Acute Vs. Chronic Inflammation

An irritant that triggers inflammatory cells in the body to begin the healing process can range from a germ to a cut.

• Acute inflammation: Cuts, splinters, and any other irritant that causes sudden bodily injury will result in acute inflammation. Your body rushes inflammatory cells to the sight of the injury to trigger the healing process.
• Chronic inflammation: Acute inflammation is typically a normal, healthy immune response triggering the healing process. On the other hand, chronic inflammation can be a sign of an underlying issue like disease, lack of exercise, excessive drinking or smoking, etc. There is typically no outside danger but a problem on the inside, causing inflammatory cells to attack joint tissues and other areas of the body.

Acute inflammation is the inflammatory cells attacking harmful agents that you can see, while chronic inflammation results from various illnesses inside the body. Rheumatoid arthritis, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, liver or kidney disease, cancer, asthma, and even Alzheimer’s disease can trigger inflammatory cells as a part of the disease-fighting process. Other common culprits behind chronic inflammation include exposure to chemicals or pollutants, autoimmune disorders, obesity, and stress.

Common Ways To Treat Inflammation

Acute inflammation does not generally require treatment. Acute inflammation should clear up on its own in a few days or until the body has successfully defended itself from an infection or injury. Chronic inflammation that comes and goes frequently should raise concerns.

You can think of chronic inflammation as a maintenance light on a car. When the light stays on, it’s a good idea to look under the hood for a cause. Some of the most common treatments for chronic inflammation include lifestyle changes such as:

• Weightloss
• Exercise
• Eliminate foods that cause inflammation – fried foods, cured meats, trans fats, sugars, pastries, and white bread
• Increasing your intake of foods that reduce inflammation – fish, spinach, kale, olive oil, tomatoes
• Quitting smoking, drinking alcohol
• Reducing stress

Eating healthier highlights the effectiveness of natural inflammation treatment via herbs. Herbs for reducing inflammation have been utilized for centuries. They can be added to your daily diet or concentrated for increased potency into natural herbal remedies for inflammation. More commonly today, people are given prescription or over-the-counter drugs like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). There are also steroid injections delivered at the sight of inflammation. However, these modern medications have more risks and limitations compared to the natural inflammation treatments that your ancestors knew.

What Are The Risks And Side-Effects Of NSAIDs?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) block the body’s production of chemicals that cause inflammation. NSAIDs are extremely common. Ibuprofen, naproxen sodium (Aleve ®), and aspirin are all well-known NSAIDs.

NSAIDs can be bought over the counter or prescribed by a doctor. Prescription NSAIDs are dosed depending on the condition, typically taken once to four times a day. NSAIDs are not guaranteed to work for all patients with inflammation, and it could take trying several different kinds before finding one that does. NSAIDs cannot be taken for too long, or you risk side effects ranging from mild to severe. The most common side effects associated with NSAIDs happen in the stomach:

• Gas
• Feeling bloated
• Heartburn
• Stomach pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea and/or constipation

Ulcers and stomach bleeding can occur suddenly, especially in older individuals. Some kinds of NSAIDs carry risks of heart attack and stroke. All of the dangers of NSAIDs increase with age and several types of health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, and many more.

What Are The Risks And Side-Effects Of Steroid Shots?

Synthetic steroids used as medicine mimic naturally occurring hormones in the body. Steroid injections are commonly prescribed to people with inflammation, primarily when caused by arthritis. The number of steroid injections a patient has each year is limited because they can cause tissue damage at the sight of the injection. It is generally recommended that a patient has no more than three injections in the same spot in a year.

For inflammation sufferers with diabetes, steroid injections can be dangerous because they raise blood sugar levels. People with hemophilia are at risk of steroid injections causing bleeding into the joints. Other risks of steroid injections include:

• A change in a woman’s period.
• Discoloration of the skin at the injection site.
• Tendon damage.