What is Inflammation?
Inflammation is the body’s biological response of attempting to protect itself. It aims to remove harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells and irritants; this is the first step of the healing process.
Inflammations triggers a response from the immune system, initial inflammation is beneficial for protection, but a lot of the time inflammation can lead to further inflammation which is bad.
The five signs to look out for inflammation are the pain, redness, heat, swelling and injured function.
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is when the initial inflammation does not go away. It is no longer a healing response but more an indicator that something is wrong. One of the biggest causes of chronic disease comes from the presence of ‘chronic inflammatory status’ Chronic inflammation is long term and can last for months or even years!
It is vital to do everything you can to prevent inflammation so you don’t reach this stage.
The inflammatory process is responsible for the symptoms and long- term damage and associated with oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress occurs when there are too many toxins for the body to deal with, the body then in response produces free radicals, and free radicals damage the membranes of the cells, destroying important proteins, fats and DNA.
Resolution of a chronic inflammatory condition lies at the heart of all attempts to treat and prevent these terrible diseases.
There are so many diseases and illnesses which are caused by chronic inflammatory conditions such as:
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes type 2
Metabolic syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Chronic fatigue
Depression
Alzheimer’s disease
Cancer
Osteoarthritis
IBS
Obesity
Candida albicans
Helicobator
Atherosclerosis
Inflammatory conditions are often multifaceted
Cortisol – (testosterone is an anti-inflammatory) is the most powerful anti-inflammatory and is released in response to stress.
What causes Inflammation in the first place?
Chronic infections
Obesity
Environmental toxins (food, water & air)
Physiological stress
Intensive /endurance training
Physical trauma
Age
Autoimmune disease
Long term stress makes any inflammatory condition worse.
What are the solutions?
For people who suffer from chronic inflammation then it is vital to reduce stress levels. Chronic inflammation is also a lot more common in overweight individuals, so one way of reducing the chances of chronic inflammation is to follow the usual procedures to losing body fat (healthy eating and exercise).
People’s diet needs to be improved to ensure they are eating all of the vital vitamins and nutrients and avoiding trans-fats and saturated fats. Eating herbs and spices such as turmeric, garlic, onions and many more are linked with reducing levels of inflammation. The anti-inflammatory compounds found in these herbs and spices provide health in many different ways.
Lastly, ensure to get lots of sleep and take anti-oxidants.
Many people who suffer from chronic inflammation do so as a result of their lifestyle, so in order to reduce their symptoms then the lifestyle needs to be changed. Obesity is a low-grade state of chronic inflammation, so fighting the fat will fight inflammation at the same time!
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