By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben
The importance of the inflammatory process cannot be overstated. Inflammation is the fundamental mechanism of the body’s built-in homeostatic, chemistry-balancing system and a manifestation of immune system activity. The immune system is the body’s defense against “foreign invaders” and under normal circumstances, the inflammation process operates in a swift, efficient manner to sequester and ultimately prepare pathogens for destruction and removal.
The cornerstone of mainstream medicine’s anti-inflammatory treatment program is the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which effectively cancels this important healing process, and ignores the biochemical causes of the inflammation. Despite the well-documented dangers associated with the routine application of what should be a last-resort, short-term protocol, it is estimated that twenty million people currently use NSAIDs. As with most commonly accepted medical paradigms, this is a model that needs to be re-examined.
The effects of inflammation are obvious and everywhere. Swelling, pain and stiffness are an indication of chronic long-term inflammatory activation. Typically inflammatory disorders are named with the suffix “itis,” or “itus” such as arthritis, cellulitis, tendonitis or tinnitus. While NSAIDs may provide short-term relief, if the biochemical dysfunction that caused the inflammation is allowed to continue, symptoms will re-occur. Additional complications and further health problems are likely to manifest over the long term. The use of NSAIDs also ensures significant toxic side effects. Upper gastrointestinal tract and liver toxicity are a common result of the regular use of NSAIDs. As a result, consumption of NSAIDs poses a detoxification challenge to a digestive-immune system that is already compromised. Furthermore, the chronic, long-term use of NSAIDs are considered to a significant cause of drug-induced morbidity.
The first thing anyone who suffers from a chronic inflammation should do is review their intake of foods to identify those that are causing digestive symptoms. It’s rare that immune system activation does not involve some sort of infiltration by foods that are essentially toxic to our individual system. As a result, eliminating those foods that cause digestive symptoms such as heartburn, belching, abdominal cramps and loose stools is the only pragmatic approach to achieve a lasting cure for any inflammatory disorder. Next, specific nutritional supplementation can be used to heal the intestinal track and support the immune system. Probiotics are extremely helpful for the digestive system. Digestive enzymes taken with meals can also provide benefits. Vitamin E and essential fatty acids, especially omega-3s, are supportive. Lastly, the entire B-complex, especially vitamins B3 and B5, and vitamin C should be included.
Inflammation is not a condition that should be ignored and continually suppressed. It’s a sign that something inappropriate has entered the body, and the resulting inflammatory response is an essential part of the body’s healing and balancing chemistry. The proper approach to heal chronic inflammation is to remove its triggers and support the body as it accomplishes its homeostatic mandate. As always, pharmaceuticals that suppress the body’s biochemical processes are not effective as a replacement to elimination of the causes of adverse symptoms, and should only be used as a temporary, last resort.
