Learn How To Naturally Balance Inflammation

There’s good and bad inflammation—here’s how to balance it out naturally.

- Jacob Teitelbaum, MD

We hear a lot about inflammation these days, most often casting it as a villain. But inflammation is a critical part of health. The problem is when it gets out of balance and goes into overdrive. Let’s look at why this is happening, and how we can put it back into balance.

Inflammation is defined as “a local response to cellular injury that is marked by redness, heat, and pain and that serves as a mechanism initiating the elimination of noxious agents and of damaged tissue.” Basically, this means inflammation serves a critical role—predominantly in fighting infections and assisting in repairs. Blood vessels leaving the inflamed area close down, and those entering the area expand, to help concentrate your body’s work crews and defense troops (leukocytes) in the injured area (like at the scene of a car accident).

When it’s excessive, inflammation can cause both acute pain (e.g., muscle soreness after working out), and chronic illness (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis). When it’s balanced, it helps the healing process.

A Simple Test For Excess Inflammation

If you have the joint pain of arthritis, are easily prone to injury, or have an autoimmune illness, then you already know that your inflammation level is in overdrive. You can also tell with the simple “paper cut test.”

When you get a paper cut, it should normally hurt for a few seconds. Then you forget about it and it goes away. If it becomes red and keeps hurting even hours later, your inflammation system is in overdrive.