Chronic Inflammation causes cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, Cancer, and Aging.

Many people think of inflammation as a red, swollen, hot, painful, and itchy condition that occurs only on the skin, nose, throat, or mouth, but it is much more. Let me explain more about the inflammation that occurs inside the body that you cannot see.

Inflammation is a normal response when the body eliminates injured or damaged cells or acts as a defense against invaders such as bacteria and viruses. After a while, dead cells and invaders are removed, new cells are regenerated, and the injury is healed.

This natural defense system occurs not only on the skin, nose, throat, or mouth but also in the entire body. If the inflammatory response in the body becomes chronic or abnormal, the body will continue to suffer damage, leading to various diseases.

Mechanism of Inflammation

Inflammation occurs when your cells are damaged or trying to eliminate foreign substances such as bacteria, viruses, mold, or allergens. First, when cells are damaged, substances are released that cause inflammation. Two main types of substances are released: substances that act on blood vessels and substances that act on white blood cells.

Substances that act on blood vessels, such as histamine, cause blood vessels to swell and leak fluid from the bloodstream. The result is swelling and edema.

Chemicals that act on white blood cells include cytokines, which activate white blood cells. Activated white blood cells attack foreign substances and begin to release free radicals. The result is uncomfortable heat and pain.

Symptoms caused by inflammation

Although you may not be familiar with inflammation, the following symptoms are associated with chronic inflammation.

• Chronic Runny nose
• Redness and swelling of the eyes
• Blisters
• Joint pain and swelling
• Chronic Abdominal pain
• Chronic fatigue
• Chronic Body aches

Diseases caused by Chronic Inflammation

Atopic dermatitis, asthma, arthritis, and enteritis are some of the diseases associated with chronic inflammation that come to mind, but the following conditions can also be caused by chronic inflammation.

• Coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis: Inflammation of the blood vessels and arteries that supply blood to the heart causes them to gradually stiffen, lose elasticity, and become more prone to clogging.

• Stroke: Inflammation of the arteries that supply blood to the brain causes a gradual decrease in blood flow and makes them more susceptible to clogging.

• Alzheimer's disease: The accumulation of abnormal proteins such as amyloid-β is the cause of Alzheimer's disease, but chronic inflammation of brain cells initially leads to the accumulation of amyloid-β.

• Parkinson's disease, ALS, MS: believed to occur when neurons are damaged by inflammation.

• Migraine headaches: thought to be triggered by inflammation.

• Cancer: Chronic inflammation damages DNA and mitochondria; DNA can be repaired, but when inflammation becomes chronic to the point that it cannot be repaired in time or is damaged beyond repair, cancer is likely to develop. Inflammation also damages mitochondria, which reduces intracellular energy production and disrupts regular operation due to excess free radicals, thereby exacerbating DNA damage.

• Aging: Inflammation damages collagen and elastin, causing loss of elasticity throughout the body and accelerating the rate of aging in appearance. Chronic inflammation can also lead to macular degeneration and cataracts.

• Fibromyalgia: Chronic inflammation in the muscles and joints leads to pain throughout the body.

• Autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc.): Inflammation becomes chronic as the body's own white blood cells attack the body.

In this issue, we have discussed various diseases caused by inflammation in the body. In the next issue, we will discuss the causes of chronic inflammation and how to manage it with natural medicine.

Reference:

https://www.neurology-jp.org/Journal/public_pdf/05... https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20036938/, https://www.enhancedvision.com/low-vision-tips/the-role-of-inflammation-in-eye-diseases.html, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20036938/,

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.