What Is Inflammation
We often hear the word “ Inflammation “ particularly when visiting a doctor . The doctor might have said to you “ Don’t worry , there is some inflammation due to some injury or an infection has caused some inflammation . I am giving you medicine , you should be ok very soon .” But it is quite possible that many do not understand it to what extent any inflammation can harm us .While certainly it’s not good and might result in negative effects like pain , discomfort , fever or a feeling of being sick .
But what does inflammation actually mean ?
Inflammation has something to do with our body’s immune system . Our immune system is our first line of defense against any injury or illness caused by any harmful pathogen . Our white blood cells ( WBC ) are the sentries who make our immunity and protect us against attacks of pathogens. WBC are always in search of any outsider pathogen and if they detect any they start sending signals to other fellow WBC to come and encircle the enemy pathogen and fight with them . This phenomenon is called “ Inflammatory Response “ .
There are four symptoms of inflammation -
Redness due to blood vessels dilating
Swelling due to fluid going in the affected region .
3 . Heat due to increased blood flow .
4 . Pain due to chemicals released in signaling .
It means inflammation is a natural process of recognising and fighting pathogens and its effort to remove the outsiders . Once the infection caused by the external enemy is overcome ( sometimes it may be okay itself as in case of some bee’s bite or wasp’s bite bite or by medication in case of an infection ) the healing process will take place and inflammation’s role is over . The blood vessels will contract and WBC will return to their normal positions.
Can Inflammation be Bad ?
Sometimes our immune system may behave improperly or too excessively . In such cases inflammation level may be too high and may be harmful. This happens more with people having autoimmune diseases like lupus, Rheumatoid arthritis etc. Then immune system improper behavior starts targeting our own body . This results in other disease symptoms like rashes , fever , joint pains etc. and it becomes important to lower the inflammation .
Can we lower or control inflammation ?
We do feel chronic pains or fatigue when the inflammation level in the body is high. Yes , we can lower it to some extent by -
1 . Have anti inflammatory foods - There are many foods that can regulate inflammation such as - water , vegetables , fruits , fatty fish like salmon etc. On the other hand foods having sugar , refined carbohydrates , packaged fast foods , trans fats and hydrogenated oils etc.can increase inflammation .
2 . Have proper sleep - Going to bed and waking up at the same time daily and thus maintaining a proper sleep schedule and having a sleep of 7 - 8 hours helps in regulating the immune system and maintaining a good inflammation level.
3 . Be active - Fat cells in our body release inflammation . It has been seen that being active and doing moderate Exercises regularly keeps fat levels under control . So even 20 minutes of daily moderate exercise or walking can help us to keep control over fats .
4 . No overuse of medicines - Take medicines , whether prescription medicines or easily available over the counter medicines , only when needed . Relying too much on any unnecessary medication or longer uses of medications can lead to increased inflammation. Longer use of medicines can be harmful for the gut microbiome and can result in intestinal inflammation . This releases toxins and can trigger chronic inflammation . So any antibiotics or medicine should be taken only in doses and for time as prescribed by the doctor .
5 . Do Yoga and meditation - It has been proved in studies that practicing Yoga or meditation can reduce stress and inflammation levels. Stress induced inflammation can be overcome / regulated by Yoga / meditation such as deep breathing , simple Pranayama etc. Try to be joyful and happy - being so easily reduces our stress level and inflammation .
