alzheimer’s, forgetfulness, and a host of other problems.

This inflammatory process may go awry, not only in individuals with inflammatory diseases but in otherwise healthy people whose lifestyles and/or environments expose them to substances the body perceives as irritants, such as low-grade infections from gum disease, food allergens, toxins, and even inflammatory foods such as sugar and animal fat. (You will learn more about each of these specific causes of inflammation later in the chapter.)