Deflating Inflammation :: Health and Disease :: Pain Management

> Health and Disease > Pain Management > inflammation

Deflating Inflammation
by author Sherry Torkos, BScPharm

Inflammation is a process by which the body’s immune system reacts to infection, contact with foreign substances, or injury. It happens when you stub your toe, contract a virus, or are exposed to a harsh chemical.

Your immune system mounts a defence by releasing various chemicals which increase blood flow to the area, causing some or all of the following symptoms: redness, swelling, warmth, and pain. Inflammation may also be associated with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, and aching.

Although inflammation is a natural process designed to help the body fight infection and promote healing, in some cases the body’s immune system overreacts, or reacts inappropriately. Such is the case with autoimmune diseases where the body’s normally protective immune system causes damage to its own tissues.

Lifestyle factors such as stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep also contribute to inflammation. While there are often obvious signs of acute inflammation, such as redness and swelling, chronic inflammation, which occurs from lifestyle factors, can be more insidious. It can affect many body tissues including blood vessels, organs, and nerves with few or no obvious signs until a serious health problem develops.

Researchers have identified inflammation as a factor in the development and progression of many chronic diseases, so it is essential to be aware of the factors that trigger inflammation as well as approaches to keep this process in check.

Inflammation and Disease

There is no debate that many chronic diseases are associated with inflammation. Below are some of the most common and concerning of these.

Arthritis

This general term is used to describe various inflammatory conditions in the body. There are over 100 forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and Sjögren’s syndrome.

These diseases involve joint and musculoskeletal pain, and are often a result of inflammation of the joint lining. Some forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, are caused by autoimmune responses, and others, such as osteoarthritis, are caused by wear and tear to the joint, which leads to inflammation.

Cancer

Chronic inflammation resulting from infection or chemical exposure has been identified as a risk factor for various forms of cancer. For example, research has found strong associations for:

human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer
Helicobacter pylori bacterial infection and gastric adenocarcinoma
hepatitis B virus and cirrhosis and hepato-cellular carcinoma
asbestos-induced inflammation and lung cancer
cigarette smoke-induced inflammation and lung, bowel, and pancreatic cancer

These studies demonstrate that inflammation promotes tumour development.

Cancer and inflammation share another connection. It has been found that chronic inflammation occurs due to tumour environment stress and that this generates a protective shield from the immune system. In other words, inflammation protects the tumour from attack by the immune system.

Researchers have found that the release of inflammatory compounds such as cytokines, leucocytes, lymphocytes, and macrophages contributes to progression and metastasis (spreading from the original tumour site). Furthermore, this inflammatory response can compromise the response to chemotherapy.

Diabetes

Mounting research links uncontrolled high levels of blood glucose to inflammation, which can lead to diabetic complication such as neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy.

Researchers have found that high levels of blood glucose lead to glycation and oxidation of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides, resulting in the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). It is thought that AGEs trigger various inflammatory processes which can lead to damage of the blood vessels throughout the body. Thus, controlling blood sugar is vital to the prevention of inflammation and diabetic complications.

Heart Disease

Studies suggest that inflammation plays a role in the development of atherosclerosis, the process in which fatty deposits build up in the inner lining of arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Factors that promote atherosclerosis, including cigarette smoking, hypertension, atherogenic lipoproteins, and hyperglycemia, give rise to a variety of noxious stimuli that cause the release of chemicals and the activation of cells involved in the inflammatory process. These events contribute not only to the formation of plaque, but may also contribute to its disruption, resulting in the formation of a blood clot.

1 2

Next Page >>>

Sherry Torkos, BScPharm, is a pharmacist and author of The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine (Wiley, 2008). sherrytorkos.com

Source: alive #310, August 2008

Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is an illness that took my whole lifetime to mature and five years to battle into submission. The symptoms and causes, like almost all so-called incurable diseases, piled up, stone upon stone, beginning to create my tombstone.

How to Treat Childhood Illnesses
All of the common illnesses of childhood are inflammations. "Infection" is the wrong word for them because it suggests that we get sick because germs invade us. This is misleading.

Antioxidants: Our Natural Protectors
Antioxidants protect us. They are our bodies' natural defences against oxidant agents that damage or destroy our tissues, initiating disease and accelerating normal aging.

The Inflammation Syndrome
Inflammation may be behind much of what ails us, but healthy foods and supplements can quench the fires. Your morning stiffness may not yet qualify as arthritis, but it's likely a sign of inflammation simmering throughout your body.

Inflammation
Physicians have long recognized inflammation as the culprit in asthma, arthritis, and many other painful "-itis" diseases. Almost overnight, medicine has redefined inflammation as the root of most chronic diseases.

Anti-Inflammatory Relief with Homeopathy
Conventional anti-inflammatories are notorious for side effects such as ulcers and low immune function - problems that can be avoided using homeopathy.

Inflaming Emotions

We often speak of inflamed emotions to indicate a psychological state in which feelings are heightened to the point of being out of control.

Get a Grip on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Disorders
In her book, Get a Grip on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Disorders, Lorna Vanderhaeghe clearly demonstrates her belief in empowering people with health knowledge so they can achieve optimal wellness.

Hyaluronic Acid
Joint pain can be burning, stiffness, an ache or tenderness. However it manifests, we want it to go away!

The good news is that a new natural compound has recently come to light that successfully alleviates joint pain.

Do No Harm

Treat Inflammation Nutritionally
Dr Leyton:I have a tremendous number of problems: fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, chronic fatigue, hiatus hernia, hypothyroidism and low blood pressure, to name a few.

Apple power

Beautiful breakfasts

Thinking pink? Think again!

Controlled Inflammation
Inflammation is rarely understood as a purposefuland beneficial physiological process of the body. The sheer number of anti-inflammatories that flood the market should be enough evidence to convince us of this.

Osteoarthritis
Most people understand arthritis as being a single medical condition, but there are different types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common type.