Inflammation or The Invisible Trigger of Our Diseases

WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO WE NEED INFLAMMATION?

In the broadest sense we all have a good idea of what «inflammation» is, whether it is the redness around the insect bite or constant pain in the joint. The term itself comes from the Latin verb inflammare, which means «to ignite». Inflamed tissue is «burning» - and not in a positive way. Usually we admit that an insect bite or a scratch on the skin causes pain due to the inflammatory process. An inflammatory reaction complex may indeed include redness, fever, swelling which accompany an insect bite or pain, for example from an inflamed throat or a sprained ankle. But at the same time, inflammation is a part of a much greater number of processes than you can imagine.

It is important to acknowledge that inflammation is a part of the body’s natural response and is a sign that the body is trying to protect itself from what it considers potentially dangerous. It does not matter what the goal is - to neutralize the insect’s toxins or to limit the scope of movements in the sprained ankle in order to accelerate its healing. Inflammation is vital for our survival.

But the problems arise when this process gets out of control. Short-term inflammation helps to repair the damaged cells, but if the body is constantly affected by stimuli, the inflammatory response does not stop. With the bloodstream it spreads throughout the body, disrupting the normal functioning of various tissues. Inflammation should not last long, moreover become permanent. And yet this is the case for millions of people.

In this protracted process, proinflammatory cytokines and other chemicals continue to be produced, they circulate throughout the body and over time cause systemic chronic inflammation that has a toxic effect on the cells. It disrupts their work and can completely destroy some of them.

• Imagine a barrel of apples. The condition of all apples in the barrel depends on the condition of each of them. A single rotten apple releases gases that will cause all the other apples to rot. One damaged cell sends signals to the surrounding cells, causing the spread of inflammation and various harmful factors, which can be called cell decay.

When inflammation proceeds deep within the body and on a system-wide level or has no specific purpose, it provokes various unhealthy states, including obesity, depression, autism, asthma, heart, brain, gum diseases, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis etc. In developed countries inflammation rages, and the leading scientific studies have shown that it is the main culprit of morbidity and mortality caused by ischemic heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and most chronic diseases.

Of course, all this doesn’t happen in a day and not even a month, people with chronic inflammation can live for decades, but the very danger of such a condition lies exactly in the absence of a unique set of symptoms, so the person continues to lead the usual lifestyle, not suspecting any danger and blame the occasional unpleasant symptoms on the general malaise. Moreover, for each person, the inflammatory process will affect different organs, depending on the predispositions.

• For some, chronic inflammation can impair the pancreatic cells’ ability to properly regulate insulin production. This creates favorable conditions for the development of diabetes, and if the person has a high percentage of visceral fat - this path becomes much shorter.

• Chronic inflammation is continuously activating the immune system (since it is constantly crying for help!) and thus can lead to excessive sensitivity, make the body attack its own tissues, so basically trigger the development of an autoimmune disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, autoimmune thyroiditis, allergic dermatitis, asthma).

• Inflammation can also affect cells in artery walls, so that they begin to attract cholesterol molecules, increasing the risk of plaque formation and making the already existing plaques less stable. When the plaque is ruptured a clot can form around it, and then the real danger of artery blockage arises.

• The link between inflammation and brain diseases, although well described in the scientific literature, is still more difficult to grasp. And yet the inflammatory process is exactly what happens in the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s, for example. I understand that in this case it can be very difficult to determine the focus of inflammation, because the usual symptoms of the inflammatory process, such as pain or tumor, are not obvious. The brain, capable of receiving pain signals from the whole body, has no own pain receptors, which makes it unable to detect its own problem. Over the past few decades, however, scientific research has shown time and again that inflammation is a fundamental process underlying the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

People who have been talking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for two years or more have the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease development reduced by more than 40% (this is not advice for their use, but a good illustration of the correlation). Meanwhile other studies have shown that in the case of degenerative diseases cytokines - cell mediators of inflammation - are dramatically increased in the brain.

WHAT CHRONIC INFLAMMATION REALLY IS?

Oxidative stress is believed to be at the root of chronic inflammation, in other words - the appearance of «biological rust». This corrosion can occur either on the outside, appearing as wrinkles and other forms of premature aging, or inside, making blood vessels stiff, damaging the cellular membranes, eroding the intestinal wall. In fact, it is wreaking havoc in your tissues and organs.

Oxidation is a normal process, very common in nature. In particular, it happens during the essential metabolic process, when the body turns calories and oxygen into useful energy. That’s why oxidation is an important part of our existence. But if it’s happening too vigorously and isn’t balanced out by the antioxidants, it can be harmful. By «oxidation», we imply oxygen, but not the oxygen we breathe. The oxygen-«culprit’s» formula is just «O»: it has an unpaired electron, it is not O2 molecule.

Now let’s take another dive into the oxidation process. If you haven’t lived on another planet lately, you probably heard about free radicals. They are the molecules which have lost an electron. Electrons usually rotate in pairs, but various forces (stress, pollution, chemicals, toxic food stimuli, ultraviolet rays, and even normal body activities such as breathing) can cause one electron to be lost. When this happens, the molecule loses all sense of propriety and starts to rush about, trying to steal the electron from others. This agitation is the process of oxidation, the series of attacks on cells. As a result the inflammation begins, and even more free radicals emerge.

Because oxidized tissues and cells cannot function properly, this destructive process leads us into a state of sickness. The body is constantly trying to heal itself and repair the damaged DNA, but it lacks the tools to complete the process. So it’s not surprising that people with high levels of oxidation have an extensive list of symptoms: fatigue, confusion, low resistance to infections, muscle weakness, joint pain... And that’s not all of it.

WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFLAMMATION IN THE BODY?

• High blood sugar levels

Constantly elevated level of glucose cause inflammation because excess sugar can have a toxic effect if it is not used by the body’s cells. It also causes a reaction called «glycation» - a biological process in which sugar binds to proteins and some fats, resulting in deformed molecules that are unable to perform their functions. The body does not perceive them as normal cells, so they cause an inflammatory reaction.

There are a couple of key points.

First of all, the excess of simple carbohydrates in the diet will inevitably provoke high blood sugar levels. It is also worth mentioning frequent snacks and not long enough intervals between meals, which have similar negative effects.

The second point concerns insulin resistance - a real epidemic of our time, with most people not even aware of their condition. It’s not even as much about glucose intake from food as it is about the absence of proper sensitivity of cells’ receptors to insulin, so if normally insulin helps glucose to enter the cell, in this case glucose molecules continue to circulate in blood, causing the consequences described above.

• Insufficient intake of antioxidants

With an abundance of processed foods and not enough good quality vegetables and greens in the diet we often lack antioxidants, substances that are essential to our body and are able to reduce the number of free radicals which cause inflammation in the body and literally poison our cells.

• Excess body weight

It is still widely believed that fat cells are only the warehouses where an unclaimed energy supply is stored. That is a misconception. Today we know that fat cells are much more involved in physiological processes. Fat masses form elaborate complexes which produce certain hormones, so they can not be called passive. Yes, yes, fat tissue performs many functions besides maintaining heat and protection. This is especially the case for visceral fat, which wraps itself around the internal organs: liver, kidneys, pancreas, heart and intestine. It’s the most dangerous kind of fat. Abdominal fat contributes to the development of inflammation more than hip fat, for instance. Fat cells secrete signaling molecules that damage cells of the immune system as well as interfere with sex hormones. That is why the waist circumference is a health indicator, it is a predictive factor for many potential diseases as the presence of visceral fat promotes chronic inflammation, and the waist circumference of more than 80 cm for women and 90 cm for men is one of the globally accepted markers for insulin resistance and actually you can check yourself right now.

But this is by no means an invitation to exhaust yourself with strict diets. It is very important to reduce body weight carefully, normalizing the metabolism, not slowing it down with crazy restrictions.

• Increased sensitivity to certain foods

The key here is not even the intolerance or allergy to some kind of products, but the fact that often (except in cases of severe allergic reactions) people do not know about their individual intolerances, while 65 per cent of the adult population has a reduced ability to digest lactose (milk sugar), meanwhile the elimination of gluten often results in significant health improvements for people who have tried all sorts of treatments and even have blood test results stating «normal gluten tolerance». In reality the symptoms in the form of digestive disorders (abdominal bloating, gasses, diarrhea, constipation, cramps), nausea, hives/rashes, vitamins malabsorption, anxiety etc. often remain neglected by people not suspecting that regular consumption of products to which there is excessive sensitivity can lead to serious disorders. When immune system antibodies come into contact with proteins that humans are allergic to, it triggers a cascade of inflammation response and the release of tons of chemicals known as cytokines. Cytokines are able to activate killer cells, which, as a side effect, can damage healthy body tissues and create conditions for disease development.

• Leaky Gut Syndrome or Increased Intestinal Permeability

The condition is very common in the modern world, it develops against the background of damage to the integrity of the epithelium of the intestinal wall, which as a filter, is the gate between the intestine and bloodstream. The presence of LGS means that the junctions between the cells of the wall became less tight and micro-holes were formed. So undigested proteins, bacteria, fungi and toxins are able to enter the bloodstream and this will be provoking the immune system response and systemic inflammation.

This condition is often directly connected with food sensitivities, as consumption of foods that are «heavy» personaly for you will irritate the mucous membrane of the small intestine and disrupt its integrity. Meanwhile the presence of leaky gut syndrome can provoke excessive reaction of the body to food triggers, up to the onset of allergies to products, which you were able to eat with no problems before.

These are just some of the most obvious causes of inflammation in our body.

I should also mention that for some people the genetic factor can play a role in intensifying of the inflammatory process in the body, increasing the risk of developing certain diseases. But the genetic factor is always only a part of the story. You can do a lot to affect gene expression, from «turning off» or suppressing «bad» genes to enabling «useful» genes, which will help to maintain your health.

For those of you who haven’t studied epigenetics these ideas may seem unrealistic, so I’m going to create a separate article on how we can influence the activity of our genes.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND IF YOUR BODY IS IN THE STATE OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION?

In addition to blood markers in the form of elevated white blood cells and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, as well as high C-reactive protein, a sluggish inflammation can be suspected when more than a few factors relate to you at the same time.

• Regular headaches

• Often slightly elevated body temperature

• Skin rashes, acne, dermatitis

• Excess body weight

• Have never done a parasite cleanse

• Chronic infectious disease

• Gastrointesinal diseases such as: reflux disease, non-specific ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and others

• Enlarged lymph nodes

• Joint pain

• Constant muscle weakness

• Frequent secretion of mucus from the nose, tearing eyes or the urge to cough for no reason

• Feeling tired even after a good night sleep

• Dizziness and the feeling of instability

• Have trouble concentrating, blurred vision, frequent urination

• Hypercoagulation - a condition that causes the blood to clot more easily than normal

HOW TO REDUCE THE LEVEL OF INFLAMMATION ?

• Antioxidants

Historically people’s diet included a lot of products, rich in antioxidants. These selfless substances give their electrons to free radicals, interrupt the chain reaction started by radicals and help prevent cell damage. Antioxidants are found in many plants, berries and nuts.

Also biologically active supplements of vitamins C, A and E, beta-carotene and flavonoids can become an excellent additional source of antioxidants.

Important!!!

Fat-soluble vitamins A and E should not be taken without prior testing, as they tend to accumulate in the body, and their excess is as harmful as deficiency.

Moreover, it is necessary to choose wisely the dosages of each supplement, because antioxidants when taken in high dosages can create the opposite effect, becoming a source of free radicals themselves and worsen oxidative stress.

• Balance fats in the diet

Omega-3 and monounsaturated fatty acids reduce inflammation, while omega-6 and refined and hydrogenated fats, which are so common in manufactured foods, enhance it. Add coconut and flaxseed oil to your meals and do not overindulge in animal protein, as it will acidify the body and increase the load on the excretory organs.

• Minimize dairy, sugar, simple carbohydrates and gluten

These products are the main culprits of hidden inflammation, regular consumption of which does not let the body recover and so we fall into a vicious circle of illnesses.

• Exclude industrial food products (cooked breakfast, bars, canned goods, sausages, semi-processed goods, fast food)

With eating such food you get a whole cocktail of harmful additives, the most «noble» of which are sugar, refined oils, yeast, white flour, preservatives, flavor and smell enhancers. All these hidden ingredients are not natural food for humans and will inevitably boost the inflammation in the body.

• Always be assured of the integrity of the intestine and its microbiota. About the major impact that state of the gut has on person’s health I talk in the following article >>>>

Gut As the Foundation of Health

• Replenish the main deficiencies

The real message that I want to carry is that for genuine health you should not to focus on a single topic, but to care about your body as a whole, and the first thing to do after modifying your diet is to check the levels of vitamins and minerals in your body and, in case of deficiencies, to replenish them with a competent specialist (after figuring out what caused them in the first place). Since in our body all processes are inextricably linked with each other, lack of trace elements will inevitably affect the normal flow of all biochemical processes, so for example, without having B-vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium and zinc in reserve it’s impossible to expect any normal response to even mild inflammation.

• Deal with stress and adjust sleep patterns

Last but not the least! Our mental state will largely determine the body’s ability to resist illnesses, and in the modern world to learn ways of dealing with stress can become a priceless investment in your well-being.

So the best thing we can do for our health is to learn to control the inflammatory process if it isn’t necessary for our survival. So far there aren’t any known drugs which are able to do this without substantial side effects, but a proper sleep routine and healthy nutrition are guaranteed to help you on this path, and for free.