One of the common beliefs people have is that I need to get rid of inflammation in their bodies. As with many things in this world, the true answer is yes and no. Some types of inflammation are required for healing. Other types of inflammation are bad for you.
Acute Inflammation
Acute inflammation, which is short-term, is your body’s response to things like cuts, germs or something your body doesn’t recognize as being healthy. Your body likes things to be normal, even, calm – the term for this is homeostasis. If it detects germs, cuts, broken bones, or some kind of a disease, it sends it’s “EMT” units to the spot that there is a problem.
One of the EMT units in your body are the platelets in your blood. They are one of the smallest components in your blood. Their job is to stop bleeding. They help blood to clot, forming a kind of dam or plug to prevent more blood loss. They are part of what makes the scabs that form on wounds. Red blood cells in your body along with fibroblasts create collagen that helps a wound to close and heal.
Another EMT unit are the white blood cells. White blood cells job is to find, attack, and destroy harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites – the things that can make you sick. White blood cells need to be able to tell the difference between good and harmful bacteria or other conditions can occur within your body.
What sets acute inflammation apart from chronic inflammation is the time frame of the inflammation. Acute inflammation usually only lasts a few days to a few weeks. Of course, the time frame will vary depending on the severity of the injury or disease and your health before it started. While it literally hurts, acute inflammation is a good thing because it heals your body.
The treatment for acute inflammation will vary case to case and you may be better to let it run it’s course. Some acute inflammation can be treated at home with over-the-counter medications or even just rest.
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic Inflammation differs from acute inflammation by the time frame. Chronic inflammation can last months, years or even a lifetime. Instead of healing your body, chronic inflammation may actually work to destroy it. Some of the diseases that afflict people’s everyday lives are caused by or made worse by chronic inflammation:
- rheumatoid arthritis
- joint diseases
- lupus
- multiple sclerosis
- inflammatory bowel diseases
- type 2 diabetes
- atherosclerosis
- heart disease
- asthma
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- chronic kidney disease
- long term infection
- allergies
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Treatment for most chronic inflammation will require diagnosis and treatment from a medical professional. If left untreated, many chronic inflammations can lead to drastic lifestyle changes or even death. A few will be contributing causes to death even with treatment.