CHRONIC low-level inflammation - A common factor in most health problems
CHRONIC low-level inflammation - A common factor in most health problems
A chronic low-level inflammatory response occurs if an
infection/ injury continues ,
such that the problem is NOT resolved within a few days
What is
Chronic Low-Level Inflammation?
Chronic low-levels of inflammation occur as your body's immune system responds
to persistent ,
undesirable factors:
• Long lasting microbial infections;
• Repeated injuries resulting from exercise;
• Tooth decay/gum disease;
• Unbalanced diet / Missing nutrients / Oxidant
damage from eating too much sugar, meat or dairy / antinutrients such as lectins
in cashew nuts, peanuts or improperly prepared legumes;
• Hazardous chemicals /pollutants in food or
environment
• Psychological worry and stress;
When injury /infection continues unresolved, it
becomes a chronic inflammatory response. Prolonged,
unresolved inflammation causes ongoing tissue damage with related problems.
Some problems are felt immediately,
sometimes (but not always), manifesting as pain, such as joint pain.
Others "fester behind the scenes" unnoticed until inflammatory damage reveals
itself as a diagnosed health problem, such as a heart attack, diabetes or
asthma.
Health
problems linked with chronic low-level inflammation
Sometimes the body's immune system attacks the body's own cells.
This causes what is referred to as an
autoimmune disease
- The immune system "Sends
in the troops" to fight infection, toss out toxins and repair damage.
It has trained its
"workforce" to recognize, tag and destroy invaders (antigens) and to also
recognize that body tissue is not the enemy; sometimes however, some of the
"troops disobey orders", targeting,
attacking and destroying the body's own cells . Why this happens is
still not well understood.
It is possible that microbes can "hide" within tissue, such
as myelin surrounding nerve cells and joints, and the immune system destroys
tissue in an attempt to "get at" them.
- The I.S. mostly "deals
with" rebellious immune cells targeting the body's own cells.
In some cases, the body-targeting immune cells are
removed or deleted. In other cases, they are "silenced" by immune cells called regulatory or suppressor cells.
Unfortunately, some escape to roam the body. If the body is later exposed to a
microbe that carries antigens resembling those on a particular organ
(immunologists call this molecular mimicry), then the escapee body-targeting
cells take aim at the body, damaging the very tissue that they are supposed to
be defending.
- Body-targeting immune cells typically attack red
blood cells, blood vessels, connective tissues, endocrine glands
(E.g. thyroid, pancreas), muscles, joints, skin;
- There are ~80 different
types of auto-immune disorders
(according
to different areas attacked) - including, allergies, Hashimoto's
thyroiditis, Grave's disease, pernicious anemia, Addison's disease, Type I
diabetes (pancreas), Rheumatoid
arthritis, Lupus erythematosus (Non-organ
specific), Sjogren's syndrome,Multiple Sclerosis (brain,
spinal cord, myelin sheath), Myasthenia gravis, Celiac disease,
psoriasis (skin cells)
- Autoimmune activity is more prevalent in
women
than in men. This suggesting a hormonal (possibly
estrogenic)
influence;
- Any therapy must be able to control the
autoimmune process, but maintain the body's ability to fight disease
How to treat chronic
low-level inflammation
Phenomenon seen in Chronic Low-level Inflammation
A loss of sympathetic (stimulant)
drive in
Autonomic Nervous System
(ANS) ;
Cells convert from
aerobic to anaerobic
metabolism, lowering cellular energy output. i.e. not using oxygen in the Krebs'cycle to produce energy; a cancerous
cell is one that has converted from aerobic
/respiratory metabolismto
less efficientanaerobic/fermentative metabolism;
Decrease in enzyme function
Loss of metabolic and anabolic hormones.
Seen as a decrease in basal metabolic rate;
Loss of digestive integrity
Increase of stress hormones: Growth Hormone (GH) and
CORTISOL. Internal damage causes body to generate GH to protect nerves, organs
and GI tract;
Major increase in immune system's production of
potentially tissue-damaging
oxidants (E.g. ROS, Free radicals, RNS). Produced for
the purpose of killing microbes; called oxidative stress;
INSULIN
resistance /Metabolic Disease
Increase in GI tract flora and pathogens.
Candida albicans and gram-negative rods bacteria over-stimulate immune system,
which can lead to cancer in the GI tract;
Increase in adipose tissue /obesity and loss of lean mass.
Animal and human studies have shown that obesity is associated with
chronic inflammation. Compared to fat tissue from lean people, fat
from obese people contains more cells that produce activators of the
inflammatory response. Need to research this
Loss of bone density
Circadian rhythms tend to flatten out.
Instead of a normal series of peaks and troughs that
are modulated throughout the day; this reflects as a decreased life span.
Over-worked immune system depletes nutrient
reserves. E.g. amino acids and hormones;
Tests for Chronic Low-level Inflammation
Main tests for chronic low-level inflammation:
• C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
• Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a)
• Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
• Interleukin 1b [IL-1(b)]
• Interleukin-8 (IL-8)
Often combined with tests for:
• LDL-C
• HDL-C
• Triglycerides
• Lipoprotein (a)