Inflammation has been a “buzz” word in medicine for the last few years and with good reason, as it impacts so many diseases. Even aging is now believed to be affected by inflammation.

The process of inflammation is complex and still not completely understood by scientists. However the concept that inflamed cells are not healthy is obvious, since these cells simply can not function optimally.

By definition diseases ending in “itis” are largely inflammatory disorders. Conditions ranging from dermatitis to gingivitis to colitis and of course arthritis (osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis etc) are all inflammatory in nature.

Allergies, hay fever and asthma are immune related conditions, again with inflammation affecting all of them. Inflammation is also believed to impact several auto-immune conditions such as type1 diabetes, Hashimoto’s disease (hypothyroidism), lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and likely even multiple sclerosis etc.

The most common skin disorders all have inflammatory aspects, such as acne, eczema, dermatitis, rosacea and psoriasis.

Conditions previously not associated with inflammation are now having this aspect evaluated. Alzheimer’s disease and obesity are two of the more prominent, however you can be rest assured that there are many more.

Even the two biggest killers are now known to be greatly affected by inflammation- cardiovascular disease and cancer.

A strategy to safely limit inflammation is surely a wise choice if faced with a condition impacted by it. However, since inflammation plays a role in so many diseases, many would argue that it is best to take a proactive role and minimize inflammation while still healthy.