5 Things I Do to Fight Inflammation That Have Nothing to Do With Food

Key wellness strategies (non-food) to fight inflammation

1) Floss nightly (gum health)

• Floss every night, ideally right before bed
• Book dental cleanings/hygienist visits about every 3–6 months
• Rationale:
  • Gum disease is an inflammatory and microbial issue
  • Oral bacteria can travel downstream to influence the gut and systemic inflammation (e.g., CRP)

2) Lift heavy / strength train consistently

• Start with 1–2 sessions per week if you’re new
• Build toward 4–5 sessions/week, about 30 minutes each
• Focus on big movements (e.g., push/pull, legs, core/abs)
• Rationale:
  • Muscle contraction releases signaling molecules (myokines) that can influence the immune system
  • Exercise training can lower CRP, even without weight loss

3) Keep a consistent sleep schedule (especially wake time)

• Wake up at the same time every day, including weekends
• Aim for stable “uptime”; adjust bedtime within reason
• Rationale:
  • Sleep timing regularity is linked to better longevity and more predictable immune signaling
  • Irregular schedules can act like internal jet lag for the body’s clocks (including gut microbes and the immune system)

4) Get time in nature to lower stress (and cortisol)

• Spend at least 20 minutes in a green space (trees/park/backyard) 3+ times per week
• Reduce phone/podcast use while outside (e.g., be present, listen to birds)
• Rationale:
  • Nature exposure can reduce salivary cortisol
  • Cortisol functions as a “brake” on inflammation; chronic stress can blunt response over time

5) Eat one meal per day with real social connection (phones off)

• Have one meal daily with other people (family/friends)
• Keep phones out of the room / off-limits during the meal
• Rationale:
  • Loneliness/social isolation can shift immune activity toward more inflammation
  • Phones at the table reduce the key benefit: connection (meals become “just calories”)

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Practical “start tonight” checklist

• Floss before bed
• Set a consistent wake-time alarm
• Get 20 minutes outside in a green space
• Go to the gym / lift (start small if needed)
• Eat with someone (phones away)

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Presenters or sources

• Presenter: Dr. B (triple board-certified gastroenterologist; 20+ years in medicine; “5 things to fight inflammation”)
• Mentioned researchers/studies:
  • Meta-analysis on periodontitis & CRP
  • Animal study involving Klebsleilla from human saliva
  • Meta-analysis on exercise training & CRP (83 trials; 3,769 people)
  • UK Biobank study (sleep regularity; 60,977 adults using wrist accelerometers)
  • University of Michigan study (“nature pill”; cortisol reduction)
  • Sheldon Cohen’s group (long-term stress and immune resistance to cortisol)
  • Steve Cole’s group (gene activity in white blood cells; social isolation; older adults)
  • Meta-analysis on parental phone use & children’s emotional/behavioral outcomes (42 studies; 56,275 children)