Inflammation - The Hidden Cause of Disease

What is inflammation?   

Inflammation is an immune response in the body that is triggered when cells are damaged by injury, irritants, and/or pathogens.  It begins the healing process and is absolutely essential to survival and healing.  When something harmful or irritating affects a part of our body, the body tries to remove it and to repair the damage. The signs and symptoms of inflammation may be unpleasant but are a sign that the body is trying to heal itself. 

There are 2 types of inflammation: acute and chronic.  Acute inflammation is what happens when you twist your ankle and it becomes swollen, red and painful.  Also, the symptoms of a cold (runny nose, watery eyes, sneezing) are symptoms of acute inflammation.  Acute inflammation is the beginning of the healing process.   

Sometimes inflammation continues longer than it needs to or is supposed to and becomes chronic.  That is when it becomes a problem.  Chronic inflammation can cause damage to tissues and organs, which in turn triggers more inflammation and can eventually cause sickness and disease.  Why does the inflammation response continue for longer than is normal?  Continued injury or damage caused by a repeated stressor. 

A normal inflammatory cycle goes like this: tissue damage (sprained ankle) —> acute inflammation (redness, swelling, pain) —> tissue repair —> reduced inflammation —> restored health and healing.  Chronic inflammation can develop if, for example, you sprained your ankle again and again and have a prolonged inflammatory response.  The body is never able to completely heal the ankle so over time damage occurs to the actual cartilage it was trying to heal. Given enough time arthritis may develop in the ankle.  (By the way, arthritis is a classic condition caused by chronic inflammation!)  Or say you eat foods that your body doesn’t like and it causes diarrhea, stomach ache and bloating.  You suffer through the symptoms, you feel better yet you continue to eat the same foods again and again.  Chronic inflammation eventually damages the gut and diseases like colitis, IBS, etc. develops.   

Let’s face it.  As a country, we are not the healthiest group of people.  In fact, according to the World Health Organization, the United States ranks 37th overall in world-wide health care yet we spent the most money.  The USA spends $3.5 trillion dollars every year on health care expenditures.  $3.5 TRILLION per year!  That averages out to $10,700/year for every man, woman and child in the country, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control.   

Those are big numbers so take a minute to let it sink in.   

Of the $3.5 trillion dollars spent on health care, the CDC says that 90% is spent to treat chronic and mental health disease.  The top 7 leading causes of death and disability are:

1.     Heart disease

2.     Cancer

3.     Chronic lung disease

4.     Stroke

5.     Alzheimer’s disease

6.     Diabetes

7.     Chronic kidney disease 

Inflammation is a common factor in each of these conditions and diseases - and many others as well! Fibromyalgia, allergies, sensitivities to food and fragrances, arthritis, gout, bone spurs, sinus problems and skin problems can all have an inflammatory basis. Gut issues like ulcers, GERD, colitis, IBS, IBD, Crohn’s disease, and diverticulitis are also characterized by chronic inflammation. Research indicates that even many mental health diseases may be the result of inflammation in the brain.   Inflammation is a direct causative factor in many diseases that is often overlooked and ignored by the medical establishment.   

In our modern-day health care system (the one that’s the most expensive in the world), most doctors view inflammation as a result of the disease instead of seeing the disease as a result of the inflammation.  Now to be clear, doctors certainly treat inflammation.  In fact, that’s the “go-to” drug of choice for many of these conditions.  Anti-inflammatory drugs are effective at reducing the immediate symptoms caused by runaway inflammation, but they do nothing to treat the underlying cause of the inflammation!  So when someone takes the drug, they may feel better (the acute symptoms improve) but if the underlying cause of the inflammation is not addressed the inflammation will continue and the body gets sicker and sicker.  Eventually the drugs quit working the patient is left to suffer. 

What are the causes of inflammation?  

It almost seems like we have a lifestyle in this country that is designed to create inflammation.  We have all been exposed to dangerous chemicals and toxins that can cause inflammation.  The Standard American Diet is filled with foods that create inflammatory responses in the body.  There is too much sugar; too many grains including wheat; too many commercial oils like vegetable oil or canola oil; too much factory-farmed red meat; and too much processed food with chemical additives, flavors and dyes.  All of these things can prime the inflammation pump that leads to the diseases caused by chronic inflammation.  If you are serious about health and about reducing inflammation in the body, the place to start is with the diet.   

This is a complex and complicated subject and I have more to say on another day.  For now, I want to encourage anyone suffering the effects of chronic inflammation to schedule an appointment with us to discuss your situation and possible natural treatments that are available.  If you suffer from a disease of chronic inflammation, know there is help!  The path back to health is long and hard but it is a journey worth taking.  After all, what is more precious than our health?  Call us today.  We can help.