Five signs of acute inflammation are pain, redness, immobility (pain affects the ability to move the affected part), swelling and heat. Pain usually occurs when swelling impinges on the nerve cells and sends pain signals to the brain.
Inflammation -- what is it good for?
As part of the body’s immune response, inflammation is useful. Without its mechanisms, wounds wouldn't heal. White blood cells help expel foreign bodies from the wound, encapsulating the toxins in microphages, cells that consume abnormal cell parts and foreign matter. Neuroscientists found that inflammation helps heal muscle tissue. This finding may present alternate therapies when dealing with sports and muscle injuries.
Inflammation and the Gut
Gastrointestinal dysfunction in this case, involves the permeability of the GI tract. The more stress, the more permeable the gastrointestinal tissue. Cortisol, a hormone, rises during an argument or other emotionally charged situation. This, in turn, increases the permeability of the gut, which then allows toxins, bacteria, partially digested food and viruses to pass through the GI wall and into the bloodstream. The body then disperses organisms, typically white blood cells, to eliminate these invaders, which can lead to various illnesses and autoimmune diseases.
There are hundreds of autoimmune diseases. One in 12 women and one in 24 men deal with autoimmune response inflammation. This means they probably have lifestyles and habits conducive to anti-inflammatory actions, if they were practiced. But these inflammatory diseases aren’t presented as gut issues. So the patient often does not get full advice from the unaware physician, just meds for the symptoms -- nothing for the actual cause of the inflammation.