The Destruction of Chronic Inflammation

Chronic Inflammation, a generator of disease, is biochemical. It is not something that you can see in action, however you may experience symptoms that are signs that your body is harboring inflammation.

Some common symptoms of chronic inflammation include:
* Puffy Face
* Not being able to get your rings off (swollen fingers)
* Stiff joints, including morning stiffness that lasts more than 10 minutes.
* Muscle soreness
* Bodily pain

There are some warning signs that signal chronic inflammation:
* High blood pressure
* Increased weight circumference (Greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women.)
* Obesity (A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight , with greater than 30 being obese).
* Digestive or gut issues
* Chronic fatigue
* Depression and/or anxiety issues
* Allergies/Asthma
* Insomnia
* Headaches

Chronic inflammation can result from a variety of causes. In his book The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer, Dr. Johnny Bowden writes “Nearly everything that is an irritant to the system- the air pollution we breath, the tobacco smoke we inhale directly or indirectly, the some 80,000 chemicals we are exposed to in our environment- has the potential to produce some level of inflammation. “

Did you know…
The same drugs that can help alleviate acute inflammation and can help alleviate some of the symptoms of chronic inflammation, do not actually fully resolve the inflammation and can be toxic, keeping you chronically inflamed and further contributing to tissue damage. One example of this is aspirin. Aspirin has the ability to lower inflammation, a condition that can attract clot-building factors within blood vessel walls. These can rupture, plugging up tiny vessels in the heart and blocking blood flow. While daily aspirin can help prevent a clot-related stroke, it may increase the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke, Gastrointestinal bleeding, and increases the risk of developing a stomach ulcer.

Viruses and bacteria, as well as their resulting infections can lead to many forms of inflammation affecting the heart, organs and central nervous system. This is what we have seen with people facing the effect of chronic Lyme disease, and even those strep related issues such as PANS and PANDAS.

Environmental toxin exposures , especially to EDC’s (Endocrine-disrupting chemicals), results in changes to the cytokine production, a part of the immune system responsible for communicating and signaling between cells in immune responses. EDC’s can be found in plastics, lotions, make-up and sunblock. Rate of allergies and asthma increase with exposure to EDCs. 

Take the time to slow down and listen to your body. It may be showing you the signs of disease in the body to allow you to make change before you become truly overwhelmed by your illness.