by Tina Van Horn, Director of Research and Business Development at SL Technology, Inc., a Reliv Company
Register now for Tina’s next live webinar “Keeping Kids Healthy in a Fast Food World” this Wednesday, October 21, at noon Central.
ACUTE INFLAMMATION: THE QUICK FIX
Acute inflammation is your body’s reaction to something foreign, such as viruses, bacteria, allergens and trauma. When the foreign invader is no longer a threat, the inflammatory response should return to its healthy state: ready but not active.
Acute inflammation is an important immune response that protects you from infection and repairs tissues following injury. In most cases it is short-lived because the stimulus that triggered its activation is no longer present. The immune system has done its job of destroying the pathogens and healing the damaged tissues.
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION: THE SLOW BURN
But what happens when the inflammatory stimulus doesn’t go away? Many of the environmental signals that trigger inflammation are less obvious, continuous threats that keep the immune system functioning at a low level for a long period of time. This leads to chronic inflammation — a lowgrade, systemic condition often without any immediate symptoms. Over time, chronic inflammation slowly destroys tissues, leading to cumulative and serious damage. Continue reading “Chronic Inflammation: Put Out the Fire”