Inflammation

From a buzz word to the truth!

For many years now, we have seen references to ‘inflammation in the body’ used as an explanation for conditions ranging from irritable bowel syndrome, to fatigue and coronary artery disease. It became an easy ‘underlying etiology’ used as an explanation to sell both health products and health services (ex. supplements, new detoxification treatments and strict diet regimen) aimed at curing ‘inflammation’.

Physicians started to see more and more patients requesting blood work to ‘check for inflammation in the blood’ in recent years.

How true are these claims and how does one know which are accurate and which aren’t?

The goal of this article is two-fold: to bring more awareness to potentially unfounded labels of inflammation and to provide assurance that in most cases, true inflammatory conditions can be readily diagnosed by your medical health provider through a series of reliable exams and tests.

Medically speaking, inflammation is a natural physiological process where the body produces chemicals to fight a foreign body or heal injured cell tissue. To use a simple example, every time a virus attacks the mucosal tissue in our upper airway, the body produces inflammatory markers that lead to the nasal congestion and secretions we are all familiar with when we experience a typical upper respiratory tract infection. This is a healthy bodily reaction and one which should not be forced to stop prematurely as it is an indicator of an appropriate immune response to the pathological invader, in this case, the virus.

Then there are cases where the inflammatory process continues on, unchecked, chronically and may lead to more damage and distressing symptoms as is the case in known inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (different from irritable bowel syndrome).

When the inflammation is chronic and not causes by a virus, a bacteria or an acute injury, it becomes unhealthy and unnatural for the body. Here, it is appropriate and necessary to attempt and force the inflammatory process to stop using safe, monitored, and tested anti-inflammatory treatments.

Perhaps much of what is commonly being referred to nowadays as ‘inflammation’ is linked to the increasing human consumption of and exposure to unnaturally processed foods and chemicals often described as ‘pro-inflammatory’ in nature. While this is possible, a causal relationship cannot be assumed and the use of the word ‘inflammation’ in these general ways, should be distinguished from the well-described inflammatory processes discovered through centuries of science-based research in molecular biology.

The other reference, which I believe is something worth being educated about is ‘nervous system dysregulation’. This involves the body’s previously wired mechanisms (which may or may not be healthy) and the ability for our nervous system to re-wire. This mechanism of nervous system physiology and processing is different from inflammation and is thought to be implicated in conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, migraines, and even some mental health conditions.

While this is a brief and overly simplified introduction to ‘inflammation’, it’s hopefully useful when evaluating health products or services marketed with the intent of ‘reducing inflammation’ and why these should be vetted by a trusted health professional with an accurate understanding of human physiology and pathology.

In an era where access to information has never been easier, access to reliable sources of information is becoming more challenging. It’s important to empower individuals who seek to take control of their own health and pursue natural methods of healing. These desires and initiatives should not be exploited by misinformed sources that aim to market a useless or potentially harmful product or service. Reliable health education is a key component of total wellness.