Inflammation

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is your body's protective response to injury and infection. It helps remove harmful stimuli like damaged cells, toxins, and pathogens, and helps begin the healing process.

There are two types of inflammation:

• Acute inflammation starts rapidly and becomes severe within minutes or hours. Its main signs are redness, swelling, heat, and pain. This helps bring white blood cells to the area to limit the spread of infection and start removing injured tissue. Acute inflammation usually lasts a few days as your body heals.


• Chronic inflammation lasts for weeks, months, or years. It happens when the cause of inflammation persists, or your immune system is constantly activated when it shouldn't be. Diseases linked to chronic inflammation include asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and some cancers.

What causes inflammation?

Inflammation can start when:

• Tissues are injured by trauma, toxins, heat, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, radiation, or other stimuli


• White blood cells detect infection or the presence of cellular debris from damaged tissue


• The immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy cells and tissues

How is inflammation treated?

For mild inflammation, resting the area and using cold compresses can help ease discomfort. Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or aspirin can also help relieve pain and swelling.

For more serious inflammation, physicians may prescribe prescription anti-inflammatory medications or steroids. Identifying and removing the initial cause of inflammation is also key.

If you're struggling with chronic inflammation or inflammatory diseases like arthritis, consider contacting the caring staff at Hormone Health Clinic. Their customized hormone therapy programs help restore hormonal balance, reduce inflammation, and allow patients to regain wellness. Reach out today to learn more about their evidence-based services!

In summary, inflammation is the body's protective response to harmful stimuli like infection or injured tissue. It serves an important purpose but can cause issues if it persists too long. To get your inflammation under control, use anti-inflammatory treatments, avoid triggers, and consider hormone balance services from wellness providers like Hormone Health Clinic.