Quantifying Chronic Inflammation

Use Blood Work to Track your Progress

Inflammation is a buzzword within fitness and health circles. Rightfully so.

Many human diseases are caused by inflammation, and still more cause inflammation. The standard American (or anyone living in a modernized country) has a higher degree of inflammation than they probably realize.

Let’s start off by discussing acute vs chronic inflammation.

Acute inflammation is the painful one. When you roll your ankle it swells, hurts, gets red. This is acute inflammation. The injury caused damage to a tendon or ligament which caused the body to respond. It sends inflammatory markers and cells to the area to promote healing.

Infection is also an example of acute inflammation. When there is infection the body sends pro-inflammatory cells to the area to kill and remove the invader. This process involves acute inflammation which goes away when the infection is resolved.

Acute inflammation is transient and beneficial to the body. It serves a purpose. It may be uncomfortable.

Chronic inflammation is a whole different thing. Chronic is an example of the body being dysregulated. After an acute insult acute inflammation is supposed to subside. Chronic inflammation is when the inflammation persists. The inflammation lasts indefinitely. This causes damage to the inflamed area whether is be internal organs, bone, joints, the brain, whatever.

The body does not tolerate chronic inflammation well.