Identifying and Extinguishing Inflammation

Inflammation is the major driving force of most chronic diseases. Many patients have significant levels of inflammation that contribute to poor clinical outcomes and/or longer ICU stays. The presence of chronic inflammation increases the risk for most metabolic diseases and associated complications. The associated symptoms will reduce the quality of a patient’s life. While it can be caused by different factors, diet is the predominant source of chronic inflammation for most Americans. This lecture will help clinicians identify the most common nutritional influences and will explain how substitution with numerous foods can mitigate the inflammatory response. Additionally, those foods with the highest level of anti-inflammatory activity will be discussed. Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to: 1. Identify those signs and/or labs that indicate systemic inflammation. 2. Understand the mechanisms by which specific nutrient imbalances and foods influence the inflammatory and immune pathways. 3. List those foods most often associated with or that contribute to patient inflammation. 4. Explain how specific substitutions with non-inflammatory foods can be made as part of a dietary inflammation intervention (DII).