Chronic Inflammation: The Secret Killer

Whether it be an infection, an irritant, or injury, inflammation is an immune system process of the body that tries to heal or remove something harmful. When the body encounters something harmful, plasma and leukocytes move to the injured area to remove wastes and promote healing.

Inflammation can exist in two forms: acute inflammation and chronic inflammation or system inflammation. Whereas acute inflammation is the body's attempt to heal itself from an invader, in contrast, chronic inflammation can last days, months, or even years. Although it is invisible, it is a leading cause of aging, disease, and death.

Although inflammation is an important part of the healing process and keeping the body healthy, chronic inflammation is not healthy. Because of unhealthy lifestyles and other factors, our immune systems may become overloaded. When the immune system becomes overloaded, it cannot work as efficiently anymore, and a state of chronic inflammation develops. Some of the chronic inflammation causes are:

• Diet - Since two-thirds of our immune system defenses reside in the gastrointestinal tract, the types of food we eat can either aggravate or improve inflammation. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils, too many carbohydrates, food allergies,
• Overweight/obesity - Fat cells secrete a protien called cytokines. Too many cytokines in the bloodstream can affect the body's ability to regulate insulin production.
• Sedentary lifestyle - The C-reactive protien (CRP) is a marker for inflammation. The lower the level of CRP, the less inflammation is present. Both anaerobic and aerobic exercise have been found to lower CRP levels.
• Lack of sleep
• Allergens/environmental toxins
• Bacteria/viruses
• Stress - When you're under stress, the body produces cortisol. Although cortisol reduces inflammation during the short-term, over the long-term, it increases inflammation and suppresses the immune system.
• Aging - As we age, our immune system becomes less able to fight off our unhealthy ways of living.
• Menopause - When women go through menopause, scientist think the decrease in estrogen causes a rise in the cytokines interleukin-1 and interleukin-6
• Genetic predisposition

 Since chronic inflammation is a low-grade inflammation that is systemic, the symptoms can be varied. Chronic inflammation symptoms include:

• aches and pains
• stiffness
• swelling
• indigestion
• frequent infections
• congestion
• shortness of breath
• diarrhea
• dry eyes
• skin outbreaks
• weight gain/obesity

Unfortunately, chronic inflammation is implicated in many diseases. Some of them include:

• Certain cancers - Chronic inflammation can create a positive environment for free radicals. Free radicals can damage cell's DNA, and the cell may mutate. Furthermore, free radicals create more inflammation.
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Atherosclerosis/heart disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Asthma
• Chronic Obstructrictive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Parkinson's Disease
• Lupus
• Multiple Sclerosis

If you suspect you may have chronic inflammation there are a few tests your physician can order. They include:

• C-reactive protien blood test - This is a protien found in the blood that rises in the presence of inflammation.
• Fasting blood glucose test - Although this test is used for testing fasting blood sugar levels in diabetics, it can also be used as a test for chronic inflammation. There is a close connection between diabetes and blood sugar levels. The higher your insulin levels, the more inflammation you have going on in your body.
• ESR, white blood cell count, and albumin test - ESR stands for erythrocyte sedimentation rate. It is a non-specific marker of inflammation.
• AA/EPA test - AA/EPA stands for arachidonic acid (AA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in plasma (PA). Eicosanoids are hormones that control inflammation. Eicosanoids can make three fatty acids: arichidonic acid (AA), dihomo gamma linolenic acid (DGLA), and eicosapentaenoic (EPA). AA makes pro-inflammatory eicosanoids while EPA inhibits the formation of AA. The lower the ratio, the better. According to Dr. Sears, a leading authority in anti-inflammatory nutrition, if you only take one test for chronic inflammation, this is the most important one to take.
• Cytokine panel - Cytokines are chemical messengers that regulate the immune system response and can accelerate inflammation.

To reverse chronic inflammation, we have to eliminate or reduce the causes of inflammation. Although not all causes of inflammation are controllable, some are. Reducing stress, exercise, and diet are three controllable factors. Since diet plays such an important role in inflammation, the elimination of certain foods and addition of other foods can reduce inflammation in the body.

Foods that increase inflammation include:

• Refined foods
• Processed meats
• Red meats
• Too many saturated fats
• Plants that belong to the nightshade family. This includes potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant.

Foods that decrease inflammation include:

• Omega-3 fatty acids - Foods which include these are certain types of fish, walnuts, flax seed, canola oil, and flax seeds, and olive oil.
• Lean sources of protien - Chicken, fish, seafood, legumes, and seeds. soybeans, tofu, and soy milk.
• Whole grains
• Leafy green and bright-colored vegetable
• Fruit, cherries, berries
• Tumeric, garlic, ginger
• Green Tea

If you think you have chronic inflammation, don't stand by while chronic inflammation silently robs your health and maybe your life. Scientists and researchers have known for along time the importance of nutrition in preventing disease and protecting health. Even Hippocrates, a Greek physician. born 460 B.C. and known as the founder of medicine knew the importance of nutrition on health. He said, "Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot. If you can heal the patient with food."