Harmonising Inflammation: Natural Approaches for Balance and Healing

Inflammation is a natural reaction our immune system creates in response to a stimulus, whether bacteria, tissue injury, foreign material or toxin, to initiate a breakdown and repair process within the body.

Without acute, short term inflammation, our body would not heal or be able to defend itself against cell threats. Our white blood cells create and use molecules like hydrogen peroxide, that can oxidize a substance, therefore changing its chemical structure. Oxidation can help breakdown foreign bodies for disposal.

Our immune system and cells also have a corresponding anti-inflammatory, antioxidant response to balance and stop the oxidative inflammatory reactions when necessary.

Inflammation needs to be managed as it tends to be self-perpetuating. This is due to the release of molecules from our immune cells called inflammatory cytokines.

Cytokines are messenger molecules our immune system uses to signal its activity. With increasing exposure to inflammatory stimuli, our body can get overwhelmed and acute inflammation in isolated areas, can turn into systemic or chronic inflammation.

With our immune system on hyper alert mode, it can become over reactive to perceived threats that would normally be tolerated. This can lead to the initiation of inflammation anywhere in the body. This is known as loss of self-tolerance and is the basis of autoimmunity.

In many circumstances, however, the body is reacting intelligently to body stressors like intracellular toxicity, for instance. This is where some collateral damage can occur as inflammatory processes can spread out into tissue surrounding the area of concern.

TRIGGERS OF INFLAMMATION:

• Tissue Injury

• Poor Posture

• Chronic Stress

• Microorganism toxins - Bacterial, Mould, Yeast

• Food Allergies and Intolerances

• Gut Hyper-Permeability AKA ‘Leaky Gut’

• Excess Refined Sugars

• Elevated Blood Sugar and Insulin

• Fatty Liver

• Excess Alcohol

• Excess Artificial Bluelight Exposure

• Circadian Rhythm Mismatch

• Environmental Toxicity

• Agri-Chemicals, Food, Pesticides

• Excess Metabolic Waste

• Mould - Mycotoxins

• Heavy Metals

• Nutrient Deficiencies

• Processed Vegetable Oils – Trans Fats and Omega 6 Dominance

• Certain Medications and Recreational Drugs

• Xenoestrogens
  

• Synthetic Personal Care Products and Cosmetics

• Gut Dysbiosis - Endotoxin

• Autointoxication - Small Intestine and Colon Reabsorption

• Emotional Trauma

WHAT IS OXIDATIVE STRESS?

Oxidative stress is the process whereby unbalanced, reactive molecules known as free radicals, have built up excessively within the body, causing damage to cellular components via oxidation reactions. Chronic inflammation leads to oxidative stress.

Oxidation is the mechanism used for inflammatory processes. When the input of our anti-inflammatory, antioxidant response to manage inflammation is insufficient, we move into a more pro-oxidative state. Oxidative stress occurs when a molecule with an unpaired electron, known as a free radical or reactive oxygen species (ROS), steals an electron from another molecule, therefore destabilising it. This leads to a free radical cascade, damaging body tissue as a result.

As you can see, there's a delicate dance the body must balance with inflammatory processes. This is known as regulating Cellular Redox Balance and is crucial to optimal cell function.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY IMMUNE BALANCE

This balance comes from the anti-inflammatory side of immune function and our endogenous (made within us) protective antioxidants like Glutathione, Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase to manage the oxidative stress.

There is increasing recognition that many health conditions we are seeing increase today are being driven by the dominance of pro-inflammatory and oxidative processes.

SUPPORTING INFLAMMATION BALANCE