Natural Anti-Inflammatory

Anti-inflammatory dietary supplements come in a wide variety of forms, ranging from omega-3 fatty acids and DHEA to antioxidants like vitamin C, and serve an even greater variety of purposes. Heart disease, Crohn’s disease, arthritis, Raynaud’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and chronic pain are aggravated, and sometimes indirectly caused, by inflammation. Above all, excessive inflammation can lead to a decline in optimal health.

Inflammation is essentially the process by which the body’s white blood cells attack bacteria and viruses. White blood cells, when detecting a pathogen, leave the blood vessel and release chemicals directed at the foreign object. In some cases, the immune system triggers an inflammatory response even in the absence of a pathogen, usually because of the body’s already less than optimal health (obesity, diabetes, even old age). In such situations, the body causes damage to its own tissues. Autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis generally involve this kind of self-inflicted damage. A number of scientists theorize that Alzheimer’s occurs when the body tries to attack plaque formed by beta-amyloid proteins. The body’s defenses ultimately attack healthy tissue and do little to remove the targeted plaque. The result is a decline from the brain’s optimal health, leading to cell death and memory loss. A similar process occurs in individuals with heart disease and can, in the presence of other factors, result in a heart attack.