Is Inflammation in the body Good or Bad?
Before we can talk about whether inflammation is good or bad, you first have to know what inflammation in the body is, sometimes referred to as “whole body inflammation,” and what it’s role is in the body, then you can expand the discussion to whether inflammation is good or bad. Inflammation in the plays an important role in the body. It is the immune system response to infection, disease or other negative change in the tissue or cells of an organ or other body system. It is basically the body trying to protect itself from some sort of harmful situation.
Is Inflammation in the body Good or Bad?
In many cases inflammation in the body begins a good thing, such as irritation, due to swelling after a sprain, bone break or other issue. Dr. Andrew Weil, an MD and leading natural health advocate, reports that inflammation is not a normal response and if not addressed can lead to chronic illness, such as heart disease, arthritis and cancer.
The next stage of inflammation is sappuration, when pus is visible. Pus can be found in the skin, due to a pimple or other type if irritation, and pus can be found inside the body as well, usually in joints or organs. When the inflammation, on the contrary, is prolonged and becomes a case of chronic inflammation, such as arterial inflammation, hypertension inflammation in an organ, autoimmune disease, or other “hidden inflammation” that affects the function of that organ or body system, such as heart disease, for example. The inflammation, which first started out as a good thing, in that it signaled that a negative situation has occurred, including a blockage in an artery, or hypertension from poor diet, Type 2 Diabetes or smoking, eventually deteriorates into a condition that bad, can lead to permanent deteriorating health or eventually disease or death.
If you notice that something is wrong and you go to the doctor for treatment, and the symptoms of your condition are caught in time and can be reversed with diet, exercise or medication, then the inflammation was good in that your body told you something was wrong and you took action. Chronic Inflammation or autoimmune disease, on the other hand, is bad when you don’t catch it early (when it was good) and it is allowed to go untreated for several months or years.
As people age, and engage in unhealthy lifestyle activities, such as smoking, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle due to lack of exercise, and stress can develop whole-body inflammation, reports Dr. Andrew Weil, which is a form or chronic inflammation that can eventually lead to many serious and often age or health related diseases, such as heart disease, pre-diabbetes or full blown type 2 diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Even Dr. Weil stresses that inflammation can be good or bad depending on what causes it, such as a sprain or heart disease and how the person with the inflammation deals with the issue.
Here are some examples of diseases and conditions, which are the result of chronic whole body inflammation:
- Asthma
- Chronic peptic ulcer
- Tuberculosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Chronic periodontitis
- Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease
- Chronic sinusitis
- Chronic active hepatitis
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Hypertension
- Hairloss, due to alopecia
- Food Allergies
- Autoimmune Disease
- Obesity
- Dementia
- Cancer
- Autism
- Celiac Disease
- Fybromialgia
- Respiratory Disease
Stages of Chronic Inflammation
- Irritation. Irritation can include redness, swelling
- Suppuration. This includes swelling, redness and pus formation.
- Acute inflammation. This is rapid forming inflammation, usually due to allergic or anaphylactic response to stimuli
- Chronic inflammation. This is a long term inflammation, usually due to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, depression or other condition.
- Disease. Untreated low-grade chronic inflammation can eventually result in disease.
- Death. Untreated chronic inflammation can lead to death, from diseases such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, and Alzheimers Disease.
Symptoms of Inflammation in the Body
- Redness
- Swollen joint , especially warm to the touch
- Joint pain and stiffness
- Loss of joint function
- Fever
- Chills
- Fatigue/loss of energy
- Headaches
- Loss of appetite
- Digestive imbalance (too much bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria)
- Muscle stiffness
- Hair loss
- Allergic reaction to foods, medication or environmental factors
How to Reverse Chronic Inflammation?
The most common causes of chronic inflammation in the body are: food allergies, type 2 diabetes, obesity, digestive disorder, and autoimmune disease. By determining the root cause of the chronic inflammation, you can address the condition(s) at the root, and their related symptoms.
A Natural Chronic Whole Body Inflammation Treatment Plan should include the following:
- Diet modifications, including eliminating processed sugars, wheat products and dairy are key to eliminating conditions that cause chronic inflammation, such as Cyliac Disease, Fybromialgia, wheat or dairy allergies. A Paleo Diet, which eliminated processed sugar, wheat products has been shown to eliminate or control many health conditions linked to chronic inflammation such as cyliac disease, without the use of medications.
- Many people who have chronic inflammation live a sedentary lifestyle. Adding an exercise program is another component to reverse the symptoms of chronic inflammation, such as reducing insulin resistance and using stored fat as a way to convert energy for cells. which exercise and lifestyle changes to combat your form of chronic inflammation or autoimmune disease. This is also due to people with chronic inflammation have been shown to have high levels of Interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein, which has been shown to contribute to heart disease.
- The Matrix Assessment Profile is an amazing diagnostic tool developed by NASA that goes down to the cellular level to identify changes in the body systems and organs that contribute to chronic inflammation, and related conditions, such as Fybromialgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes and more. You will also get recommendations for specific diet modifications, and which foods to eliminate that trigger chronic inflammation.
Sources:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248423.php
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3979
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/is-your-body-burning-up-w_b_269717.html
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/inflammation-root-cause-all-disease
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60110-X/abstract
Ken Weiss is a health blogger who is passionate about natural and holistic cures for men’s health issues. He is the founder of menshealthcures.com
