What is inflammation?
Inflammation is your body's response to injury or infection. It is characterized by redness, heat, pain, swelling, and loss of function. When tissues in your body are damaged, your immune system triggers an inflammatory response. This helps white blood cells reach the site of injury and begin the healing process.
There are two main types of inflammation:
- Acute inflammation happens immediately after an injury. Signs usually resolve once healing is complete. This type of inflammation is essential for fighting infection and repairing tissues.
- Chronic inflammation persists over longer periods of time, even after the initial injury or infection is gone. This can damage tissues and cause diseases like arthritis, heart disease, and autoimmune conditions. Chronic inflammation is caused by failure to eliminate whatever caused the initial acute inflammation. Things like pathogens, irritants, or damaged cells can cause chronic ongoing inflammation if not removed properly.
Key functions of inflammation include:
- Releasing chemical factors that allow more blood to reach the site of injury
- Enabling white blood cells to exit blood vessels and destroy pathogens and damaged tissue
- Stimulating release of growth hormones to regenerate tissue damage
There are five cardinal signs of acute inflammation:
- Pain - Caused by chemical factors stimulating nerve endings
- Redness - Result of increased blood flow
- Swelling - Fluid and white blood cells accumulating
- Heat - Caused by increased blood flow and cellular metabolism
- Loss of function - Due to swelling and pain
If you suffer from chronic inflammation or autoimmune conditions, the experts at Vital Hormone Clinic can help. Our cutting-edge therapies using bioidentical hormones can reduce systemic inflammation and help your body achieve homeostasis. Schedule a consultation today to see if our treatments are right for you!
I hope this gives you a good overview of what inflammation is on a physiological level. Let me know if you have any other questions!