Equipping People To Make Sense Of What They Are Told
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 diseases) the body’s immune system inappropriately
triggers an inflammatory response when there are no foreign substances to fight off.
In these case’s 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
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 diseases.
Disease process’s can be affected or caused by inflammation.
If your immune systems ability to quell inflammation is impaired you may be heading
toward illness and premature aging.
Addressing the cause [s] of inflammation and learning how to live an anti-inflammatory
lifestyle can assist in supporting your health.
There are normal and appropriate inflammatory responses of the immune - defence system
-- to infection and trauma.This kind of inflammation is necessary. It is needed it
to survive and works to determine friend from foe.
An immediate inflammatory reaction generated by your bodies immune system is known
as an “acute inflammatory reaction”
When your immune system becomes uncontrolled, for whatever reason, it will attack
the bodies healthy tissues resulting in autoimmune diseases and chronic, underlying
inflammation which can slowly damages your organs / tissues reducing your 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 adverse side effects especially with
long term use.
Some causes of inflammation that impact on your health:
