Understanding Chronic Inflammation and its Impact on Health

When you hear the word “inflammation,” what comes to mind? Do you associate it with the body’s natural defense mechanism—responding to injury, infection, or illness? Or do you think of it as something negative, like constant pain, acne flare-ups, or persistent bloating?

The truth is that inflammation is a crucial immune response that helps protect your body. However, when inflammation lingers and becomes chronic, it can lead to long-term discomfort and damage. Chronic inflammation plays a significant role in many degenerative diseases, including those we often mistake as a “normal” part of aging. Conditions like arthritis, hot flashes during perimenopause, or even cognitive issues aren’t necessarily signs of aging—they may be signs that your body is chronically inflamed.

How Inflammation Becomes Chronic

Your immune system produces messenger molecules called cytokines that manage inflammation. These cytokines can either trigger or suppress an inflammatory response. The problem arises when inflammatory cytokines don’t get a chance to resolve. When that happens, they continue signaling immune cells to produce more inflammation, creating a vicious cycle. This persistent inflammatory process can:

• Weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off viruses and infections (like COVID-19).
• Erode joints and bones, leading to arthritis and osteoporosis.
• Increase plaque buildup in your arteries, contributing to heart disease.
• Impact your brain, causing neuroinflammation that’s linked to anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline.
• Trigger autoimmune flares or lead to the development of more autoimmune conditions.
• Slow down injury recovery and hamper your ability to bounce back from exercise.
• Cause weight gain or make weight loss difficult.
• Exacerbate PMS and period pain.
• Block hormone receptors, contributing to hormone resistance (like insulin resistance).

Unresolved, chronic inflammation is not something you want to live with. But how can you tell if your inflammation has become chronic?

How Chronic Inflammation Feels

You may already suspect you’re inflamed based on how you feel. Symptoms of chronic inflammation can include:

• Pain
• Puffiness or swelling
• Stiffness
• Congestion
• Brain fog
• Allergies
• Acne or other breakouts
• Rashes
• Redness

How Chronic Inflammation Shows Up on Bloodwork

Sometimes inflammation is “silent,” meaning you don’t feel the symptoms, but it’s still wreaking havoc on your body. In this case, lab tests can reveal elevated markers, such as:

• C-Reactive Protein (CRP or hsCRP)
• Platelets
• Ferritin
• Interleukin 6
• Reverse T3
• Eosinophils
• Sedimentation rate
• Auto-antibodies
• Triglycerides and LDL cholesterol
• Insulin and glucose
• Cortisol

Conditions Linked to Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is often either the cause or result of many degenerative and chronic health conditions. If you have any of the following, chronic inflammation is likely present:

• Unmanaged allergies (pollen, food, dust, etc.)
• Chronic stress (high cortisol levels)
• Reoccurring infections in areas exposed to the environment (sinus, bladder, lungs, GI tract, etc.)
• Autoimmune diseases that are not in remission
• Blood sugar and insulin dysregulation
• Excessive belly fat or fatty liver disease
• Hypoxia (low oxygen) from conditions like apnea or anemia
• Cardiovascular disease
• Neurological issues such as dementia, anxiety, ADHD, and depression
• Conditions ending in “-osis,” like endometriosis and osteoporosis
• Conditions ending in “-itis,” such as arthritis, bursitis, interstitial cystitis, sinusitis, and gastritis

If you experience any of these conditions, symptoms, or elevated lab markers, you’re likely dealing with unresolved inflammation. But here’s the good news: chronic inflammation is not something you have to accept as inevitable. With the right approach, you can actively reduce and resolve it.

We help women resolve chronic inflammation regularly in our functional medicine practice. We have a special program for this, which you can learn about here. You can turn around chronic inflammation, and you don’t have to do it alone!