INFLAMMATION
EFFECTS, IMPORTANCE, AND PROPER TREATMENT
In process
Notes only, not medical advice at all, consult physician..
When your body is in a chronic state of inflammation, it can have serious effects on your cellular health, and has been linked to degenerative diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and many others.
"With chronic inflammation in the body, we're slowly cooking ourselves."
Inflammatory cytokines are destructive to our normal cells and with chronic inflammation they result in irritation and wearing down of cartilage and tissues, and lead to further inflammatory triggers.
This process creates a type of heat and friction on a physiological level, similar to rubbing fabric together repeatedly – eventually it begins to degrade.
Even further, inflammation can affect internal organs and has been linked to mental and emotional imbalances, digestive disorders, skin problems, musculo-skeletal conditions, and more.
Since many foods are naturally pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory, the types of foods you feed your body may have a serious impact on your inflammation responses. The biggest culprits are processed and sugary foods, as well as trans fats, which are present in a variety of snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and vegetable shortening, among others
No big doses of sugar and very minimal processed foods!!!!
In his book The End Of Illness, Dr. Agus identifies inflammation as the biggest cause of illness. (It runs smack dab into various prejudices, so it receives varied reviews. (See Dr. Joseph S. Maresca's review, via the link.)
THERAPIES
Acupuncture is one effective therapy that can help reduce chronic inflammation, in addition to yoga and movement therapies such as Qi Gong and other gentle exercises. Stress relief measures such as meditation and deep breathing are also important, and of course, a healthy fresh diet, good hydration and proper supplementation are essential.
Perhaps one of the most important things to consider in reducing inflammation in the body is to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Stress hormones like cortisol trigger the release of inflammatory chemicals such as cytokines, and are now viewed as major contributing factors in chronic degenerative conditions.
With a healthy lifestyle and proper stress relief measures, in addition to the right dietary supplements, inflammation can be kept under control, and your health on all levels can "stay cool."
THE CAUSES
Give yourself a score for the degree you do these. 5 = alot, 4 = most of the time, 3 = frequently, 2 = Not alot, 1 = hardly at all
__ Eat processed food, added sugar (fruit ok, fruit juices are not ok)
__ Live a sedentary lifestyle, with little walking or movement
__ Feel stressed, anxious, on edge, or tired; keep self in a stressful situation
A score of 9 or above is not good and the higher you go the greater the odds of early death and of years living in pain and ill health - which I would hope would be unacceptable to you!!!!!
SUMMARY OF REDUCERS, CURES
Give yourself a score for the level you are doing these at. 5 = Excellent, 4 = Very good, 3 = So-so, 4 = Pretty bad, 5 = terribly.
__ 1. No more big doses of sugar and very minimal processed foods
__ 2. Excellent exercise program (5+ days, 30+ minutes)
__ 3. Excellent stress reduction - rarely experience stress, defuse it immediately with stress reducing exercises (relaxation, one minute pause, deep breathing
__ 4. Balance omega 3's (anti-inflammatories) and omega 6's (inflammatory)
A score of 16 or above is the only acceptable minimum score. Otherwise, your body will not function well. (We have not evolved to handle these at all!!!)
________________________________________________
Notes only, do not read...
Side effects of drugs...
ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES
Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids, which affect the central nervous system.
Acetominophen (Tylenol) only reduces pain, with no effect on inflammation.
Corticosteroids do reduce inflammation but are used in more severe
:
NSAIDS Reduce Inflammation. (Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen)
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) block the COX enzymes and reduce prostaglandins throughout the body. As a consequence, ongoing inflammation, pain, and fever are reduced. Since the prostaglandins that protect the stomach and support platelets and blood clotting also are reduced, NSAIDs can cause ulcers in the stomach and promote bleeding.
Do not lie down for at least 30 minutes after taking this drug. In certain conditions (e.g., arthritis), it may take up to two weeks, taken regularly, before the full benefit of this drug takes effect.
Side effects:
Long-term use of NSAIDs can cause gastric erosions, which can become stomach ulcers and in extreme cases can cause severe haemorrhage, resulting in death. The risk of death as a result of use of NSAIDs is 1 in 12,000 for adults aged 16–45.[3] The risk increases almost twentyfold for those over 75. Other dangers of NSAIDs are exacerbating asthma and causing kidney damage. Apart from aspirin, prescription and over-the-counter NSAIDs also increase the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. (Wikipedia)
One NSAID, celecoxib (Celebrex), blocks COX-2 but has little effect on COX-1, and is therefore further classified as a selective COX-2 inhibitor. Selective COX-2 inhibitors cause less bleeding and fewer ulcers than other NSAIDs.
Aspirin is a unique NSAID, not only because of its many uses, but because it is the only NSAID that inhibits the clotting of blood for a prolonged period (4 to 7 days). This prolonged effect of aspirin makes it an ideal drug for preventing blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes.
Cool and cold inhibit local blood circulation, which reduces swelling in injured tissues.
Health supplements [edit]
In addition to medical drugs, some herbs and health supplements have anti-inflammatory qualities, including devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), hyssop, ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma longa), Arnica montana (containing helenalin), and willow bark (containing salicylic acid). Other anti-inflammatory dietary sources include pomegranate (Punica granatum), green tea (Camellia sinensis), cat's claw (Uncaria tometosa and Uncaria guianensis), Indian olibaum (Boswelia serrata), and pineapple bromelain (Ananas comosus).[19] Cannabichromene, a cannabinoid, also has anti-inflammatory effect. [20] Honokiol inhibits platelet aggregation, and works as an inverse agonist at the CB2 receptor. Black seed (Nigella sativa) has shown anti-inflammatory effect due to its high thymoquinone content.[21] St. John's wort's chief constituent, hyperforin, has been found to be a potent COX-1 and 5-LO inhibitor, with anti-inflammatory effect several fold that of aspirin.[citation needed]
Anti-inflammatory foods
Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances that affect the body in variety of ways, also regulating inflammatory mediation. An anti-flammatory diet includes less foods that create inflammation-causing prostaglandins (PGE2) in the body, and more foods that create anti-flammatory prostaglandins (PGE1 and PGE3).
Suggested diets to reduce inflammation include those rich in vegetables and low in simple carbohydrates and fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats. Anti-inflammatory foods include most colorful fruits and vegetables, oily fish (which contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids), nuts, seeds, and certain spices, such as ginger. Extra-virgin olive oil contains the chemical oleocanthal that acts similarly to ibuprofen. Those following an anti-inflammatory diet will avoid refined oils and sugars, and show a preference for so-called anti-inflammatory foods in their meal choices.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to disrupt inflammation cell signaling pathways by binding to the GPR120 receptor
RUBBING OF NERVES
The reaction of nerves being irritated by touching against the sides of the spinal nerve canals will cause an inflammatory response. Old age degeneration and arthritis's narrowing of the canals can increase nerve irritation.
I could not determine (this is "open" question) if slight numbness of side of leg was due to inflammation and tightness pressure on the nerve. There didn't seem to be any other nerve problem anywhere (though it should be left to the doctor to determine that). The spine doctor prescribed a pain reliever that was discovered to relieve pain through it was originally used as an antidepressant (Nortriptyline), with side effects - I held off, as of now, as I could not determine if there were therapeutic effects on the nerve or inflammation that would help anything, with the pharmacist saying there was no therapeutic effect....
