**A natural part of the body's immune system that can run amok. ** Inflammation is a natural response of the body to acute injuries, illnesses, or infections. It causes pain, redness, swelling, and sometimes extra warmth to the inflamed area. It can be acute (normal, good) and chronic (not normal, bad). **Chronic, low-grade inflammation** is epidemic across America. It's brought about by many factors common to modernity. Autoimmune Diseases cause inflammatory responses to normal parts of the body. Arthritis is inflammation. [[Ankylosing Spondylitis]] is an inflammatory disease. Dr. [[Casey Means]] posits inflammation is the cells response to perceived threats, like low-levels of cellular energy ([[Adenosine Triphosphate|ATP]]) as a result of [[Mitochondria]]l disfunction. # Inflammation [[Balance]]: - Too little inflammation could lead to progressive tissue destruction by the harmful stimulus (e.g. bacteria) and compromise the survival of the organism. - Too much inflammation, in the form of chronic inflammation, is associated with various diseases # Measurement: In bloodwork (although not part of a "standard [[Biometrics]] panel"): - C-reactive protein (CRP) - Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) # Anti-Inflammation - [[Anti-inflammatory Drugs]] - [[Anti-inflammatory Behavior]] - [[Anti-inflammatory Diet]] **** # More ## Sources - [Inflammation - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammation) - [Inflammation](https://www.webmd.com/arthritis/about-inflammation) - [[Good Energy (book)]] - [[Simple Science Fitness]] - [[An Elegant Defense]] ## Related - [[Chronic Low-Level Inflammation]] - [[Anti-inflammatory Drugs]] - [[Anti-inflammatory Behavior]]