If you have allergies, are obese, suffer from heart disease, have dental issues or experience migraines, inflammation in some form is affecting your body. Yes, these diverse diseases have inflammation at their root. Read on to learn more about the origins of inflammation and how to avoid and treat it.

What is inflammation? 

“Inflammation” occurs when the body’s immune system releases white blood cells and immune proteins to protect us from infections and foreign substances like viruses and bacteria.

Another cause of inflammation has nothing to do with foreign bodies. It occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks other organs in the body. These are called autoimmune diseases. In this way, the body’s immune system damages its own tissues and organs. It responds to these organs and tissues as if they were foreign bodies or abnormal. This causes inflammation, which then can lead to heart disease, arthritis, diabetes or a host of other illnesses.

Symptoms of inflammation demonstrate the body’s efforts to cast off the offending substance. The aim of inflammation is to remove harmful stimuli, including irritants, damaged cells or pathogens.

Acute inflammation is typically broken down into three stages. A few seconds or minutes after tissue damage, inflammation starts. This is the body’s immune response in action. The damage could be physical or caused by one’s immune response.

Small arterial branches leading to capillaries dilate, resulting in increased blood flow. Then these capillaries become more permeable, letting fluid and proteins move into the spaces between cells. Finally, white blood cells that digest foreign materials are circulated. Neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, are filled with tiny sacs of enzymes that consume unhealthy microorganisms.