Teach about chronic inflammation. It’s rampant and causes an extravagant number of symptoms & chronic diseases. Get comprehensive summaries of 100% evidence-based root causes & reversal therapies.
A series on tools, resources, and support for health and wellness providers to practically rebuild or refine how they serve.
Contents
Chronic Inflammation: Lesson Series Overview — Provider support on WellnessResourceCenter.net and YogaTeacherCentral.com includes more than 500 lessons. Each lesson is a portal to structured study, providing crisp, clear summaries and deep, detailed coverage. Providers get the clarity they seek, but always in context and never in a way that cuts off sources but instead makes them more accessible.
Vocabulary — The power of quick access to carefully crafted meanings of all related terminology cannot be overstated. This is key to expanding knowledge, verifying sources, connecting dots, and making vital information accessible to clients.
Inflammation Defined & Described — Inflammation is a natural, protective response to injury, infection, or irritation for the “purpose of restoring tissue homeostasis.” From an Ayurveda perspective, it’s a condition associated with the fire element. Dictionary meaning of inflammation: “The act of inflaming… setting on fire.”
Chronic Inflammation — “Inflammation is actively shut down by specialized signaling molecules… When the active resolution process fails, the sustained activity of mediators can transition the body into a state of chronic inflammation. This is characterized by prolonged, low-grade activity of inflammatory molecules that contributes to tissue damage over time.”
Root Causes — More than 30 evidence-based root causes of chronic inflammation with quick links to verify research.
Inflammatory Diseases — More than 40 conditions associated with chronic inflammation.
Diet, Supplements, Hydration — 100% evidence-based therapies for resolving chronic inflammation including multiple nutritional approaches, 30 foods, more than 35 supplements, more than 30 essential oils, plus yoga & stress reduction, movement, and other proven therapies.
Research on the Impact of Yoga — Summaries and links to research demonstrating successful outcomes.
More — You can access our site anytime to dig into these vital subjects.
How Providers Serve — A series on tools, resources, and support for health and wellness providers to practically rebuild or refine how they serve.
Boost Your Impact — Premium Resources Just a Click Away from $19
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Chronic Inflammation: Lesson Series Overview
Inflammation, Rheumatic Diseases
Objective
Be familiar with the vital significance of chronic inflammation and its serious disease manifestations, plus symptoms, tests, and root causes.
Vocabulary
colony stimulating factors (CSFs), cytokines, inflammaging, inflammation, inflammation (chronic), inflammatory mediators, interferons (IFNs), interleukins (ILs), rheumatism, transforming growth factor (TGF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)
Link
Full lesson here.
Inflammation Therapies
Objective
Be prepared to consider a broad scope of 100% evidence-based therapies for resolving chronic inflammation including multiple nutritional approaches, 30 foods, more than 35 supplements, more than 30 essential oils, plus yoga & stress reduction, movement, and other proven therapies.
Link
Full lesson here.
Sources & Resources
Alpha list of more than 250 sources we consulted for this subject, referenced throughout the associated lessons. In case you find it helpful for verification or research, we also offer these alphabetized summary lists of sources with quick links.
Link
Full list here.
Vocabulary (excerpt)
CYTOKINES — “Small proteins, typically made up of a few hundred amino acids [that serve as] messengers of the immune system” [source]; “hormone-like” in their actions with multiple functions [source]
INFLAMMAGING — “Low-grade inflammation throughout the body… can accelerate the aging process and may worsen some age-related symptoms and diseases” [source]
INFLAMMATION — A natural, protective response to injury, infection, or irritation [source] for the “purpose of restoring tissue homeostasis” [source]; experienced as redness, swelling, reduced mobility, or pain
INFLAMMATION, CHRONIC — Occurs when the active inflammation resolution process fails; “characterized by prolonged, low-grade activity of inflammatory molecules that contributes to tissue damage over time” [source]
INFLAMMATORY MEDIATORS — “Molecular messengers that initiate, coordinate, and regulate” the body’s inflammation process via pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory actions; includes histamine, prostaglandins, cytokines, and chemokines [source]
Continue here.
Inflammation Defined & Described
Inflammation is a natural, protective response to injury, infection, or irritation [source] for the “purpose of restoring tissue homeostasis.” [source]
It is “your body’s natural defense mechanism against… pathogens, toxins, allergens, injuries, and other harm.” [source]
The inflammatory response is primarily controlled by the immune system and involves “a complex network of interactions among numerous cellular and molecular components.” [source]
Molecular messengers that initiate, regulate, and resolve the body’s inflammation process are called inflammatory mediators. [source]
Inflammation is experienced as redness, swelling, reduced mobility, or pain.
From an Ayurveda perspective, it’s a condition associated with the fire element.
Dictionary meaning of inflammation: “The act of inflaming… setting on fire”
A localized protective reaction of tissue to irritation, injury, or infection, characterized by pain, redness, swelling, and sometimes loss of function.
The act of inflaming; the act of setting on fire or of taking fire, actually or figuratively.
A fiery, heated, or inflamed condition…
How it Works, Generally
A classic example of inflammatory onset is the bee sting—the site becomes hot, red, swollen, and painful,” says Derek Gilroy, a professor of immunology at University College London. This response comes from a series of biological changes: blood vessels dilate to deliver white blood cells to the site of injury, making tissues turn red. Fluid also floods the site, causing swelling. The molecules that trigger these vascular transformations precipitate the itching, pain, and fever associated with inflammation. White blood cells, the body’s first responders, then swarm and kill the invaders. Under normal circumstances, this carnage is contained, with the initial inflammatory response subsiding within 24 to 48 hours.
Connie Chang, National Geographic, The End of Inflammation?
Chronic Inflammation
“Inflammation is actively shut down by specialized signaling molecules… When the active resolution process fails, the sustained activity of mediators can transition the body into a state of chronic inflammation. This is characterized by prolonged, low-grade activity of inflammatory molecules that contributes to tissue damage over time.” [source]
Chronic inflammation overwhelms the immune system thereby causing severe repercussions, including reducing cellular energy and damaging tissues and organs. Thus, it can lead to the development of a large number of symptoms and diseases.
Chronic Inflammation and its Role in Chronic Diseases
Chronic inflammation is one of the most insidious causes of disease in modern society. Certain lifestyle factors increase inflammation and as a result our cells lose the capacity to function at peak performance. The result is the slow deterioration of health that often leads to full-blown diseases like autoimmunity and cancer… When inflammation is chronically high due to things like poor diet and stress, the immune system quickly becomes overwhelmed. Something that is very critical to understand about inflammation is that it can affect the energetic output of the mitochondria in our cells. The mitochondria in our cells are what make almost all of the energy that our body uses to perform daily processes. When inflammation inhibits mitochondrial energy output your body is immediately at a higher risk of any disease… Inflammation is almost always a factor in chronic diseases. – Dr. David Jockers link
Can Have Severe Repercussions, including Degeneration of Tissues and Organ Systems
We know that inflammation itself causes a thickening of the fascia that the Steccos have referred to in previous research as “densification.” We also know that the “Cascade of Death” looks almost identical for virtually all disease processes: inflammation —> fibrosis (scar tissue) —> degeneration —> premature death. Note that when I talk about degeneration in this context, I am not simply talking about musculoskeletal degeneration, but degeneration of organ systems as well. – Dr. Russell Schierling link
Root Causes
Chronic inflammation isn’t likely to occur from only one cause but rather from a combination of issues over time “including a poor diet, poor lifestyle choice, chronic stress, environmental toxin exposure, and other factors. These factors place an excessive stress load on the body. As a result, your body produces inflammatory modulators throughout your body.” [source]
100% evidence-based root causes and contributing factors to chronic inflammation include:
Air pollution, cigarette smoke [source and source and source and source and source and source]
Artificial sweeteners, aspartame, sucralose [source and source and source]
¹Ashwaganda [source]
¹Berries: blueberries, huckleberries, goji berries [source]
Blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, diabetes [source and source and source and source]
“Conventional” (non-organic) meat and dairy (toxins and GMO feed) [source and source]
Diet, inflammatory foods [source and source and source and source and source and source and source]
EMFs [source]
Food additives, preservatives [source and source and source and source and source and source]— see also ultra-processed foods, artificial sweeteners, partially hydrogenated oils, and diet
Gut / microbiome imbalance (dysbiosis), leaky gut (intestinal permeability) [source and source and source and source and source and source and source]
Infections, chronic such as Epstein-Barr [source and source and source and source]
Magnesium deficiency [source and source] — see also: nutrient deficiency
Continue here.
Inflammatory Diseases
Can Arise Anywhere in the Body
Inflammatory diseases can arise all over the body, including in the musculoskeletal system (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis), the intestines (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease), the oral cavity (e.g. periodontitis), and the lungs (e.g. cystic fibrosis). – Olga Kabel link
The list of manifested diseases associated with inflammation is long and the diseases are among the most chronic and painful.
The following conditions are associated with chronic inflammation or are specific forms of the general term, “rheumatic disease” which indicates an inflammatory disease.
Aging issues [source]
Allergies [source]
Bone health issues [source and source and source]
Bursitis [source]
Cardiovascular disease [source and source and source and source and source]
Cystic fibrosis [source]
Depression [source and source]
Continue here.
Diet, Supplements, Hydration
Evidence-Based Therapies
Supplements
Amla extract (phyllanthus emblica, Indian gooseberry powder) [source and source and source and source and source]
Beetroot [source]
Betaine (also known as trimethylglycine or glycinebetaine) [source and source and source and source]
¹Boswellia, boswelliac acid (frankincense) [source and source and source and source] — see also frankincense essential oil
Camu camu (from Amazonian fruit shrub, Myrciaria dubia) [source and source and source and and source]
Capsaicin [source]
CBD (cannabidiol, cannabis seeds) [source]
*Chondroitin [source and source and source and source and source]
Research on the Impact of Yoga
See Research on the Impact of Yoga: Chronic Pain & Inflammation for summaries and links to research demonstrating these outcomes:
Immediately, yoga reduced anxiety; over time, inflammation-causing proteins lowered (2010)
Decreased inflammation & cardiovascular risk (2016)
Improvements in mood, fatigue and inflammation among breast cancer survivors (2014)
Decreased pro-inflammatory proteins & increased anti-inflammatory proteins (2017)
See Also
Why Yoga Works: Yoga’s Impact on the Nervous System & Stress
Arthritis & Yoga (especially Foundations regarding pain and making space)
More
You can access our site anytime to dig into these vital subjects. Please let me know if there’s anything in particular that you need.
How Providers Serve
A series on tools, resources, and support for health and wellness providers to practically rebuild or refine how they serve.
Providers Face a Changed Wellness Landscape — We’re in the midst of a metaphorical storm. Shall we pause for a moment to assess and consider how we’re moving forward, individually and together?
Symptoms, Conditions, Root Causes — Use these teachings to help clients and students frame their situation by differentiating symptoms and diagnoses, underlying conditions, and root causes.
Evidence-Based Decision-Making — Help clients move from the illusion of making evidence-based decisions to actually doing so.
Using Context to Individualize Wellness Strategies — A decision can be helpful in one situation and not in another. Providers need concrete ways to evaluate context with authentic and practical tools that hold up under real world conditions.
Foundational Considerations, Universal Truths — A springboard for client discussions or workshops on health and wellness: universal truths. These significant and practical teachings create a strong foundation from which to build.
Incontrovertible Facts about Germs & Immunity — You know this, but many clients need to see the evidence for themselves. AMA research published in 1919 proves without a doubt that germs don’t cause disease. How immunity works and why we must dismantle false beliefs to inspire people to identify the real causes of illness.
Chronic Inflammation (you’re here) — Teach about chronic inflammation. It’s rampant and causes an extravagant number of symptoms & chronic diseases. Get comprehensive summaries of 100% evidence-based root causes & reversal therapies.
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