Inflammation What Everyone Should Know
What Everyone Should Know About Inflammation: A Cardiologist Explains
Regular readers of MindBodyGreen are aware that a
process in our bodies called inflammation is involved in many aspects of
human health and disease. For example, you may have read that a
breakfast of Egg McMuffins, sleep apnea, obesity and ultra-exercise are
inflammatory, while turmeric, meditation and the Mediterranean diet
are anti-inflammatory, and so on. Lost in the search for vitality and
longevity is an understanding of what inflammation is and what can be
done to tame it. In many ways, inflammation is a Goldilocks process
– you don't want too much or too little, but just the right amount.
When I explain inflammation
to patients, I point out that the middle of the word is "flame," and
that it comes from the Latin "I ignite." Inflammation is a complex
process of cells and chemicals in our bodies standing ready to fight
infections and other threats, and is a life saver when it's a controlled
reaction to a threat. For example, you may experience inflammation when
you're working on your deck and get a wood splinter. Maybe a mosquito
lands on your back and enjoys some of your blood (hopefully full of
fresh green juice!). Maybe you sprained your ankle when your perfect
yoga hand stand came crashing down.
Over 2,000 years ago, the signs of acute inflammation were described as including pain,
warmth, redness and swelling. This "first responder" wave of healing
occurs because cells in the area are surveying their environment all the
time with detectors on their surface that act much like radar watching
for invaders. These detectors are called pattern recognition receptors
(PRR). If a PRR detects something that has a "foreign" structure – a
pathogen-associated molecular pattern, or PAMP – it will ring the fire
alarm internally in the cell and surrounding blood vessels.
Chemicals
begin to pour out that cause blood vessels to dilate (redness, warmth
and swelling); others increase the sensitivity to pain, and the next
thing you know, your ankle or finger is a hot, red, sore mess. These
chemicals attract white blood cells that begin to clean up the area by
engulfing foreign proteins. Enough white blood cells clumped together is
called pus. After a period of increased blood flow, helping to dilute
the irritant and bringing fighters to the scene, other factors that
promote clotting are released and work to balance and decrease the blood
flow. This is what happens when you scrape your knee and it weeps for a
while but then scabs over.
Some of the star
chemicals involved in this process deserve a shout-out. Histamine is
waiting to be released when an injury occurs, and causes arteries to
expand and leak fluid (think of an antihistamine pill drying up your
nose). Interleukins, such as IL-8, come from macrophages ("big eaters"
in Greek, ready to swallow substances sensed as foreign) and bring their
best friends: white blood cells. The white cells arrive to fight for
your recovery because chemical attractants – sort of a white blood cell
perfume – are released. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) also is
released from macrophage cells, and may produce fever and loss of
appetite. Nitric oxide is a gas released by the inner lining of blood cells and can be dumped out to increase blood flow when an injury occurs.
While
inflammation is a protector of our health when it's an acute response,
chronic inflammation is a different story. A diverse group of medical
illness are believed to be caused in part by chronic activation of the
same chemical and cellular processes described above. These include
asthma, acne, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis,
and even atherosclerosis of heart arteries. In fact, in 1856 Rudolf
Virchow proposed that arterial disease was an inflammation of blood
vessels and now, over 150 years later, people who fear heart disease are
routinely checked for this process.
So how
does a natural, acute response become a chronic condition? Some of the
reasons include injury to the gut (leaky gut syndrome) from processed
foods, trans fats, sugars, alcohol, gluten and dairy allergies, toxins, ultra-exercise, obesity, inadequate sleep, and excessive stress and anger.
What
can you do to keep your balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions
in the "Goldilocks" position? There are foods that you can add daily to
your meals that cool down inflammation, such as ginger, turmeric, basil
and rosemary. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and small amounts of
olive oil, can do the same. Avoiding processed foods, dairy, wheat and
sugar are also good strategies. Nutritional supplements, such as vitamin
D3, omega-3 fish oil, probiotics, turmeric capsules, and boswellia can
be helpful. Avoiding toxins such as pesticides and GMO foods by
selecting organic products, taking care to choose skin and personal use
products that do not contain irritant chemicals, and drinking purified
water are solid recommendations. Getting adequate sleep, controlling
your weight, and getting regular doses of moderate exercise will help
keep you in balance.
Remember, you can use
these relatively simple lifestyle choices to keep the flame of
inflammation at a low level and not get burned.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
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