We get many questions about inflammation in our Atlanta office these days, but inflammation isn't all bad.
At its core, inflammation is an appropriate response by your body when you are sick or injured.
It happens when your immune system attacks and neutralizes toxins, bacteria, and viruses.
Inflammation is a normal part of the healing process.
An acute inflammatory response causes swelling, dilated blood vessels, pain, heat, and redness.
Once your body begins to heal, your body settles, inflammation goes away, and you get on with your life.
When your body heals as it should, there is usually no long-lasting effects of inflammation.
However, chronic inflammation is entirely different.
Chronic inflammation can occur if an injury or sickness is never completely healed.
It can be due to chronic toxic overload, inadequate nutrition, repetitive injury, or chronic stress.
If chronic inflammation isn't addressed, it can develop into harmful patterns that can cause future health problems like cardiovascular disease, colitis, or even neurological diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's.
In the article below, we will discuss acute and chronic inflammation and how chiropractic care in Atlanta can do to help.
Table of Contents
- What Is Acute Inflammation?
- What Is Chronic Inflammation?
- Chiropractic Adjustments Help Reduce Inflammation
- Chiropractors Will Suggest Lifestyle Changes
- Contact The Arrowhead Clinic In Atlanta If You Are Dealing With Inflammation
What Is Acute Inflammation?
When we see acute inflammation in our Atlanta patients, it is due to an injury or an infection to an area.
Acute inflammation is typically seen as swelling, bruising, immobility, heat, or redness.
Inflammation is our body's way of protecting and preserving an area that has been injured to help start the healing process.
Inflammation creates an environment that promotes healing in the affected area.
If inflammation never occurred, cuts, broken bones, infections, and tissue damage wouldn't be able to heal.
After an injury occurs, you will notice almost immediate swelling and bruising.
This is due to the small arteries and blood vessels enlarging to supply blood to the damaged area, increasing the blood flow, causing swelling.
Then your capillaries carry oxygen and proteins to the injured area and remove any harmful waste that infects your body.
After that, your body releases neutrophils, which is a white blood cell that will help heal damaged tissue and clear up infections.
This all takes place immediately after an area has been damaged or infected.
Once your body has healed, your inflammation should clear up. If it doesn't, it could turn into chronic inflammation.
What Is Chronic Inflammation?
As we've just talked about, inflammation is a natural process that helps our body heal.
It removes harmful debris like irritants and pathogens from your body so it can begin to heal.
But problems can occur when regular inflammation becomes long-term, or chronic.
When this happens, your body is creating more inflammation that is a response to the existing inflammation.
If this cycle isn't broken, it can lead to chronic pain and other dreadful consequences that get in the way of your daily activities.
Imbalances in your immune system cause chronic inflammation.
Over time your immune system develops via exposure to your environment. The more exposure it has, the stronger it becomes.
Antibiotics are essential, but it's vital to only take antibiotics when necessary because learning to fight bugs and allergens strengthens our immune system.
Certain foods and lifestyle factors like sleep deprivation, stress, and an unhealthy diet can also increase your risk of inflammation.
Chronic inflammation can also result from your body's inability to eliminate the cause of acute inflammation or an autoimmune response where your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue because it thinks it is a harmful pathogen.
Chiropractic Adjustments Help Reduce Inflammation
Chiropractic care's primary purpose is to realign the vertebrae in your spine using spinal manipulation to reduce pressure on your nerves and support a healthy nervous system.
Chiropractic care's primary purpose is to realign the vertebrae in your spine using spinal manipulation to reduce pressure on your nerves and support a healthy nervous system.
When your spine and other joints are in proper alignment, and your nerves are functioning as they should, your body will function normally.
This halts the production of neuropeptides, which will help reduce inflammation.
Chiropractic treatments also help reduce cytokine production, which are proteins that regulate the cells in your immune system.
If cytokines build up, they can cause severe inflammatory responses. Getting regular spinal adjustments can help relieve inflammation over time.
Chiropractors Will Suggest Lifestyle Changes
Along with performing spinal manipulations, your chiropractor can also offer you lifestyle advice to help you get in and stay in amazing health.
Your chiropractor can give you personalized lifestyle advice based on the following topics that can help combat chronic inflammation.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
An anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense diet low in calories made up of fruits, vegetables, lean meat, and fish can help reduce and prevent chronic inflammation.
It may also be necessary to take Vitamin D, fish oil, and magnesium supplements to promote your joint health. Although their nutritional recommendation isn't a cure-all, when combined with manual manipulations and other natural therapies, chronic inflammation will start to dwindle.
Exercise
Exercise and physical activity promote healthy bodily functions that will reduce inflammation.
Your chiropractor may recommend 30 minutes of active exercises with 15 minutes of weight training at least four days a week to help.
Weight Loss
Exercise and weight loss go hand in hand. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for keeping inflammation at bay and your overall optimal health.
Overweight people are automatically more prone to being inflamed for longer periods of time, especially if they're suffering from any sort of accident injuries.
When you are overweight, you are naturally more inflammatory.
Eating the right diet and exercising will promote weight loss, so your body is less inflammatory.
Managing Stress
If you feel stressed all the time, seeking chiropractic therapy can offer you a few stress management techniques along with natural solutions.
Things like meditating and doing yoga, among many other techniques, are great at reducing stress and encouraging optimal health.
It's easier said than done sometimes, but our best advice for people is to make sure they're getting good, quality sleep. Getting enough sleep is also crucial in reducing your stress and helping you effectively tackle stressful situations. and encouraging optimal health.
A balanced approach, including regular chiropractic adjustments and the proper lifestyle modifications, will lead to a happier, healthier you.
Contact Arrowhead Clinic In Atlanta If You Are Dealing With Inflammation
The chiropractors at the Arrowhead Clinic in Atlanta know how to align your body so all of your systems are working as they should.
When you are properly aligned, your immune system will function properly and fight off harmful bacteria and heal your body from injury.
If you are dealing with chronic inflammation (or if you aren't sure if you are), you need to visit a chiropractic clinic in Atlanta to begin treatment as soon as possible.
The longer you put it off, the longer your immune system will be compromised, leaving it unable to fight off infection and damage caused by an injury. And, the longer you're in constant pain.
To make your health a priority, encourage faster healing, and be sure your immune system functions the way it should, schedule a Free Consultation with an expert chiropractor at Arrowhead Clinic in Atlanta.
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