DOUSE THE FLAMES WHY AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY APPROACH TO HEALTH MATTERS By Stacie Rose
Ever cut your finger or scrape your knee? Of course, you have. You might experience what feels like a whoosh or rush of blood to that area. It might feel hot to the touch, but you can rely on the body’s healing powers. When a person’s system feels under attack from an injury, virus, bacteria or an invasive toxin, the immune system gets ready to fight. Inflammatory cells activate and try to begin healing. This inflammatory response is a good thing, a little miracle worthy of appreciation. However, living in a state of chronic inflammation is another story altogether and can be worrisome. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACUTE AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION? Acute inflammation occurs to combat trauma to the body and usually does not last very long. You may experience pain, swelling and heat at the sight of the injury. Chronic inflammation may be more challenging to detect and linger for months or even years. Clues may be skin rashes, joint pain, fever, abdominal pain, chest pain or fatigue. 52
WHY IS TOO MUCH INFLAMMATION PROBLEMATIC? Picture yourself in a constant state of fight or flight, your adrenaline soaring, your blood coursing through your body, sweat pouring down like rain. Pretty stressful, right? These are vital functions of the body that can be necessary at times. But living in an agitated state 24/7 would be exhausting and cause complete fatigue and depletion. Similarly, inflammation has its time and place as you would not want
