Dr. Kristin Lander, DC | Highlands Chiropractic & Wellness
Inflammation has developed a pretty bad reputation. We hear about anti-inflammatory diets, supplements, and lifestyles, all aimed at reducing inflammation as much as possible.
But this might surprise you: inflammation isn’t always bad. In fact, we couldn’t heal without it.
When you sprain an ankle, fight an infection, or damage a muscle, your immune system creates an inflammatory response. Blood flow increases, immune cells arrive, and signals are released that help protect the area and begin the repair process.
That’s exactly what we want to happen.
In a healthy response, inflammation does its job—and then quiets back down.
Here’s where things get tricky. Sometimes that inflammatory response doesn’t fully turn off.
Chronic, low-grade inflammation can persist quietly throughout the body without the redness, swelling, or obvious pain we associate with an injury. Over time, it is associated with many chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain forms of arthritis.
So, what keeps the inflammatory response turned on?
Often, it isn’t one single thing. Poor sleep, chronic stress, inactivity, smoking, excess abdominal fat, blood sugar dysregulation, and a diet dominated by highly processed foods can all contribute.
And no, the answer isn’t simply finding the perfect “anti-inflammatory” supplement or swearing off one particular food.
Reducing chronic inflammation is really about improving the environment in which your body is trying to function.
Regular physical activity is one of the most powerful places to start. Interestingly, exercise itself can temporarily increase certain inflammatory signals—and that’s okay. Over time, consistent activity is associated with lower levels of chronic inflammation and improved metabolic health.
Sleep matters, too. Our bodies perform an enormous amount of regulation and repair while we sleep. Nutrition is another important piece. Focus less on individual “inflammatory” foods and more on the overall pattern: vegetables and fruits, adequate protein, healthy fats, fiber-rich foods, and fewer highly processed foods and added sugars.
Perhaps most importantly, listen when your body keeps telling you something isn’t quite right. Persistent fatigue, poor recovery, ongoing pain, or simply not functioning as well as you once did shouldn’t automatically be dismissed as “just getting older.”
The goal isn’t to eliminate inflammation. We need it.
The goal is to have a body that knows how to turn inflammation on when it needs it and turn it back off when the job is done.
That’s an important part of preserving our ability to respond, repair, recover, and keep doing the things we love.
Favorites Count: 0