The Anti-Inflammatory Guidebook

Chronic inflammation, caused by illness, stress, injury or an autoimmune disorder, can sap your energy, leave you feeling unwell, and lead to further health problems. Happily there are ways to mitigate your risk of chronic inflammation, and even reduce it and its symptoms if you suffer from it already. From gentle and accessible lifestyle changes to delicious dietary swaps, we explain how you can take control of the causes of chronic inflammation and help you make a plan for positive change, so you can be healthier and happier for longer and reduce your chances of developing inflammation-related disorders. Let’s get started! DISCLAIMER This publication is for information only and is not intended to substitute professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. Never disregard…

Inflammation is something that we will all have experienced many times in our lives. Which is a good thing, as inflammation is, under normal circumstances, a positive, natural reaction to trauma. It’s part of our immune response, designed to protect and fight off damage to our body caused by an unwanted intrusion. This type of responsive inflammation, which happens at the point of an injury or due to an infection, is necessary and required. However, inflammation that continues beyond the initial trigger is what can cause problems and symptoms over a longer period of time. Before we look at what this means and the difference between acute and chronic inflammation, it’s important to understand exactly what is meant by inflammation. The science bit Inflammation kicks in when we’re exposed to…

It’s true: while you’re simply sitting around watching TV, trillions and trillions of foreign invaders are launching a full scale assault on the trillions of cells that constitute ‘you’. Collectively known as pathogens, these attackers include bacteria, single-celled creatures that live to eat and reproduce; protists, larger single-cell organisms; viruses, packets of genetic information that take over host cells and replicate inside them; and fungi, a type of plant life. Bacteria and viruses are by far the very worst offenders. Dangerous bacteria release toxins in the body that cause diseases such as E. coli, anthrax, and the black plague. The cell damage from viruses causes measles, the flu and the common cold, among numerous other diseases. Just about everything in our environment is teeming with these microscopic intruders, including you.…

Your immune system depends on these .04-1-inch swellings to fight all manner of pathogens. As lymph makes its way through a network of fibres in the node, white blood cells filter it, destroying any pathogens they find.…

The human body is an exquisite machine capable of wonderful things. Over billions of years of evolution it has been refined into an intricate mechanism designed to keep us alive against the dangers of the world we live in. One of the most complex aspects of our bodies is the immune system that fights the bacteria, viruses, and other nasty foreign objects that surround us. Inflammation is the result of our immune systems preparing for a battle. When the body detects damage or danger it springs into action. Imagine cut on your finger. To us it may seem like a minor injury but the body reacts instantly. Any break in the skin can let pathogen bacteria in. The first response of the body is to begin clotting to stop blood…

While inflammation is a vital part of our bodies’ ability to keep us safe it is not one which most people understand in detail. It has also recently been implicated in a wide range of illnesses which blight the lives of millions. From arthritis to heart disease to depression, the influence of inflammation is being investigated. But what signs and symptoms of inflammation should you look out for? Acute inflammation, that which is caused by a clear cause, is relatively easy to spot. Inflammation is usually defined by five key symptoms: pain, heat, loss of function, redness, and swelling. Everyone will have experienced these after an injury or allergic response, and they usually disappear quite quickly. To identify inflammation you can perform some simple checks. When you rest your hand…