Inflammation has a huge impact on our health and wellbeing. But most of us are confused by the terms used in relation to this, so let's look at some definitions first.
Inflammation is part of the body's defence mechanism. It is the process by which the immune system recognises and removes harmful and foreign stimuli and begins the healing process. We differentiate between acute and chronic inflammation:
Acute inflammation is characterised by redness, warmth, swelling, and pain around tissues and joints that occurs in response to an injury, like when you cut yourself. When the body is injured or you have a cold or the flu, the immune system releases white blood cells to surround and protect the area. So, in this case, inflammation is part of the natural healing process.
Acute inflammation is usually easy to spot and treated.
Chronic inflammation occurs when the body continues to fight with high levels of inflammation response over a prolonged period. The immune system continues to send out white blood cells and messengers with the body feeling under constant attack. As a result, the white blood cells may end up attacking nearby healthy tissues and organs.
Chronic inflammation diseases include: stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes.
Autoimmune disease
This happens when the body’s natural defence system can no longer tell the difference between your own cells and foreign cells, causing the body to mistakenly attack normal cells.
One of the classic signs of autoimmune disease is inflammation.
I hope this background knowledge is useful and makes things a bit clearer when we look at some of the diseases which are attributed to inflammation and also the lifestyle factors which may be beneficial in reducing inflammation in our bodies. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming posts on this subject.
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