Inflammation: The Root of Chronic Illnesses?

If you’ve ever twisted your ankle or burned your hand on the stove, you’ve seen your injury quickly become red, swollen, warm and painful. That’s inflammation.

When you are sick or injured, your body releases chemicals that trigger the immune system to release a surge of white blood cells and increase blood flow to protect and surround the damaged area of the body. This causes redness and swelling, tell-tale signs of inflammation.

Inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself from harmful things, such as bacteria, viruses, toxic chemicals and injuries, both internally and externally. It is essential to the body’s healing process.

While short-term inflammation is good, research shows that long-term inflammation can be harmful and may be the root of most chronic illness, including diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma and cancer.

There are two types of inflammation:

Acute inflammation intensifies quickly. Generally short-lived, acute inflammation is an important part of the body’s healing process. Examples include redness and swelling around a wound, or an inflamed sore throat when you have a cold.

Chronic inflammation occurs when the body’s initial response doesn’t go away. Your body in a constant state of inflammation for months or even years, long after the trigger is gone. Over time, this could harm your organs and tissues. In some cases, chronic inflammation occurs when the body mistakes healthy tissues for disease-causing substances. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of a condition associated with chronic inflammation.

Medication Can Help

If you have inflammation anywhere in the body, your doctor may recommend medication to help relieve the swelling, redness and pain, and to reduce the risk of long-term inflammation. Options include:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Available at the drug store, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen temporarily relieve pain and inflammation.

• Steroids. Corticosteroids suppress the immune system response and reduce inflammation.

• Dietary supplements. Some supplements, such as omega-3s, curcumin and lipoic acid, can help decrease inflammation associated with illnesses like heart disease and cancer.

• Biologics. These prescription medications reduce inflammation, suppress the immune response and decrease disease progression of some autoimmune conditions.

Ways to Manage Inflammation 

There are some steps you can take to help reduce and prevent chronic inflammation in the body, including: 

• Limit alcohol consumption

• Maintain a healthy weight

• Try reducing stress with yoga or meditation

• Quit smoking 

Diet and exercise are especially important when it comes to managing chronic inflammation, because they both help maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress and improve sleep.

Change How You Eat

Though you may have heard a lot about anti-inflammatory diets, there isn’t a lot of research to back up the claims and prove their effectiveness. However, certain foods are known to reduce the body’s inflammatory response, including:

• Green tea and ginger

• Berries, cherries and tomato-based dishes

• Leafy green vegetables and fatty fish like salmon and sardines 

Cut back on these possible inflammation triggers:

• Fried and processed food

• Sugary drinks

• Refined carbohydrates

• Red meat

Regular exercise also helps. Just 20 minutes of exercise every day can have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body and protect against some chronic diseases and conditions, particularly heart disease and obesity.