Living an Anti-Inflammatory Life: Healing Begins from Within

By Jodi Chapin, RN

Inflammation is the root of so many chronic conditions—autoimmune disease, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, depression, even cancer. It’s the body’s natural response to injury or imbalance, but when it becomes chronic, it can quietly and powerfully disrupt every system in your body.

As a nurse for over three decades—and someone who has battled crippling psoriatic arthritis, degenerative disc disease, and a brain hemorrhage—I’ve lived on both sides of this. I didn’t always live a clean, healthy lifestyle. Far from it.

The Wake-Up Call: My Pro-Inflammatory Past

There was a time when I was running on fumes. Between hospital shifts, raising three kids, supporting a dying friend, divorcing parents, and always saying “yes” to everyone but myself, I was burning out. I used alcohol and pharmaceuticals to numb, rarely slept, and constantly ate fast, processed food—whatever got me through the day. I didn’t listen to my body until it was screaming in pain.

In July 2009, I came down with a severe case of pertussis (whooping cough). It dragged on for months, relentless coughing that triggered vomiting, diarrhea, incontinence of all bodily fluids, including menstrual loss, all at once. My immune system, burned out and ignored for too long, had finally given up. I was prescribed three rounds of antibiotics, which only made things worse. The Z-paks destroyed my gut, caused intense diarrhea and yeast infections, and left me struggling to get through each day, let alone work.

Not long after, I had a severe drug reaction to a medication I was taking for anxiety, depression, and sleep. I ended up in the hospital with an erythrodermic psoriatic reaction—a dangerous, life-threatening, and rare condition that affects only about 3% of psoriasis sufferers. I felt like my skin was on fire from the inside out.

That was my tipping point.

From Resistance to Renewal

It took a fellow nurse and her holistic medicine doctor husband to guide me to a new path. At first, I resisted. I said, “I’d rather live with my issues than give up my lifestyle. Change is too difficult.”

But little by little, I began making changes, better choices—cutting sugar, learning about gut health, drinking water, practicing better sleep hygiene, and moving more mindfully. Over time, these tiny steps became habits. Those habits became my lifestyle.

A Brain Hemorrhage—and a Turning Point

Just as I was beginning to feel better, I suffered a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage in November 2011. It came out of nowhere and could have ended my life.

I’m no stranger to the devastation this kind of medical event can bring. My paternal grandmother passed away just two weeks after her brain hemorrhage, long before I was even born. And my paternal uncle survived his, but required assisted living care for 17 years, never regaining the independence or quality of life he once had.

So when I say I’m grateful, I mean it deeply. I not only survived—I recovered completely. I was back to work as a charge nurse on a busy Labor and Delivery unit in just over four weeks.

And I don’t think it was just luck.

I credit the anti-inflammatory lifestyle changes I had begun to embrace, along with the possible neuroprotective effects of mindful cannabis use, as part of what saved me. The inflammation was down. My body was supported. My brain, perhaps, had just enough reserve and resilience to come back online.

Cannabis may not be a cure-all, but when used with intention and mindfulness, it can be a powerful ally on your wellness journey.

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The Transformation: Healing Through Anti-Inflammatory Living

With time, education, and experience, I built a lifestyle rooted in healing:

• Whole, nourishing foods

• Consistent hydration with WATER

• Gentle movements like walking and yoga

• Prioritizing good sleep habits

• Boundaries! Learning to say "NO"

• Intentional therapeutic cannabis use

• Energy healing and Reiki

• And a fierce refusal to go back to the woman I once was

  
  

Over time, I lost over 150 pounds, got off all narcotics and benzodiazepines, and significantly reduced my pharmaceutical load. While I remain on a biologic medicine for immune suppression, I now support my body naturally in every other way I can.

And the best part?

I’m thriving—not just surviving.

I live intentionally and in alignment with my health—and I help others do the same.

Want to know just how bad it got? Check out my brutally honest blog post: “One Nurse’s Journey with Psoriasis”. Warning: The photos aren’t for the faint of heart, but they are real, raw, and proof that healing is possible.

Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Answer

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that not all inflammation is infection.

Throwing antibiotics at an undiagnosed issue may offer temporary relief, but it can:

• Destroy healthy gut bacteria

• Increase systemic inflammation

• Create dependency and delay healing

  
  

Instead, we must ask: What is the root cause? Have I explored stress, diet, sleep, movement, and gut health?

Antibiotics save lives—but they should be used wisely, not reflexively.

Quick Fixes vs. Root Cause of Healing

We All Want a Quick Fix—But That’s Not Healing

Let’s be honest. People want relief—without taking time off, changing routines, or going into medical debt. Quick fixes don’t address root causes. But sometimes the answer isn’t a pill or a patch—it’s a plan.

Healing may require:

• Working with more than one provider

• Running labs or imaging

• Facing tough choices—but creating a plan that fits your life

It doesn’t always have to end in surgery. But it might require a new beginning.

Cannabis: My Healing Ally

Cannabis, when used intentionally, has supported my:

• Pain relief without opioids

• Sleep quality without sedatives

• Anxiety reduction without heavy meds

• Autoimmune flares without spiraling

  
  

It works with the body’s endocannabinoid system to restore balance—something most of us are severely lacking after years of inflammation and stress.

It’s not about getting high. It’s about getting well.

A Note on Tobacco and Inflammation

Although I do not smoke tobacco products, I feel it's crucial to address the role they play in chronic inflammation.

Smoking tobacco is one of the most inflammatory habits you can have.

Let me repeat that for those of you in the back of the room.

SMOKING TOBACCO IS ONE OF THE MOST INFLAMMATORY HABITS YOU CAN HAVE!! 

It damages blood vessels, disrupts oxygen delivery, impairs immune function, and accelerates nearly every degenerative process in the body—from arthritis to heart disease to diseases of the GI tract.

If you're on a healing path—especially one involving chronic pain, autoimmune disease, GI or cardiovascular issues—quitting tobacco is one of the most important things you can do.

And yes, it’s hard.

But the benefits begin almost immediately: improved circulation, decreased inflammation, better oxygenation, and a stronger immune response.

There are so many resources available today, and you're not alone. Healing starts with one decision, one boundary, one step at a time.

Let’s Build a Plan That Works for You

At Green Network Providers, we meet you where you are—without judgment, and with a whole-person approach.

We help people like you:

• Understand inflammation and how to reduce it

• Use cannabis and natural medicine safely and effectively

• Reclaim agency over your body and your choices

• Get support from nurses who have lived it, not just studied it

  
  

  We offer:

• Nurse-guided cannabis consultations

• Functional and holistic support for inflammation

• Reiki, breathwork, and sound healing

• Plant medicine education

• Wellness services for the whole family, even pets!

  
  
  
  

You don’t have to suffer in silence or go it alone.

Schedule your consultation at Green Network Providers today.

Let’s find a path that honors your needs, your story, and your healing.

References:

1. Calder, P. C. (2017). Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: from molecules to man. Biochemical Society Transactions, 45(5), 1105-1115.

2. Chainani-Wu, N. (2003). Safety and anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin: a component of turmeric (Curcuma longa). The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 9(1), 161-168.

3. Romero, R., et al. (2007). Inflammation in chronic disease. Reproductive Sciences, 14(2), 123–133.

4. DiNicolantonio, J. J., et al. (2018). Magnesium deficiency: a common cause of unexplained chronic inflammation. Open Heart, 5(1), e000668.

5. Baron, E. P. (2018). Medicinal properties of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids in cannabis. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 58(7), 1139–1186.

6. Russo, E. B. (2016). Beyond cannabis: plants and the endocannabinoid system. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 37(7), 594–605.

7. Berkowitz, Schultz, Salazar, Pardo-Roa, Sebastián, Álvarez-Lobos and Bueno. (2018) Impact of Cigarette Smoking on the Gastrointestinal Tract Inflammation: Opposing Effects in Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis