Inflammation – what is it?

I have been talking about the detrimental effects of inflammation a lot, and especially about how certain foods can trigger inflammation in your body, starting a cascade of potentially dangerous health problems. But do you know exactly what it means?

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is actually a normal and healthy process in your body. It is a natural reaction to any type of stressor. Its role is to repair and heal the body. White blood cells and other chemicals are generated in order to fight off foreign invaders (bacteria, viruses, microbes). This process also helps the body heal injuries and other damaged cells.

Keeping a minimum level of inflammation is a natural way to protect the body. It becomes problematic when the inflammation is not controlled anymore, and changes from being acute to chronic.

Acute Inflammation happens when you get injured or have an infection. Some symptoms could be: redness, pain, swelling or stiffness, warmth, loss of functionality. Acute inflammation is quick and is supposed to last just a couple of days.

Chronic Inflammation happens when this primary reaction lasts longer - sometimes months or years, without the person noticing anything. This can be due to a weak immune system, or an underlying problem that the body cannot fight off. Chronic inflammation is silent and systemic, which makes it even more difficult to detect. The end road is often chronic diseases like allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, hormonal imbalances, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

What causes chronic inflammation?

Your lifestyle can either trigger or prevent chronic inflammation. Common causes include:

• -Being overweight or obese
• -Poor food choices: non-organic foods high in pesticides, conventional industrial meat, too much sugar and/or artificial sweeteners, not enough healthy fats, too many bad fats (trans-fats, vegetable oils, margarine), unbalanced Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio, pasteurized dairy, processed white table salt, too many grains and refined carbs
• -Bad sleep patterns where your body cannot recover and repair properly
• -Smoking
• -Drinking too much alcohol
• -Existing unresolved health issues (heart conditions, diabetes, long-term infection, gum disease, chronic poor cholesterol ratios)
• -Chronic stress, being chronically fatigued or tired
• -Sedentary lifestyle (sitting for too long, not moving enough)

What can conventional medicine do?

Conventional medicine proposes some tests to detect potential inflammation, such as the C-Reactive Protein test (CRP) or an ESR test. Usual anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and NSAIDs are frequently prescribed, but these can be very harmful in the mid or long-term. They have many negative side effects and they won't resolve the real cause of the problem - they will just diminish the symptoms.

That's where your lifestyle choices can help change the situation. When you give your body the tools it needs to function properly, it will function properly. Your body always wants to heal.

In my next article, I talk more in detail about specific foods, herbs and nutrients that can help your body decrease potential chronic inflammation. The main point is this: take care of yourself, in everything you are doing. Put your own health as a priority, no matter what.

In Health and Happiness,

Stephanie