We hear the word inflammation tossed around a lot these days. But what exactly is inflammation and why should we be concerned?

Inflammation is a process through which the body’s white blood cells and chemicals work at protecting us from foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria as well as infections. The chemicals from the white blood cells increases the blood flow to the injured area or area of infection resulting in slight warmth and redness as well as swelling in the tissues.

These increased cells within the injured area…like an injured joint, irritate the area causing swelling of the joint lining and eventually wearing out the cartilage that protects the bones.

In autoimmune diseases, like arthritis, the immune system will trigger an inflammatory response even though there are no foreign substances to fight. The results are that the immune system normally used to protect us actually causes damage to its own tissues. [Read more…]