There is no denial to the fact that if you want to support your optimal health you will have to treat any disease or ailment that you may develop at the earliest. According to medical experts, inflammation is the key factor that causes several health issues and affects your overall functionality, performance and several other aspects.
You will hear almost everyone talking about inflammation as the primary cause of a wide range of health issues but you may not know what it really is and how does it affect your health. This is because inflammation is the buzzword just like antioxidant and is used every now and then and therefore loses its actual meaning in the process. Well, this article will help you to gain the required knowledge about it.
Ideally and essentially, inflammation is the reaction of your body to stress. It is just like an alarm bell that alerts all of your cells and tissues to a certain problem that is required to be fixed immediately. There are lots of different sources from where such stress can come including:
- Your diet
- Your lifestyle
- The environment you live in and
- Any infection.
Ideally, your body will automatically respond and address any issue that is abnormal on its own.
- You may have noticed that when you catch a cold, your body starts fighting it immediately and even cures it if it is mild.
- Similarly, when you cut your skin or there is a bruise, your body heals it automatically.
These are all examples of mild health issues that require short term inflammation which is helpful. However, just as too much of anything is not good same applies for inflammation as well. When the inflammation is high or long term or in simple terms when the alarm is so loud and long that it does not turn off, it is surely a bad thing for your health.
This is when you will need to see a doctor to mend the issues successfully and immediately. If you do not then you may risk other health issues due to prolonged and chronic inflammation such as:
- Heart disease
- Obesity
- Diabetes and
- Just about every other chronic, severe, and life threatening diseases.
Sometimes such situations are also the result of the food you eat because there are some specific types of foods that cause inflammation and on the other hand there are a few that will fight it. Sometimes, consuming too much of alcohol and smoking may also have adverse health effects which is why most health conscious people try to give these habits up by taking up other alternatives such as using KYLÉ vape pods.
Therefore, you should always pay attention to chronic inflammation. The best strategy to stay fit and healthy is to know about these foods and have then on a regular basis to reduce chronic inflammation if not eliminate it forever.
The science of inflammation
The blood in your body has white blood cells or leukocytes. These are actually the soldiers of your body that helps the immune system to stay strong. This army is always on the lookout for any microorganisms and foreign particles called antigens such as chemicals, bacterial toxins, and viruses invading your body.
When they detect any such invader, they immediately launch an attack protocol. They follow a specific process for this.
- First, these WBCs produce antibodies and proteins that can attack the antigens directly and eliminate them.
- Then they activate other proteins so that they get the required help in this fight.
- Lastly, they promote inflammation which in turn helps your body to prevent any infection from spreading.
During the process they produce specific types of antibodies, each of which are unique and acts with one specific type of antigen or invader only.
Types of inflammation
Ideally, there are two types of inflammation: one is the acute inflammation and the other is the chronic inflammation.
- When this battle goes on for a short period it is called acute inflammation. During this process the leukocytes and plasma proteins such as antibodies are sent to the respective sites of tissue injury or infection. These areas will show visible signs of redness, heat, swelling, and pain. Ultimately, the protective response will works on the invader until it is eliminated and the symptoms go away with the tissue returning to normal.
- On the other hand, when the normal process of healing does not work or if the invader perseveres your body will need much more than acute inflammation to resolve the problem. Such a condition is called chronic inflammation which is a prolonged condition where there seems to be no solution in sight for the inflammation or tissue injury. All of the attempts for repairing the injury exist together resembling the situation when there are too many cooks in the kitchen cooking the broth. While the issue is not fixed, more and more dirty dishes keep coming and adding to the already huge pile in the sink. The situation is nothing but an utter distress.
All chronic diseases are results of chronic inflammation and include cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, chronic kidney disease,type II diabetes, and cancer.
Tips to minimize inflammation
Chronic inflammation can be a result of different factors such as:
- Excessive stress
- Poor dietary habits
- Environmental toxicity
- Lack of sleep
- Lack of exercise.
Change these all and you will have the chances of developing low levels of chronic inflammation eliminated. However, this is easier said than done because it is not easy to know when you develop low level of chronic inflammation and therefore it will go undetected for several years until it eventually show up due to slow but constant build up. In such a situation you will have developed a chronic disease.
Though there are several ways to prevent chronic inflammation, it seems that eating a healthy diets is the best approach. Avoid foods that contain sodium, Trans Fat, added sugar, nitrates, or preservatives and stick to inflammation fighting nutrients like vitamin C, beta-carotene, curcumin, cinnamaldehyde, organosulfur and omega-3 fatty acids.