Inflammation is your body's response to irritation, injury, or infection. It's a defense mechanism that is crucial for your survival and protection. When your immune system senses one of these threats, it triggers an inflammatory cascade that helps guard against further harm.
There are five main signs of acute inflammation:
- Pain - The injured area becomes sensitive and painful as the nerves are stimulated. This warns us to protect the site while it heals.
- Redness - Blood vessels dilate and more blood flows to the region, causing reddening of the skin. White blood cells carried in the blood can then reach the issue easily.
- Swelling - Fluid and leukocytes (white blood cells) leak into the tissues, leading to swelling. This isolates the area, blocks spread of irritants, and clears space for plasma and cells to fix the problem.
- Heat - More blood flow escalates the temperature at the inflamed spot. We may feel heat at an inflammation site.
- Loss of function - With swelling, pain, and fluid buildup, using the affected area becomes difficult. Resting the area prevents further damage while inflammation runs its course.
What causes inflammation? Lots of things! Common triggers include:
- Injuries - bruises, sprains, cuts
- Infections - bacteria, viruses, fungi stimulating an immune reaction
- Toxins or irritants - venoms, allergens, foreign matter
- Diseases - arthritis, colitis and more
- Stress on cells - radiation, lack of oxygen flow during trauma
In many cases, inflammation resolves naturally in a few days as the body heals. But sometimes it can persist longer and cause chronic problems. This occurs with autoimmune disorders, recurring infections, and conditions like asthma.
Managing inflammation involves removing or averting the source and using anti-inflammatory treatments to ease symptoms. Gentle exercise, stress reduction, an anti-inflammatory diet, essential fatty acids, and certain supplements can help reduce excessive inflammation levels. If home remedies don't suffice, anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs, steroids, and DMARDs may be prescribed.
When is inflammation bad news? While inflammation stimulates healing, too much for too long has consequences. Overzealous inflammatory reactions are now linked to various modern maladies:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Cognitive decline
- Mental health disorders
- Chronic pain
- Digestive problems IBS/IBD
- Many autoimmune & inflammatory conditions
By keeping inflammation in check through lifestyle and diet, we can stave off these unwelcome outcomes. Learning to balance helpful healing processes with harmful hyperactive ones is key for sustained well-being.