The Invisible Health Condition Behind Everything From Heart Disease To Dementia
The scary thing is, you can’t see it or feel it—but it might be hurting every part of your body
It’s called chronic inflammation and, like Chiropractic, it’s not just about pain!
Scan the obits and you’ll see the usual suspects listed as causes of death—heart disease, cancer, stroke, and complications from diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
What you won’t read about is chronic inflammation, a deep-body immune response that medical researchers are beginning to recognize as the underlying reason we develop these deadly conditions.
“Most major diseases seem to have a chronic inflammatory component,” says integrative medicine expert James Dillard, M.D.
What the Heck Is Inflammation?
Chances are you’re already familiar with acute inflammation. This is the redness, heat, and swelling of a gum infection or a hammer-meets-thumb injury.
These reactions are triggered by the flood of white blood cells summoned by your body to surround and protect the wound.
Acute inflammation also occurs internally when you get an infection, such as pneumonia. In that event, those same white blood cells take aim at the bacteria in your tissues and bloodstream.
In both cases, the heat and swelling of acute inflammation are all part of your body’s battle against the invaders that cause infection—they help speed the healing process.
Chronic inflammation is different. It happens when the white blood cells produced by your body to fight off infection don’t retreat.
Instead they attack healthy tissues and organs.
Inflammation doesn’t just hurt your heart, of course. It also impacts your:
- Brain: Mounting research indicates that inflammation in the brain contributes to depression and cognitive decline.
- Joints: Chronic inflammation can lead to rheumatoid arthritis by causing joint swelling, which damages cartilage and bone.
- Belly: Visceral fat, the kind that gives you a beer gut, secretes chemicals that lead to inflammation.
How do you know if you have inflammation?
1.You can assess your own situation with a quick blood test that measures a liver chemical, C-reactive protein (CRP), which rises in response to inflammation.
This test can help assess your risk of heart attack, especially if you’re younger than 60 and have a family history of heart disease.
2. You can have your spine evaluated for misalignments and pinched nerves which cause inflammation.
How to Fight Inflammation
Typical strategies include anti-inflammatory drugs which are either being taken off the market or cause severe side effects.
Chiropractic Can Help!!
Pinched nerves are inflamed nerves and can exist WITHOUT PAIN.
Regular chiropractic care, ESPECIALLY when there are no symptoms is the best way to control inflammation to not only keep pain away but insure the best health your body is capable of having. Saves time and money in the long run too!
