While inflammation can be an important biological response in healing injuries, until the injury is treated and resolved, it hurts!

Inflammation develops for many different reasons, viruses, bacterial infections, toxins, toxic compounds, tissue injury can be a part of why it develops. Pain that starts immediately is inflammation. Our white blood cells rush to the site to help with repairing the injury.  However, inflammation can become chronic in certain conditions. When pain becomes a routine part of life and uncontrolled, immune cells can provide a bases of various serious diseases.

The inflammatory process is a defense process of the body, a biological response of the immune system to harmful stimuli. This can also occur from tumors, a variety of neurogenerative disease like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, lateral sclerosis, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fibrosis, etc.

Inflammation can be acute or chronic.

Acute inflammation is the rapid immune-system defense response that causes redness and swelling around a cut or in a sore throat. Intended to trap and stop bacteria, viruses or toxic chemicals. Acute inflammation seldom lasts more than two weeks. It is the process by which the immune system recognizes harmful and foreign stimuli and begins the healing process.

Chronic inflammation occurs when the body starts or continues sending out inflammatory cells and substances, even though there is no infection or injury. Because this happens internally, the signs of chronic inflammation are subtler, and can increase gradually over a long period.

The Dangers of Chronic Inflammation

The signs are difficult to spot, many people don’t find out chronic inflammation is a problem for them until they are diagnosed with a serious illness.

If left untreated, chronic inflammation can damage healthy cells, tissues and organs, and may cause internal scarring, tissue death and damage to the DNA in previously healthy cells. Ultimately, this can lead to the development of potentially disabling or life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer or Type-2 diabetes.

In addition to contributing to the development of illness, chronic inflammation can also be a symptom such as autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, for example.

It can also result from untreated injuries or illnesses, or from exposure to industrial chemicals, pollutants and other environmental toxins.

Certain lifestyle factors may also make you more prone to developing chronic inflammation that can lead to disease, including:

• Eating a diet high in added sugars, refined carbohydrates, processed or foods that are fried and unhealthy fats.
• Drinking alcohol in excess (more than one or two servings a day) or smoking cigarettes.
• Being obese (fat tissues release inflammatory substances).
• Living with chronic stress, including social stressors like isolation, rejection and loss.
• Having irregular sleep patterns.

Some of the most common signs of chronic inflammation include:

• Body discomfort, including joint stiffness, tendonitis and muscle pain.
• Sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea and persistent fatigue.
• Weight gain or unexplained weight gain or loss.
• Skin rashes like psoriasis and frequent infections (viruses, etc.).
• Abdominal pain, acid reflux and other digestive system issues.
• Unexplained fever.
• Mood disorders, including depression and anxiety.
• Chronic fatigue.

The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks chronic inflammation as the greatest threat to human health. The prevalence of diseases associated with chronic inflammation is anticipated to increase persistently for the next 30 years in the United States. In 2000, nearly 125 million Americans were living with chronic conditions and 61 million (21%) had more than one. In recent estimates by Rand Corporation, in 2014 nearly 60% of American had at least one chronic condition, 42% had more than one and 12% of adults had five or more chronic conditions. Worldwide, 3 of 5 people die due to chronic inflammatory disease like stoke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. The prevalence of some specific  chronic inflammation-mediated disease are as follows:

• Diabetes: According to the American Diabetes Association, 30.3 million people or 9.4% of the American population, had diabetes in 2015 and it was the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.
• Cardiovascular disease: In line with 2017 updated report from the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease (CVDs) accounts for 31% of all deaths, and coronary heart disease (CHD) accounts for the most deaths due to CVD, followed by stroke (1 of 20 death in the United States and heart failure.
• Arthritis and Joint Diseases: These affect approximately 3520 million people worldwide and nearly 43 million people in the United States or almost 20% of the population. this number is expected to exceed 60 million by 2020. Nearly, 2.1 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.
• Allergy: These rank among the sixth leading cause of chronic human diseases in the United States and affect more than 50 million Americans each year. Asthma affects more than 24 million people in the United States including more than 6 million children. In 2015, 8.2% of adults and 8.4% of children were diagnosed with hay fever.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): The third most common cause of death in the United States in 2014, and nearly 15.7 million Americans (6.4%) were reported to have been diagnosed with COPD.

Risk Factors Associated with Chronic Inflammation

AGE: 

Increasing age is correlated with elevated levels of several inflammatory molecules. The age-associated increase in inflammatory molecules may be due to mitochondrial dysfunction in visceral body fat. Free radical accumulation over time is another factor. Exercise and strength training can control this assumed reason.

OBESITY:

Many studies have reported that fat tissue is an endocrine organ, secreting multiple adipokines and other inflammatory mediators. Some reports show that the body mass index of an individual is proportional to the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines secreted. Metabolic syndrome typifies this well.

DIET: Diet rich in saturated fat, trans-fats, or refined sugar is associated with higher production of pro-inflammatory molecules, especially in individuals with diabetes or overweight individuals.

SMOKING:

Cigarette smoking is associated with lowering the production of anti-inflammatory molecules and inducing inflammation.

LOW SEX HORMONES:

Studies show that sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen can suppress the production and secretion of several pro-inflammatory markers and it has been observed that maintaining sex hormone levels reduces the risk of several inflammatory diseases.

STRESS AND SLEEP DISORDERS:

Both physical and emotional stress is associated with inflammatory cytokine release. Stress can also cause sleep disorders. Since individuals with irregular sleep schedules are more likely to have chronic inflammation than consistent sleeper schedules are more likely to have chronic inflammation than consistent sleeper disorders are also considered as one of the independent risk factors for chronic inflammation.

Cytokines, in biology, is the process by which one cell physically divides into two cells. It occurs in the process of embryonic development and tissue growth. Aiding in repair.

In some cases life long anti-inflammatory medications may be needed to control chronic inflammation.

In most cases exercise, stretching and light weight training can help. In osteoarthritis patients strengthening the muscle above and below the joint stabilizes the joint. Swimming, walking and bicycling can help.

Physical therapy. It is always best to see a PT before starting any exercise program. They can help with further stabilizing the injured or affected area.

TENS unit. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation units are inexpensive and very effective for some people. The portable units have electrodes that deliver tiny electric shocks to painful areas and effectively block the pain signals to the brain. In serious cases, electrical stimulation units can be implanted surgically.

Opioids are frequently prescribed by doctors. These can be very addictive even when taken at the proper dosages. They can cause changes to the brain that spark a compulsive craving for more.

An estimated 2 million Americans misuse opioids. In 2018, opioids were a factor in more than 46,000 deaths  in the U.S.  That included more than 20,000 overdose deaths a year attributed to legally prescribed opioids and an additional 13,000 deaths are cause by illegal use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Curcumin is currently being used with great results. A natural supplement derived from the large-leafed turmeric rhizome ((stem of the plant found underground. This plant has a golden color. While curcumin is an ingredient of turmeric, it is tremendously concentrated and therefore, vastly more powerful medicinally than plain turmeric. Turmeric is a spice and curcumin is a medicine.

This supplement can reduce inflammation, regenerate cartilage providing great help for incurable, degenerative disease such as  osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Curcumin, boswellia and black sesame seed oil individually have been scientifically demonstrated as safe and effective ways to treat musculoskeletal and nerve pain and to help regenerate deteriorating cartilage.