Is Chronic Inflammation the Root Problem

The news is filled with emerging research about inflammation in the body and its negative impact on health. What does this mean? Inflammation is a natural response your body uses to protect itself, fight off infection, and speed up healing. You've experienced your body's inflammatory response if you've ever had a fever, a sore throat with swollen glands, or an infected cut that's become red and warm to the touch. This is a typical (acute) inflammatory response, a sign that your body's immune system is resolving the problem. Your body requires some level of inflammation as part of the normal process of living.

However, too much can create imbalances. Chronic inflammation often results from an overreactive immune system impacted by excess exposure to viruses, bacteria, stress, ultraviolet rays, an unhealthy diet, allergies, etc. Instead of resetting back to a normal range, your immune system continues to produce inflammatory markers, prompting your white blood cells to attack healthy tissues and organs.

Chronic inflammation, while often not immediately noticeable, can have a significant impact on your body, leading to the development of challenging diseases such as

• Heart disease by increasing C-reactive protein, which increases the risks for atherosclerosis.
• Inflammation impacts diabetes by causing more insulin resistance, worsening diabetes symptoms and, in some cases, can also be the root cause of the first stage of type II diabetes.   
• Uncontrolled chronic inflammation is now recognized as a predominant factor in Alzheimer's disease due to the sustained immune response in the brain, causing brain "macrophages" to overproduce cells and affect the healing process of brain cells. Digestive and bowel disorders are often caused by inflammation (IBS, (colitis, Crohn's)
• Lung disorders, whereby the inflammatory response causes fluid to accumulate in the lungs, narrowing the airways.
• The most obvious signs of chronic inflammation are the various forms of arthritis because you can visibly see the effects and feel the pain. However, other symptoms of chronic inflammation could include skin rashes, eye inflammation, hair loss, dry mouth and difficulty in losing weight (negatively influencing hunger signals and slowing down metabolism).

Herbal Supplements Can Reduce Inflammation

Many natural products work to support inflammatory conditions. Curcumin supplements are the most popular and for a good reason. Curcumin is well-researched for its ability to inhibit the body's production of inflammatory signaling compounds. Using Curcumin can help slow the body's production of eicosanoids (inflammatory compounds) to bring levels back to normal, significantly decreasing chronic systemic inflammation.  

The healing benefits of Curcumin depend heavily on the raw materials used in the product and how they are processed to ensure the product is bioavailable (  how much you absorb).