What is Inflammation?
According to WebMD, inflammation is a process by which your body’s white blood cells and the things they make protect you from outside invaders like bacteria and viruses.
Inflammation is a frequent occurrence because we are partly microbial and we move in a microbial world. So, these circumstances ensure countless encounters with microbial stimuli in the context of tissue injury. The conjunction of these two types of stimuli in time and space is what most often initiates inflammation
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2010.02.029
Simply put, Inflammation is a body’s normal response to stop spreading the infection when it encounters microbial stimuli. Hence, it is normally a healing process of the body.
Moreover, the body conceives its own cells or tissues as harmful. So, this triggers inflammation and result in chronic diseases.
It is a serious fact to note that three out of five people around the world die of a disease linked to inflammation.
This article elucidates the causes, effects, and steps to control unresolved inflammation.
Causes of Inflammation
Inflammation is the result of an immune reaction. Hence, an infection can result in inflammatory conditions. Yet it is not always necessarily so. Other than infection, many other factors may trigger it. This includes the following
- A bee sting
- Exposure to a substance
- Injury or bone fracture or a wound
- Bronchitis
- Appendicitis
- External objects like thorns
- Radiation
- Dermatitis
- Otitis media
Foods that Cause inflammation
The food that causes inflammatory conditions includes the following.
- Sugar and high fructose corn syrup
- Trans fats
- Refined vegetable oils that contain high levels of Omega-6 fatty acids
- High intake of alcoholic drinks
- Processed Meat and foods
- Refined Carbohydrates
- French Fries
- Soda
- Fried Foods
However, Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory effects.
Effects of Inflammation
Chronic inflammation may lead to the following health conditions.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriasis
- Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Cancer
- Heart diseases
- Diabetes
- Dementia
Inflammation Diet
The foods that fight inflammation include the following.
- Tomatoes
- Olive Oil
- Green leafy vegetables
- Nuts
- Fatty fish that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids
- Fruits like Strawberries, Oranges, Blueberries, Cherries, etc.,
Steps to Fight Inflammation
Harvard Medical School recommends the following list that includes the steps to fight the inflammatory conditions.
Sound Sleep
Insufficient sleep elevates inflammatory conditions. Hence, getting enough sleep helps fight inflammatory conditions.
Weight Management
Abdominal fats produce pro-inflammatory chemicals. Reducing sugar in your diet will give surprising results. Hence, reducing abdominal fat by exercise and diet will help contain inflammatory conditions. Refer to this article on weight management.
Smoking
Within a few weeks of stopping smoking gives favorable results in treating inflammatory conditions. Hence, avoiding smoking results in a dramatic reduction in inflammatory levels.
Moderate Use of Alcohol
Overusage of alcohol increases inflammatory conditions. However, limited use of alcohol can have anti-inflammatory effects. Hence, it is very important to find the line over which it is unhealthy.
Anti-inflammatory Diet
An anti-inflammatory diet that includes omega-3-rich foods and low-sugar foods. Besides, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, nuts, olive oil, flaxseed, fatty fish, and fruits like orange, cherries, strawberries, and blue cherries are helpful.
Exercise
Moderate aerobic exercises help to reduce inflammatory conditions. However, excess aerobic exercise may give unfavorable results. Finding the right level of aerobic exercise is the key to getting healthy results.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress can aggravate inflammatory conditions and often results in health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, cardiac disease, depression, and inflammatory bowel disease. Hence, fighting stress can reverse the conditions.
Conclusion
Following these simple steps, we can avoid many life-threatening diseases and lead a healthy life. Moreover, supplements like turmeric, ginger, and fish provide you with anti-inflammatory conditions.