Inflammation…Good or Bad?

Inflammation…..Good or Bad?Inflammation can be classified as either acute inflammation, which occurs over seconds, minutes, hours, and days, or chronic inflammation, which occurs over longer period of time.Inflammation is part of the body’s immune system. It is the body’s normal, biological response when something harmful or irritating affects a part of our body.Although acute inflammation is a healthy physiological response indicative of wound healing, chronic inflammation has been directly implicated in a wide range of degenerative human health disorders encompassing almost all present day diseases including autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis. In the book, Chronic Inflammation: Molecular Pathophysiology, Nutritional and Therapeutic Interventions by Sashwati Roy; Debasis Bagchi; Siba P. Raychaudhuri, University of California, Davis, USA and VA Medical Center Sacramento, California, USA, the authors cover several pathologies associated with inflammation, including aging, allergies, autoimmune disorders, atherosclerosis, cancer, chronic wounds, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. “For many years, chronic and acute inflammatory processes were thought to be driven by different causes, through the activity of different cells and inflammation mediators, and to result in quite different outcomes. However, a more modern view suggests that these processes are interlinked. Moreover, in the setting of acute inflammation, well regulated tissue healing can go awry and drive a chronic inflammation process intertwined with fibrosis and related processes. In hepatic, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal issues, among others, this pro inflammatory pro-fibrotic environment can stimulate carcinogenesis which in turn, can lead to an altered immune/inflammatory milieu.”Acute Inflammation (Good). Most immediate signs of acute inflammation are: Pain Heat Redness Swelling Loss of function These symptoms are due to the increased blood flow and increased permeability of the vasculature which are bringing the...