Infl ammation is at the heart of practically every serious disease, including many chronic pain conditions. But there is good news. When you think of your fridge as a medicine cabinet, you can put out the infl ammation fi re.
have you ever been so mad you could scream? You feel the anger rising from your belly, your face turns red, your heart races, you start to sweat. That’s pret- ty similar to what happens to cells and tissues in your body when they battle chronic infl ammation. You may not feel its wrath, but research makes clear that inflammation of some kind underlies all the dis- eases of aging—from heart disease, cancer and dia- betes to arthritis and autoimmune diseases like lupus and Alzheimer’s disease. The good news is that you can cool the fi re inside—and even possbily reverse the damage caused by chronic infl ammation. “Infl am- mation can be controlled by making certain lifestyle changes,” says Rafat Siddiqui, Ph.D., a cancer re- searcher at Methodist Research Institute, Clarian Health, and a member of Indiana University’s Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, in Indianapolis.
Hot, hot, hot Literally meaning “setting fi re,” acute infl ammation
is a critical step in how your body heals. Picture this: You just cut your fi nger while slicing a bagel. Your body’s resources kick into gear as the cells near the gash signal to your immune system to send infection- fi ghting white blood cells to the area to clear away
STORY BY ELIZABETH SOMER, R.D. 40 PAIN RESOURCE FALL 2012