Inflammation: Debunked.

What do you feel when you hear the word “Inflammation”? I think for most people we have a swift inclination toward negativity. In recent years, there has been many illnesses, diseases, diagnosis, disorders and symptoms that have been connected to that “bad guy” Inflammation. Sadly, only the undesired effects of inflammation are highlighted these days. For this reason, I want to take it back to basics, and set the stage so that we can see inflammation in it’s full and true light!

Inflammation and the Immune System

Inflammation is the response of the immune system when it detects an invader. This is to say that initially, Inflammation is our friend! Whaaaaat?!

Let’s take it back to the beginning: We are going to go on a “Magic School Bus” ride through our body as we explore the concept of Inflammation. I am going to use a kitchen analogy; my Chef roots cant help it.

So imagine a Chef, working fast and furious trying to get ready for a busy Saturday night with 400+ guests on the books. As she is carrying a stack of plates to her station, someone comes around the corner without announcing themselves and they collide. The collision brings all the plates crashing to the floor, which are now a pile of broken ceramic shards. As she begins to pick up the pieces, one of the sharp edges nicks her finger…

Immediately, the Immune System begins the Inflammation process, by flooding the area with blood. The increased blood supply brings the soldiers of the immune system: the White Blood Cells. As this happen we begin to experience some or all of the following signs of Inflammation:

1. Pain: to bring your attention to the injury.
2. Heat: to help kill pathogens.
3. Redness: from the increased cell activity.
4. Swelling: capillaries relax, releasing their fluids into the effected area.

All this happens in an effort to wall off the antigen to stop it from spreading.

Innate and Adaptive Immunity

There are two arms of the Immune System: Innate and Adaptive.

Our skins (both external and internal) are our first line of defense for our Immune System. Bringing it back to the Chef’s injury scenario: we can see that the first line of defense has been breached, as she cut her skin!

Once an invader has penetrated the skin, they are met by the cells of the Innate Immune System. When we think of Innate Immunity think of phrases like “fast acting”, “immediate defense” and “self vs. other”. This type of immunity is found in all classes of animal and plant life. Adaptive Immunity is called upon by cells in the Innate Immune Systems and are described as “specific”, “acquired” and “specialized.”

The cells of the Innate Immune System are our second line of defense, after our skins. These cells assess the intruder through various means: sometimes engulfing it to determine what it is and then destroying it, some cells are toxic and get close to the invader allowing the toxicity to infect and kill it. Innate cells are designed to simply identify “Is this self?” or “Is this other?” and if it IS other, the cell goes on with its methods of protection for the body.

This is great news for our Chef, as her body is going to work to start damage control, to heal her cut. But as the Chef’s co-worker offers to help her bandage the wound, they forget to put on gloves and inadvertently exposes our Chef to a foreign bacteria.

As this bacteria enters the wound, it is met by the cells of the Innate Immune System, who identify the bacteria as a form of staph. Those cells then release communications to cells in the Adaptive Immune System. The cells that arrive are more specialized to deal with that specific invader. Many of the Adaptive Immune cells work like a lock and key, meaning you need the right cell for each specific invader.

As our Chef’s Immune System recognizes that staph has entered the body, the Innate cells send out communications to cells in the Adaptive Immune System that are specially designed to combat this particular invader.

Which begs another question: How do these cells know how to deal with each specific invader? Well, Exposure! Which is why this arm is called the Adaptive Immune System. As we are exposed, we adapt by giving our cells the opportunity to determine what serious of actions and attacks are needed to eradicate that specific invader. This is the basis of the theory on vaccines: Expose the body in a minimal way, so that it can adapt and be prepared when you are exposed in everyday life.

Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation

Acute Inflammation is the bodies normal response to injury or pathogen invasion, it is self-preservation response. In a functional system, Inflammation is controlled and self-limited. However, if the system is NOT functional, it is NOT controlled or self-limited. When the system is dysregulated, the signaling and communication that should be ceasing, once the assault has been addressed, is continuing to fire. Contributing factors to this continued firing are elevated blood glucose levels, high oxidative stress and adrenal fatigue with low cortisol reserves. If this process continues, it can lead to Chronic Inflammation.

When Acute Inflammation is not resolved (either because it is not self-limited OR because the assault on the body continues) it can shift to Chronic Inflammation; which eventually leads to diminished heat and redness, however pain and decreased function persist.

I want to list some conditions that are considered to be Chronic Inflammatory Conditions: Acne, Allergies, Asthma, any Autoimmune Condition, Celiac, Crohn’s Disease, chronic pain, Eczema, Ulcerative Colitis, Lyme Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gluten Sensitivity, Insulin Resistance, Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, Alzheimers, Parkinson’s, Autism, Mental Illness, Diabetes, chronic fatigue, Cancer, chronic infections, Chemical Sensitivities, Osteoporosis and Infertility. There is a great chance that many of us are dealing with Chronic Inflammation, and may not even know it! What’s worse is that Chronic Inflammation can lead to downstream issues like cancer, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, eczema, depression and fibromyalgia.
We can see that some of the things ARE Chronic Inflammation Conditions can also lead to further issues and diagnosis of Chronic Inflammation Conditions. It’s a vicious cycle that we need to get under control in order to take control of our wellness.

There is another classification of Inflammation that is referred to as Silent or Hidden Inflammation, and this is the one that causes the most damage because it happens just below the pain threshold. Meaning that the individual likely isn’t aware that anything is even going on, but with constant irritation at the cellular level, it can cause degradation of the tissues, cartilage and joints. All of which can lead to downstream issues and diagnosis like Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Auto Immune conditions.

VilLains & Heroes

All of this is great to know but what can we do? I want to bring light to the things that may be contributing to Inflammation, as well as what we can do to support the Inflammation cycle coming to an end.

Immune Villains
Consuming foods you are allergic or sensitive to, Viruses, Pathogenic Bacteria, Yeast, Mold, Parasites, Processed Foods, Anti-Nutrients, imbalanced diet and stress that isn’t being managed well: including physical, emotional, mental, systemic and spiritual stress. Also, Pollution, Toxins, Alcohol, Smoking, Fried Foods, Sugar, chronic infections, Pain Killers, Antibiotics, and Lack of Sleep.

Immune Heroes
Probiotics, Vitamin A (Carrots, Mint, Kohlrabi, Parsley, Spinach), Vitamin D (Liver, Butter, fatty fish like Salmon and Sardines, Egg Yolk), Vitamin C (Papaya, Bell Peppers, Strawberries, Broccoli, Pineapple, Brussels, Kiwi, Oranges, Grapefruit, Cantaloupe, Goji Berries), Vitamin E (Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, dark leafy greens, Asparagus, Bell Peppers) and Antioxidants (bright colored fruits & vegetables, Green Tea, Dark Chocolate, Pecans). Some other items to consider as well are Black Elderberry, Echinacea, Ginseng, Garlic, Turmeric, Medicinal Mushrooms and Aloe.

So to sum it up, Inflammation isn’t ALL bad; Acute Inflammation is the one we want…. However, we need to support our bodies so they are able to complete the cycle, and stop it that Inflammation before it becomes long-term or Chronic.

What can you do to start supporting your body in an effort to combat chronic Inflammation?

Posted: May 31st 2022