{"id":70821,"date":"2026-04-13T13:24:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/?p=70821"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:24:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:24:36","slug":"the-power-of-prevention-stop-chronic-disease-before-it-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/news\/the-power-of-prevention-stop-chronic-disease-before-it-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Prevention: Stop Chronic Disease Before It Starts"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article\">\n\t<header class=\"header\">\n\t\t<span class=\"type\"><\/span>\t\t<h1>The Power of Prevention: Stop Chronic Disease Before It Starts<\/h1>\t\t<time>April 13, 2026<\/time>\n\t<\/header>\n\t<div id=\"block_f58892b3bf7a3989745838e62100eae7\" class=\"shs-block block-news-article entry-content\">\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p>\u201cInflammaging\u201d \u2014 the chronic, low-grade inflammation that increases with age \u2014 was once considered an inevitable part of growing older. But new research shows that it\u2019s largely driven by our modern lifestyles and you can take steps to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChronic inflammation is more a product of our lifestyle and environment, and there is much we can do to reduce inflammation and the diseases that can come with it,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/patients-visitors\/find-a-doctor\/vijayasekaran-sridhar-1093762247\/\">Sridhar Vijayasekaran, MD<\/a>, with <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/find-a-location\/samaritan-cardiology-corvallis\/\">Samaritan Cardiology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time, chronic inflammation can quietly damage tissues and organs, contributing to conditions like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer\u2019s. It\u2019s often triggered by factors such as poor diet, stress, lack of exercise and exposure to environmental toxins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHabits like smoking, physical inactivity and unmanaged stress promote inflammation, cause damage to the body and accelerate aging,\u201d Dr. Vijayasekaran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Symptoms of chronic inflammation can include brain fog or memory issues, joint pain or stiffness, digestive problems like bloating or constipation, persistent fatigue or low energy, headaches, weight gain or difficulty losing weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news? You can take action to reduce inflammation and protect your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevent Chronic Inflammation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Get enough quality sleep<\/strong> \u2013 Aim for seven to nine hours per night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Eat an anti-inflammatory diet <\/strong>\u2013 The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and healthy fats like olive oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Avoid processed and refined foods<\/strong> \u2013 Limit fried foods, trans fats, added sugars and alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Maintain a healthy weight<\/strong> \u2013 Excess body fat can fuel inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Exercise regularly<\/strong> \u2013 Moderate activity like walking, swimming or cycling helps regulate immune responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stay hydrated<\/strong> \u2013 Water supports cellular health<br>and detoxification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Limit exposure to environmental toxins<\/strong> \u2013 Choose safe household products, avoid air pollution when possible and do not smoke or vape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Manage stress<\/strong> \u2013 Practices like mindfulness, yoga and deep breathing can lower stress hormones that trigger inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Get regular dental cleanings<\/strong> \u2013 Oral health is closely linked to systemic inflammation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTaking these steps to prevent chronic inflammation will help you avoid or manage chronic disease and maintain your best possible health,\u201d Dr. Vijayasekaran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk with your health care provider about ways to reduce inflammation and learn more about the Mediterranean diet at <a href=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/news\/mediterranean-diet-shopping-list\/\">samhealth.org\/Mediterranean<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<aside>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Adult-male-back-pain-CO.jpg\" class=\"attachment-cta size-cta wp-post-image\" alt=\"Adult Black make sitting on a sofa, grabbing his lower back and making an expression that indicates pain.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Adult-male-back-pain-CO.jpg 360w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Adult-male-back-pain-CO-300x250.jpg 300w, https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Adult-male-back-pain-CO-120x100.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t<\/aside>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/article>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how chronic low\u2011grade inflammation affects long\u2011term health and discover practical, evidence\u2011based steps you can take to prevent disease, slow aging and protect your heart, brain and overall well\u2011being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":70823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_shs_workflow_notes":"","_shs_exclude_from_navigation":false,"_shs_promote_article_on_blogs":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"news-topics":[293],"news-types":[270],"services":[238,241,245],"specialty":[515,9,18],"class_list":["post-70821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","news-topics-wellness","news-types-feature-article","services-family-medicine","services-heart","services-internal-medicine","specialty-cardiology","specialty-family-medicine","specialty-internal-medicine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70821"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70826,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70821\/revisions\/70826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70821"},{"taxonomy":"news-topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topics?post=70821"},{"taxonomy":"news-types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-types?post=70821"},{"taxonomy":"services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/services?post=70821"},{"taxonomy":"specialty","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/specialty?post=70821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}