2022 MARCH | STRATA MED (HEALTH & WELLNESS) GARDEN OF THE GODS RESORT AND CLUB MEMBER NEWSLETTER
What is Inflammation? Inflammation is a protective tissue response to injury or destruction of tissues, which serves to destroy, dilute, or wall off both the injurious agent and the injured tissues. The classical signs of acute inflammation are pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function. The redness is caused by increased blood flow. The swelling is partly caused by white blood cells dispatched by the immune system to destroy the attacker and repair the injury. So, obviously, inflammation is one of the body’s most important defense mechanism. Without it, we would not be able to fight bacterial infections, injuries, and destruction of tissues. So, how can inflammation be harmful? Inflammation can be both acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is the initial response of the body to harmful stimuli. Prolonged inflammation, or chronic inflammation is characterized by simultaneous destruction and repair of the tissue from the inflammatory process. When inflammation is appropriate, it protects us from disease but when inflammation is inappropriate or gets out of hand it can cause disease. The immune system is composed of mechanisms that continuously protects us against diseases and infections but is also responsible, when triggered, for potentially damaging autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, systemic lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes all of which are associated with a dysfunction of the immune system. STRATA’s clinical services – including Cardiology, Naturopathic Medicine, Women’s Wellness, Precision Nutrition, Acupuncture … to name just a few – can support you learning more about the role of inflammation in your body and how to minimize its impact. Please connect with the STRATA Experience Team (719-428-2202; Wellness@STRATAwell.com) to schedule a clinical appointment. 16
