What is Chronic Inflammation?

How much do you know about treating chronic inflammation with naturopathy?

Here’s what you need to know about inflammation, how it’s connected to chronic diseases, and how naturopathy can maximize good health and prevent chronic diseases.

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s critical response to an injury, infection, or stress (or a combination of all three). It works by signaling our body’s immune system to respond and repair injured and damaged tissues. An inflammatory messenger causes an injured area to have increased blood flow, bringing to this area additional nutrients and white blood cells to kick-start the healing process.

Inflammation is also in charge of blocking foreign invaders by defending the immune system from bacteria and viruses. It’s so important that without it, our wounds would get infected and our bodies would be vulnerable to deadly infections.

However, there are instances when inflammation becomes an issue. If the process of inflammation self perpetuates, this long-term inflammatory response – that could last for many months or years – can cause chronic inflammation-mediated complications.

So What is Chronic Inflammation?

Compared to acute inflammation, which is short-term, chronic inflammation can occur for a long period of time and drastically affect your body. This type of inflammation is also known as persistent low-grade inflammation since, as the name suggests, it affects the whole body with low levels of inflammation. Chronic inflammation can also play a role in the future development of diseases such as heart disease or stroke, and may also lead to autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, chronic pain, and low quality of life.

With that, it’s important to watch out for symptoms of chronic inflammation such as the ones listed below to help prevent and reverse chronic diseases:

• High blood glucose levels
• Digestive problems, such as gas, diarrhea, bloating, constipation
• Tired all the time
• Skin problems (eczema, psoriasis, skin appears red and blotchy)
• Puffy face or puffy bags under your eyes
• Depression, anxiety, or brain fog

What Triggers Chronic Inflammation?

First, let’s look at an on/off switch: when chronic inflammation forms, it means a switch in your immune system gets stuck to the ‘on’ setting, releasing harmful chemicals that affect the cells. (Think of a fire that never gets extinguished.) That said, some of these inflammation triggers include persistent infections, low gut health, food allergies, air pollution, nutrient deficiencies and an imbalance of omega-3s and omega-6s in your diet.

Using naturopathy to alleviate prolonged inflammation is a great first step in boosting your defense against many major diseases. Through this approach, you’re discovering the root causes of your inflammation and how you can help avoid and/or reduce it naturally.

Preventing Inflammation with Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathy can be an ideal way to prevent or treat chronic inflammation because it encourages the body to heal itself through natural solutions. Regularly visiting a naturopathic doctor such as Dr. Janelle Mackowiak can help you address inflammatory triggers in your lifestyle and diet, all while building a plan to support your current and future health.

Through naturopathic medicine, you’ll discover that preventing inflammation can pay off in the long run; you’ll uncover how to restore vitality and reduce any risks for potential diseases. 

What can I help you with on your health journey?