Arthritis - Inflammation - The Root of All Illness?

Author

Inflammation - The Root of All Illness?

Roman Bystrianyk

2005-07-26, 10:46 pm

http://www.healthsentinel.com/org_n...ist_item&id=050

Roman Bystrianyk, "Inflammation - The Root of All Illness?", Health
Sentinel, July 27, 2005,

Inflammation is an integral part of the immune system. We're all
familiar with inflammation. When you're cut it becomes red and
swollen as a response by the immune system and as the cut heals the
inflammation dies down. A similar underlying, chronic, low-grade
inflammation is now being considered by more and more scientists as a
major cause of diseases not only for obvious diseases like arthritis
and asthma, but also for heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and
even cancer. A recent special edition of Newsweek examines this quiet
hazard.

Years ago oxidation was being considered as the main culprit in many
diseases. Now oxidation is grabbing more of the attention. According to
neuroscientist James Joseph of Tufts University, "Inflammation is the
evil twin of oxidation. Where you find one, you find the other." This
discovery is solving "medical puzzles" such as people with high
blood pressure have an increased risk for Alzheimer's or why people
with rheumatoid arthritis have higher rates of sudden cardiac death.
All these conditions are tied with a connecting thread of inflammation.

When your cut heals the inflammation recedes, but constant exposure to
cigarette smoke, excess cholesterol, and low-grade infections can
contribute to a low-grade, chronic inflammation. The inflammation
simmers like, "a low flame on the back burner that we're unaware of
until the pot burns."

Diabetes has emerged as a recent example. The connection between type
II diabetes and obesity are so well known that some researchers
consider the two combined into a single disease of "diabesity".
According to the article, "When you gain weight, fat cells grow more
biochemically active, churning out inflammatory compounds. As obesity
ratchets up inflammation, inflammation in turn promotes insulin
resistance, a central feature of diabetes and the so-called metabolic
syndrome that precedes it."

Like diabetes, heart disease is linked with obesity. According to Dr.
Peter Libby, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston, "Inflammation is the alpha and omega of
atherosclerosis. It's there at every step of the process." In the
process plaque formation starts when cholesterol sticks to the artery
walls and oxidizes. This triggers an immune response that attempts to
clean up the problem. The inflammatory response is the body's attempt
to heal, but encourages the formation of larger plaques that can
eventually block the artery and result in a heart attack or stroke.

Certain cancers are also being linked to inflammation. According to
Lisa Coussens, a cancer biologist at the university of California in
San Francisco, "people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases have
tremendously enhanced risk of colon cancer." Some triggers of
inflammation include, "cigarette smoke in the lungs, persistent
infections like hepatitis C in the liver and chronic heartburn, which
repeatedly irritates the lining of the esophagus with gastric acid."
The result includes oxidative damage to the DNA which sometimes
cripples the suicide mechanism of the cell that would often allow
abnormal cells to self-destruct.

Although anti-inflammatory medications seem like an obvious answer they
are fraught with problems. Inflammatory chemicals also serve important
functions in the body and stopping their action may have a positive
effect such as decreasing pain, but they can also have serious negative
impacts. Vioxx is an example where inhibiting the COX-2 inflammatory
enzyme relieved pain, but also impeded the process to prevent blood
clots from forming in the arteries. Dr David Graham, an employee of the
Food and Drugs Administration, estimated that up to 139,000 Americans
have died or have been seriously injured as a result of taking Vioxx.

Even standard arthritis medications called NSAIDs have serious
consequences. According to a June 1999 New England Journal of Medicine
each year over 16,000 people die from gastrointestinal bleeding because
of the unintended interference in the body's healing mechanism of the
digestive tract. According the journal, "It has been estimated
conservatively that 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur among patients
with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis every year in the United
States. This figure is similar to the number of deaths from the
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and considerably greater than the
number of deaths from multiple myeloma, asthma, cervical cancer, or
Hodgkin's disease. If deaths from gastrointestinal toxic effects from
NSAIDs were tabulated separately in the National Vital Statistics
reports, these effects would constitute the 15th most common cause of
death in the United States."

While drugs block a single target molecule greatly reducing its
activity, natural anti-inflammatories have a wide-ranging, gentler
action. According to Greg Cole a professor of medicine and neurology at
UCLA, "you'll get a greater safety and efficacy reducing five
inflammatory mediators by 30 percent than by reducing one by 100
percent."

Aside from avoiding the promoters of inflammation, such as cigarette
smoke, there are approaches that can be used to turn down the heat on
inflammation. Exercise and decreasing weight help reduce inflammation
in the fat and liver cells. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole
grains, and omega-3 fatty acids also turns down inflammation.

The omega-3 fatty acids have been shown in dozens of studies to help
prevent heart attacks by "preventing arrhythmias, making blood less
likely to clot in the arteries, improving the balance of good and bad
cholesterol and limiting inflammation." The omega-3s are found in
coldwater fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel as well as
walnuts, flaxseeds, and dark leafy greens.

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables also helps. One anti-inflammatory
compound that has been extensively studied is curcumin. Curcumin is the
yellow pigment in the spice turmeric. Professor Cole has found that
small doses of Curcumin reduce a number of inflammatory markers such as
TNF-alpha (Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha) and IL-1 (Interlukin-1).

The article concludes, "The beauty of these lifestyle changes is that
they're so low tech, affordable and effective. We may all have it
within our grasp to reduce inflammation - if we can just muster the
willpower."

SOURCE: Newsweek Special Edition, Summer 2005

golamuh

2005-07-28, 8:47 am

This is exactly what my doctor said which is why he did the test called
the CPK/
Thank you for posting this

Robert

2005-07-28, 12:16 pm

"golamuh" <golamuh@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1122537787.774462.244090@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> This is exactly what my doctor said which is why he did the test called
> the CPK/
> Thank you for posting this
>

CPK is not a marker for inflammation.

Roman Bystrianyk

2005-07-28, 10:45 pm

Comment:

It is not enough to just say "lose weight, eat right", etc... we need
more articles like this that explain why and how inflammation reaps
havoc on our bodies...the public will understand the importance of
lifestyle changes better, if they have a reason that appeals to their
intellect. If we put two and two together for them, the community
health objectives will improve. We will see these diseases decrease
among the general population...we just have to get the message out
there, like this article does.

-- Grace McCallum, RN