Doesn’t it seem as though we are fighting an ever-increasing array of diseases in recent years? What many people don’t know is that chronic inflammation is often the culprit, masked as different ailments. Chronic inflammation can show up as hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions according to where it shows up in the body.
Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation
Inflammatory response is the body’s way of fighting foreign invaders, otherwise known as infections. Acute inflammation is a medical term that describes inflammation of a short duration that affects one part of the body. This type of inflammation is the body’s natural mechanism to keep itself healthy and flush out toxins. Therefore, acute or short-duration inflammation is a normal and healthy response that can even be lifesaving.
Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, presents continuously even when there are no foreign invaders. Unlike acute inflammation, which affects one part of the body, chronic inflammation affects the entire body. Rather than helping the body heal from infection, the immune system attacks healthy tissue or organs.
What causes chronic inflammation?
The condition is caused by one of three factors:
1) Autoimmune Disorders: autoimmune disorders are diseases in which our immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.
2) Toxicity: toxicity results from long-term exposure to irritants, such as industrial chemicals or polluted air.
3) Prolonged Acute Inflammation: prolonged acute inflammation is a condition that results from untreated causes of acute inflammation, such as an infection or injury.
Chronic inflammation can be an indicator of future health problems.
Protecting Ourselves From Chronic Inflammation
There’s not much we can do about some of the toxins that we come into contact with on a daily basis. However, there are opportunities to limit exposure to toxins like those found in plastic drink bottles or mold in our homes. But the best way to prevent or recover from the onset of chronic inflammation is to fight the battle on two fronts — cleansing from toxicity and providing proper nutrition at the cellular level of the body. Eating a diet filled with highly processed and refined foods can trigger inflammation. When we consume processed foods, our bodies do not recognize the artificial substances in these foods, In response, the body puts up a full-body defense that creates inflammation that affects the entire body.
Diet Is Crucial In Winning The Battle
It’s easy to forget how complicated our bodies are. But the human body is actually designed to heal itself.
Identifying specific nutritional deficiencies in our bodies and making changes in our diets can actually help cleanse our body and ensure it’s functioning at its optimal level. This may be more important than previously realized, now that chronic inflammation has been identified as big problem underlying most major diseases we face today.
To summarize the words of Dr. Jane Varner of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, “Your level of chronic inflammation may be very telling of what the future holds for your health.”
Which foods should you buy in organic form to avoid toxins? Read Hospitality Health ER’s blog here. To stay on top of the latest healthcare topics, like our Facebook page.