17 Signs You've Finally Healed Your Inflammation

The wellness world is no stranger to inflammation. If you have read any health article, you've probably heard it mentioned at least once before as more and more people are starting to see how taming inflammation can dramatically improve their symptoms. So, if you've taken this to heart and started taking steps to reduce your inflammation, how do you even know if all your efforts have been worth it? As a functional medicine practitioner, it's my job to guide people to better health, and part of that is through lowering inflammation. In my years of clinical experience, here are some of the ways to tell that you've (finally) won the battle against inflammation:

Running labs is the surefire way to know exactly where your inflammation levels are. These are the three tests I typically run on my patients to assess where they stand and see the amount of healing that still needs to be done.

Your microbiome contains trillions of bacteria that affect your overall health. SIBO, yeast overgrowth, and other bacterial imbalances can lead to a compromised gut lining and inflammation that spread throughout your whole body. If you aren't suffering from gas, bloating, or constipation—and you're having at least two bowel movements a day that resemble snakes—it's a sign that your gut, and inflammation levels, are on point.

Your skin is your body's largest organ, and when inflammation is out of control, it can rise to the surface in the form of skin problems like acne, rashes, eczema, and more. Clear skin is a sign that inflammation has begun to cool down.

When inflammation is out of control, it can end up destroying your protective blood-brain barrier, leading to what we call in functional medicine "leaky brain" and symptoms like brain fog. This inability to focus will improve once inflammation subsides and the oxidative stress in the hypothalamus of the brain is relieved.

Inflammation can throw off your hormones and slow your metabolism, leading to weight gain and weight loss resistance. Once inflammation is reduced, weight loss will be a by-product of optimal health.

If your joints and muscles are constantly stiff and achy, inflammation is most likely to blame. But if you wake up feeling ready to take on the day, it's a good sign that your inflammation levels are where they should be.

An overload of inflammation can trigger an inflammatory-autoimmune response against your brain and nervous tissue, and that can cause increased feelings of anxiety and depression. As your brain becomes less inflamed, you may find that these symptoms flare more and more infrequently.

If you find yourself battling every virus that goes around, it's likely due to a damaged gut. Since close to 75 percent of your immune system is located in your gut, when your microbiome is out of balance and inflammation runs rampant, it can weaken your immune system. When inflammation is under control, you'll find yourself making it through cold and flu season unscathed.

Always craving junk is a major sign that something is off with your health. Inflammation messes with your hormones and blood sugar, leaving you in a state of hanger and always searching for your next fix. Lowering inflammation gets you off this roller coaster and helps you naturally regulate blood sugar levels. As a result, you're able to walk away from the next temptation that comes your way.

While our busy society may say otherwise, being in a state of constant exhaustion is anything but normal. Inflammation can seriously mess with your brain-adrenal communication, which can lead to elevated cortisol levels and eventually adrenal fatigue. When inflammation subsides, this communication becomes clearer, and you will no longer need that extra cup of coffee to beat the afternoon slump.

On that same note, adrenal fatigue and other inflammation-induced hormone problems like leptin resistance can throw off your normal circadian rhythms, making it difficult to sleep at night. By reducing inflammation you'll be able to sleep through the night and wake up fully rested.

Your body is designed to work on a specific ratio of nutrients to properly perform its necessary biochemical functions, including regulating inflammation. Nutrient deficiencies—especially of vitamin D, K2, and magnesium—are not uncommon today, and I see them all the time in my practice. Once deficiencies like these are corrected, you'll begin to see an improvement in your inflammation levels and overall health.

Stress has been implicated in almost all health problems through its role in increasing inflammation. By working to manage your stress through meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing, and other techniques, the fire of inflammation will quell and stress will begin to melt away.

Even so-called healthy foods can cause problems for people. What works for one person doesn't always work for the next. Underlying food intolerances can lead to chronic inflammation and other allergy-like symptoms. Once you've uncovered your food intolerances through a process like my elimination diet and take them out of your diet, inflammation will start to subside.

Your body uses glucose as fuel and does so with the help of a hormone called insulin, which helps to push glucose into your cells. Insulin resistance happens when your cell receptors are blocked due to inflammation, causing an overload of blood sugar and associated problems such as diabetes and, you guessed it, even more inflammation. Lowering inflammation allows these cell receptors to function properly and blood sugar to rebalance.

Methylation is like a biochemical superhighway in your body that governs your hormones, detoxification, and inflammation-regulating pathways. Some people have genetic impairments such as the MTHFR gene mutation that can inhibit this process and lead to an overload of inflammation. Once you know if this is a factor for you, you'll be able to support methylation through diet and supplementation.

Healing inflammation isn't a one-and-done process; in fact, it's more of a lifelong journey. That's why it's a great idea to keep track of these 17 signs and symptoms that your inflammation-fighting efforts are actually affecting your health in a positive way.