Today at a Glance
- What I thought I knew about inflammation
- Eat like the Mediterranean, feel like yourself again
- The pharmacy inside you
- The somatic signal most people miss
- Why everything comes back to the nervous system
Over the last few years, I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit researching inflammation.
Not just the articles you skim on your phone while sipping green tea. I mean deep study. Peer-reviewed papers. Nutrition protocols. Somatic patterns. Nervous system loops.
Why?
Because I had to.
It started when my mom needed to undergo eye surgery due to a thyroid dysfunction, and it continued with my dad diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Watching someone you love go from strong and capable to swollen, exhausted, and scared, it wakes something up in you.
And over time, I kept hearing the same questions from people I worked with:
“Why am I always so tired?”
”Why do my joints hurt?”
”Why can’t I eat the foods I used to enjoy?”
They weren’t just asking about symptoms. They were describing a growing disconnect – that bewildering moment when your own body starts feeling like a stranger.
They didn’t want hacks.
They wanted a way back in.
And what I discovered challenged my perspective completely.
Because yes, inflammation is about food. But it’s also about feeling. About what’s been unspoken, unprocessed, and unreleased. About the noise we’ve absorbed and the silence we’ve learned to sit in instead of scream.
This issue is about that.
About what happens when you stop trying to fix the fire, and instead, you learn to listen to the heat.
Let’s begin.
"The body has an innate capacity for healing when we simply get out of its way."
What the Mediterranean Knows About Inflammation That We Forgot
You don’t need another supplement stack or extreme detox.
You need to eat like your body actually matters.
In this week’s article, I break down how the Mediterranean way of eating naturally reduces inflammation (without the overwhelm, restriction, or trend-chasing.)
You’ll learn the why, the how, and a few delicious examples you can try today.
Because the right ingredients can calm your system from the inside out.
Read it here: Mediterranean Diet: The Anti-Inflammatory Way to Eat for Life
The Physical Edge
Eat Like the Mediterranean, Feel Like Yourself Again
Want to lower inflammation? Don’t start with supplements.
Start with breakfast.
The Mediterranean diet has been studied, tested, and lived for generations. It’s not a trend – it’s a proven path to reducing chronic inflammation, improving cognition, and supporting long-term vitality.
Here’s one of my go-to breakfast frameworks for an anti-inflammatory start:
The Mediterranean Morning Bowl
- Greek yogurt (probiotic support + protein)
- Walnuts (omega-3s, natural anti-inflammatory)
- Blueberries (rich in polyphenols that reduce oxidative stress)
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (oleocanthal = nature’s ibuprofen)
- Sprinkle of cinnamon (helps with blood sugar stability)
This combo calms the system while fueling your brain and gut.
Remember: inflammation isn’t just something that “happens.”
It’s something we often feed.
Or, in this case, nourish away.
The Pharmacy Inside You
Here’s something wild from the world of psychoneuroimmunology (yes, that’s a thing):
What you believe about your body changes how your body heals.
There’s a cognitive tool used in integrative healing practices that breathworkers and mind-body therapists swear by:
The Internal Pharmacy Frame
The core idea:
Your brain isn’t just a computer. It’s a pharmacy.
Your thoughts, beliefs, and emotional states influence hormonal output, immune responses, and inflammatory markers.
In other words:
Your body listens to your inner dialogue and responds accordingly.
Tiny Shift:
Swap “My body is broken” with:
→ “My body is adjusting.”
→ “My system is learning.”
→ “I can support my body in coming back to balance.”
This isn’t woo-woo. It’s biology.
Your inner pharmacy opens for the thoughts that signal safety, repair, and hope.
And that shift alone can calm inflammation from the inside out.
The Somatic Signal Most People Miss
You want to lower inflammation?
Feel more, not less.
Somatic practitioners talk about this often:
Chronic inflammation isn’t just about what’s in your blood.
It’s about what’s trapped in your body.
- Unprocessed stress.
- Suppressed emotion.
- Tension you’ve been living in so long, you forgot it wasn’t your baseline.
Here’s a practice we teach in the EmBodIQ Reset Ritual:
Somatic Scan + Breath Release
- Find a quiet space.
- Inhale slowly through your nose for 4.
- Exhale through your mouth for 6.
- Scan your body, top to bottom.
- Notice where it feels dense, dull, or heavy.
- Breathe into that space. Not to fix. Just to feel.
Then ask:
“What’s here that I haven’t acknowledged today?”
The body isn’t loud. But it’s honest.
Sometimes inflammation is your system’s way of saying:
“Please slow down and listen to me.”
Why Everything Comes Back to the Nervous System
If you’ve been reading these newsletters for a while, you’ve probably noticed something.
We talk about the nervous system more and more.
That’s not by accident. It’s not a rebrand.
It’s because the more we work with clients, the more we realize:
No amount of nutrition advice or workout strategy works if your nervous system is in survival mode. And mindfulness is a great way in but it might not be enough.
Because you need to feel safe inside your own body.
And from there? Everything changes.
You eat differently.
You move differently.
You choose differently.
That’s why we built something new:
The EmBodIQ Reset Ritual
Live 20-minute sessions.
Tools for regulation.
Practices to help you come back to your body after a long day, or a long life lived in overdrive.
We’re still early in this, which means you can join as a founding member.
Low investment. Deep impact.
If it speaks to you, explore it here.
A Week of Tiny Experiments
If you’re new here, this is how we turn insight into integration.
The A.C.T.I.V.E.™ Loop is our model for transformation without burnout.
Here’s your invitation this week:
A – Awareness
Where does inflammation show up in your life?
Your joints? Your skin? Your digestion?
Or is it emotional? Snappiness? Fog? Fatigue?
C – Curiosity
Ask yourself:
→ What if my body’s “inflammation” is a message?
→ What’s it asking for? (Rest? Nourishment? Breath?)
T – Tiny Test (pick one):
✅ Breakfast Ritual → Try the Mediterranean Morning Bowl from Section 2
✅ Thought Swap → Use the Internal Pharmacy Frame (Section 3) when symptoms flare
✅ Somatic Scan → Do the 6-step breath + body check-in (Section 4) after your workday
I – Integration
Note what changed:
→ Did your mood lift?
→ Did pain ease a bit?
→ Did the craving for sugar or numbing shift?
V – Variation
Change the time. Stack it with another habit.
Try the somatic practice before sleep. The thought swap mid-meeting.
E – Evolution
What part of this could become a daily ritual, not a rescue tool?
What’s worth keeping for good?
Your Challenge This Week:
Run 1 of these tiny experiments every day for 5 days.
Track what you feel, physically, emotionally.
Then write me back and tell me:
→ What surprised you?
→ What did your body tell you that your mind had been ignoring?
Inflammation isn’t the enemy. It’s information.
The question is: Are you listening?
That’s it for today.
Hope you enjoyed it (and learned something new).
As always, stay fit, stay active, and enjoy your life.
Ketty
