Inflammation: Pros and cons … yes, I just said pros

Inflammation, it’s the big, bad elephant that everyone in the wellness world loves to talk about, that is responsible for everything from joint pain to nerve degeneration, right? Well — yes and no.

Yes, unchecked inflammation can be everything from a primary cause of a condition to an exacerbating and/or perpetuating factor. However, let’s not forget that it is also a vital characteristic of our human system. It is necessary in ramping up protective and healing mechanisms in our bodies.

I think it is important to note that there are many instances where an injury will actually heal faster by favoring more natural techniques to reduce the inflammatory response over more global means like Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). While I agree that it is sometimes necessary to use NSAIDs to allow the pain to be manageable, we can actually often achieve a deeper level of healing in the body by using the inflammation as information.

By seeking to understand WHY the inflammatory response has been activated, we gain a more complete understanding of what is going on at the deeper levels of an individual’s health, and we can then create a more complete, accurate and effective treatment plan. The most obvious example of a cause of inflammation is trauma. When the body endures physical damage, the vasculature around an area “opens up” bringing the cells that act as the clean up crew, as well as fresh nutrients to the area to initiate the healing response. As mentioned above, this response is essential to maximizing healing and only becomes detrimental when it is allowed to go on too long or gets out of control. This is more obvious where a known event causes an easily observed inflammatory response, but there are countless factors that can contribute to more insidious, chronic inflammatory situations, at a more systemic level, that often go unnoticed until they have done significant damage. These conditions can be the result of anything from excessive sugar consumption, to an overburdened liver, to nutrient deficiencies where the body simply does not have the resources to completely heal.

At Vital Health, we use a “Complete Bio-Functional Analysis” to help identify WHY we are seeing an activation of the inflammatory response. In addition, it allows us to evaluate conditions in the body that affect its ability to effectively process and mitigate the potential damages of chronic inflammation. Personalized treatment plans created in this way are particularly effective at addressing the underlying mechanisms in complex cases that have otherwise been difficult to treat. We have tools that allow us to directly reduce the inflammation and help the various systems associated with clearing and processing inflammation to function more efficiently.

We look at every symptom in the body as a piece of the puzzle. When we put the puzzle pieces together, we get a more complete picture of what is happening in the body and why it is happening. Identifying WHY is the key to problem resolution. Learn more by attending our upcoming health class, The Inflammation-Disease Connection, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 5 at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: 208-765-1994 or register here: http://bit.ly/InflammationDisease

Class

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Jonathan M. Sasser holds a master of science degree in Oriental medicine, is a licensed acupuncturist and is board certified in Oriental medicine by the NCCAOM. He has more than 3,000 hours of training in acupuncture, classical Oriental medicine, herbal medicine and nutrition. Additionally, Jon also holds a bachelor’s degree in sport’s medicine.

Jon is a “Health Detective.” He looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. He is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Visit the website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Jonathan, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Jonathan can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.