Inflammation

Inflammation is the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli. It is the body’s natural reaction to protect itself from infection and foreign substances.

 
When inflammation occurs normally, chemicals from white blood cells are released to protect you against infection and foreign substances. Without this process, wounds would never heal and infections would go unchecked.
 
The body’s immune system reacts against stimuli In an attempt to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process. Stimuli such as: Pathogens. Damaged cells. Irritants.
 
Sometimes,  the white blood cells and their inflammatory chemicals can cause damage to the body’s tissues and progressive destruction of the tissue will compromise the survival of the organism.In some diseases (known as autoimmune disease) the body’s immune system inappropriately triggers an inflammatory response when there are no foreign substances to fight off. In these conditions the body responds as if normal healthy tissues are infected or somehow considered to be abnormal.  
 

Inflammation is classified as:

Acute - the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli, achieved by the increased movement of plasma and leukocytes from the blood into the injured tissues. A cascade of biochemical events propagates and matures the inflammatory response, involving the local vascular system, the immune system, and various cells within the injured tissue. Chronic - prolonged inflammation, leads to a progressive shift in the type of cells present at the site of inflammation and is characterised by simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue from the inflammatory process. Chronic inflammation will continue to stimulate pro-inflammatory immune cells when they may not be needed. As excess immune cells circulate in the body, they can damage healthy areas of the body.

 
The inflammatory response directs immune system components to the site of injury/damage or infection by increased blood supply and vascular permeability which allows the immune system components to leave the intravascular (within blood vessels or blood vessel) compartment at the point where they are needed. Uncovering whether or not you are suffering from unseen inflammation in your body is quite important because it is an underlying factor associated with many conditions.
 
A chronic disease processes can be affected or caused by inflammation.
 
If the immune system’s ability to quell inflammation is impaired a person may be heading toward a chronic condition and premature aging. Addressing the cause of inflammation and learning how to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle can assist in supporting a person’s health. There are normal and appropriate inflammatory responses of the immune system to infection and trauma. This kind of inflammation is necessary. It is needed for the body to survive and it works to determine friend from foe.
 
An immediate inflammatory reaction generated by the body’s immune system is known as an “acute inflammatory reaction” When the immune system becomes uncontrolled, for whatever reason, it may also begin to attack the body’s healthy tissues resulting in autoimmune conditions. Also chronic underlying inflammation can slowly damage organs and tissues reducing a person’s ability to function optimally.
 
It is postulated that chronic inflammation will also lead to premature aging. Anti-inflammatory drugs are often useful for acute problems; however they do interfere with the body's own immune response and cause serious side effects especially with long term use.
 
Some causes of inflammation that impact on health:

Poor diet. Lack of exercise. Stress. Infections. Allergens. Toxins. Mould.Underlying health conditions.

 
Inflammatory abnormalities are a large group of conditions which underlie a variety of diseases and the immune system is involved in many inflammatory conditions.
 
A large variety of proteins are involved in inflammation, and any one of them is open to a genetic mutation which impairs or otherwise deregulates the normal function and expression of that protein.


The outcome in a particular condition will be determined by the tissue in which the injury has occurred and the injurious agent that is causing it. In some diseases, the inflammatory process can be triggered even when there are no foreign invaders. In autoimmune diseases, the body's normally protective immune system damages its own tissues, as it erroneously recognises self as foreign, and normal as abnormal.

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