Monday, July 7, 2008

Pomegranates


Photo found here.

This article about the anti-inflammatory action of pomegranates is intriguing.  Why, you ask?  

Because the concept of anti-inflammatory action is so important to those of us who have autoimmune disease.

When the body perceives that an alien substance or object has entered the body, it deploys it's protective team - specialized white blood cells - which invade the area of injury or infection. The resulting redness, swelling and other symptoms largely arise because of these defense mechanisms. These symptoms are often referred to as inflammation. 

When our bodies mistakenly identify our own tissues as being foreign, it triggers the white blood cells to attack ourselves. Common areas of autoimmune activity and it's inflammatory response include the cells which secrete tears, saliva producing glands, and joints. It is possible to see inflammatory problems in many other places in the body as well, including the lungs, kidneys, and digestive tract. 

So when any potential tool to fight inflammation is found, it bears consideration. The idea of eating a piece of fruit to help fight Sjogren's effects is appealing. 

I have never given much thought to pomegranates. They seem to be a fruit which requires a great deal of effort to eat. Maybe I should give them a try. But how to eat them? 

After reading this article, I realized that eating one of these fruits is not so difficult after all. Pomegranates usually show up in US supermarkets from October through January. 

I'll be looking for them. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've started drinking pomegranate juice and it is yummy! I really didn't know about the anti-inflammatory action of the fruit but I tasted the juice at a restaurant and knew I'd love it. Thanks for the info on the good side effects of it!

Julia Oleinik said...

Hi Connie,

I just purchased my first bottle of the juice in one of those cool looking glass jars. You're right - it is yummy. Who knew??

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