Chronic Inflammation: the smoldering fire within

As the research rolls in, we keep finding that the point of intersection in the genesis of nearly all chronic disease is low-level, systemic, long-term inflammation. This means that the inflammation system that is supposed to be our ally in times of trouble has been left stuck on like a dripping faucet. The chemicals our bodies create to help us close and heal a wound and activate the next stages of our immune system are not kind to other tissues of the body. In acute situations, these chemicals are produced for to quickly seal “holes” and act as the sirens that bring the rest of the immune system components to the scene. In a healthy system, they are then cleared quickly by anti-inflammatory systems to prevent additional damage. When the faucet for the fire hose of inflammation isn’t shut off entirely, damage occurs to healthy tissues.

Diseases directly related to chronic inflammation include asthma, Alzheimer’s, anemia, arthritis, cancers, fibromyalgia, kidney failure, lupus, psoriasis, adult respiratory distress syndrome, heart disease, congestive heart failure, IBS, Crohn’s, obesity, pancreatitis, stroke, and ulcerative colitis. One of the interesting things is that obesity is both a cause and a product of chronic inflammation, and we have a lot of control over it’s development.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few aspects of modern Western life that cause the inflammation faucet to drip. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is one of the biggest culprits. With it’s high sugar content, damaged fats and contaminated proteins, the metabolites from this sort of fueling are constantly activating the inflammation cascade by acting as irritants, toxins and circulating waste products. The immune system then attacks healthy cells in artery walls (atherosclerosis), joints (arthritis), the gut mucosa (as in lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance), as well as organ tissues such as the pancreas (diabetes).

It is thought now that the main reason that low-dose aspirin and statin medications help reduce heart disease is due to their anti-inflammatory actions rather than the original beliefs that blood needed to be thinner or cholesterol needed to be lower. These medications have some serious downsides, however, and you should be extremely careful even with that children’s aspirin. More information on this and other medication side-effects will be discussed here at a later date.

Barry Sears MD has been researching inflammation for years and has developed this list of questions to help you determine if you have a leaking inflammation faucet. If you answer yes to 3 or more, your faucet is on a constant drip:

Are you overweight?
Are you taking cholesterol lowering drugs, beta blockers or diuretics?
Are you groggy upon waking most mornings?
Do you crave refined grains or sugars throughout the day?
Do you feel fatigued more often than not?
Are your fingernails brittle?

If you would like more information on how to fix that leaky faucet, please sign up to attend my free presentation at Gathering Thyme in San Anselmo CA on February 16th at 7pm.
http://www.gatheringthyme.com/events.html#eating

Get Healthy. Get Informed. Get REAL.