Contents:
- Medical Video: 2 Common Habits That Force Inflammation to Grow Inside Your Body – Do THIS To Reverse It
- Inflammation is the body's defense mechanism
- What happens to the body if inflammation occurs too long
Medical Video: 2 Common Habits That Force Inflammation to Grow Inside Your Body – Do THIS To Reverse It
The first thing that might come to mind when hearing inflammation is pain. Not wrong, because whether it's sore throat or inflammation of the intestine, it definitely causes pain. It is true that inflammation is the body's response to a danger, such as stress, infection of foreign organisms (such as bacteria and viruses), and toxic chemicals. However, do you know what actually happens to the body when experiencing inflammation?
Inflammation is the body's defense mechanism
Inflammation or inflammation is part of the body's immune system. When the body recognizes a danger, the immune system will respond by releasing white blood cells and other chemical compounds into the blood to protect threatened cells and tissues.
The release of white blood cells then increases blood flow to the area that has an injury or infection, so that this area will feel warm and look reddish. Some chemicals released by the immune system can also cause fluid leakage into the tissue so that the area swells. The release of these chemicals can also stimulate nerve fibers and cause pain. Inflammation will indeed cause discomfort, but this is important in the healing process.
However, this mechanism should only appear in certain situations and take place in a short time. For example, when a part of the body experiences open wounds, the inflammatory mechanism will help remove damaged cells and accelerate the healing process. Conversely, when inflammation occurs over a longer period than needed, it tends to be harmful.
What happens to the body if inflammation occurs too long
The mechanism of inflammation that occurs for a long time can damage the body. Inflammation can turn chronic (long-term) when the body cannot eliminate the cause of inflammation, is exposed to the causes of inflammation continuously, and also forms an autoimmune response in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue.
Diseases that are often associated with chronic inflammation include:
- Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis), can cause shortness of breath or fluid retention.
- Inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis), can cause high blood pressure or kidney failure.
- Inflammation of small tubes that carry air to the lungs can cause shortness of breath and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
- Inflammatory bowel can cause Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
- Joint inflammation can cause arthritis.
- Bone inflammation increases the risk of porous bones.
- Inflammation of the skin, causing psoriasis or premature aging
- Inflammation of the gums can cause periodontitis (a disease that makes the gums recede and the skeletal structure around the teeth becomes weak or damaged).
In addition to affecting the internal organs, inflammation can also affect your body in other ways.
The 2015 study published in JAMA Psychiatry mentions that inflammation in the brain can be associated with mood disorders, such as depression, which then causes poor appetite and poor sleep patterns. In fact, previous studies found that depressed people tended to have higher blood levels of inflammatory substances.
