How Understanding This Changes Everything
If you’ve ever wondered why some mornings you spring out of bed and other days feel as if someone subtly lowered your energy by a few degrees, there’s usually a simple reason: inflammation and oxidation — the small, steady, and inevitable processes shaping how we age, move, think, and feel.
I often picture the body like an old, beautifully built house in the forest. Strong bones, good lines, solid history. But the sun, rain, and wind work on it every day. Without attention, the beams weather and the colours fade. With mindful upkeep, it becomes more itself — seasoned, character-filled, resilient.
Our cells respond the same way. It even has a name — inflammaging.
What’s Really Going On Inside
Inflammation: The Alarm That Doesn’t Know When to Stop
Inflammation is the body’s emergency signal. When we scrape a knee or fight an infection, it’s exactly what we need. But modern life — poor sleep, stress, processed foods, pollution — keeps that signal flickering in the background long after the emergency has passed.
We feel it as stiffness, bloating, irritability, fogginess, or “just not myself lately.” It’s subtle until it suddenly isn’t.
Oxidation: The Body’s Version of Rust
Oxidation is what turns a sliced apple brown. Inside the body, free radicals create their own version of that browning effect. A little is normal; too much starts damaging tissues and speeding up the aging process.
And the tricky part?
When inflammation rises, oxidation rises too. They're a cellular tag team.
That’s why lifestyle matters — not in a perfectionist way, but in a maintenance-of-the-house way.
How Food & Lifestyle Influence This Daily Dance
Every time we eat, sleep, move, or pause long enough to breathe properly, we’re influencing these two processes.
Your body tends to thrive when you offer it:
-
Colourful, whole foods rich in antioxidants
- Good fats that soothe rather than irritate
-
Movement that fuels circulation and joy
- Deep, restorative sleep
- Time in nature (the ultimate nervous system reset)
These aren’t grand gestures. They’re small, steady acts of upkeep — the equivalent of tightening a hinge, repainting a windowsill, or clearing the gutters before the rain.
Where Oleocanthal & Oleacein Fit In
This is the part that always fascinates me and what has kept Athan and me on this path, following research and beating the drum of HP EVOO since 2012.
High Phenolic (HP) extra virgin olive oil isn’t valuable simply because it’s a healthy monounsaturated fat (MUFA). When specifically grown and processed, this olive oil contains specific compounds with very specific tasks, and two of them play directly into the inflammation/oxidation puzzle.
Oleocanthal
Studied, and often compared to a natural ibuprofen, oleocanthal has a remarkable ability to calm inflammation at the molecular level. The first time people taste it, they feel that peppery “throat sting” — that’s the compound at work, like a spark of phenolic intelligence announcing, I’m here to help. [1]
Oleacein
One of the strongest natural antioxidants you can consume through food.
Its role is simply to neutralize free radicals before they start trouble. [2]
Together, these two phenolic compounds do something extraordinary:
they help balance both sides of the inflammation–oxidation equation. [3]
And now we know — thanks to recent research — that smaller amounts of high-concentration phenolics do far more for the body than large quantities of low-phenolic oils. [4]
Why Microdosing Works — And Why People Often Feel It Quickly
Microdosing high-phenolic EVOO is one of the easiest daily supports you can give your cells. You don’t need to cook with it or take large amounts — just a small, consistent dose.
And while the benefits deepen over time, many people feel the difference within days.
When inflammation has been simmering under the surface, the body often responds immediately when it receives something genuinely useful.
I’ve seen this repeatedly: easier mornings, more fluid movement, clearer energy.
Not a “miracle moment” — simply the body doing what it’s been waiting to do.
A Real Story: Geri’s Experience
One of the most meaningful reminders of what these phenolics can do came from my friend Geri, who lives with Stage 4 breast cancer affecting her bone marrow, spine, ribs, pelvis, neck, and skull — along with severe arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Here’s what she wrote:
“It’s always difficult to know how much a supplement helps until you stop taking it.
I ran out of my oil for about 10 weeks and began feeling stiff, slow, and unwell overall.
When I received my new batch, the difference was remarkable. Within a few days, my stiffness started to lift and that heavy malaise disappeared.
Living well with cancer is possible, and for me the difference is all because of my daily dose of this oil. I’m so happy I bought a year’s supply because being on it and being off it are two entirely different experiences.”
— Geri
Her experience mirrors what many others quietly report: when the body finally receives the right kind of support, it responds quickly, clearly, and gratefully.
Your Takeaway?
Understanding inflammation and oxidation isn’t about doom and gloom or fear of aging. It’s about noticing how profoundly the little things matter; taking charge. Once you understand the underlying influences, it becomes much easier to make choices that support you rather than drain you.
This knowledge puts the steering wheel back in your hands.
Not with pressure — but with clarity.
To your health!
MH
To see how high-phenolic EVOO can fit into a gentle daily routine, explore our MicroDosing guide and product options → Precision Wellness