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Can Inflammation Be Good?
Health | April 19, 2019
Did the title shock you? Admittedly, I’ve previously alluded to the detriments of inflammation in the past, such as my spotlight on turmeric (which is one of the of the most powerful anti-inflammatories you can find in nature!). With the potent combination of poor diet, inactivity, lack of sleep, and chronic stress up the wazoo, is it any wonder that inflammation has quickly risen to the position of Public Enemy #1? Look, there’s no denying the dangers of inflammation. But you can’t look approach it with black and white thinking. Even with the growing body of evidence showing the dangers of inflammation and its contribution to disease, it’s important have a more rounded, if not nuanced, perspective toward it. [1] Call it playing devil’s advocate, but let’s look at the often-overlooked “good” side of inflammation.
What is Inflammation Anyway?
Let’s define inflammation first. Many people on the internet are playing a game of telephone and relating information without truly understanding it. Or, they only understand half of the story. So, let’s try to rectify that by asking the question, what is inflammation anyway?
Let’s begin.
As part of our immune system, inflammation plays an integral role in responding to infections, physical injury, exposure to chemicals or radiation, and internal stress. Say you’re running outside and accidentally trip onto the sidewalk. You bang up your knee on the cold, hard cement, and watch in horror as it begins to transform before your very eyes. Not only does it hurt, but it’s turning red and swelling like a balloon. What’s going on? In a word, inflammation. Your injury has triggered an inflammatory response, which signals your immune system to start remedying it. It’s doing its best to fight against any potential invaders, along with repairing the damaged site. So, your knee isn’t going to explode or mutate. It’s simply inflamed, which, ironically, is a good thing, as it’s a sign that your body is already working as quickly as it can to heal it.
Think of it this way- were it not for inflammation, you’d have a banged-up knee, and would be a walking target for more injury since you can’t recover. Even worse, if the injury was something like getting cut by a sharp kitchen knife, you’d be exposed to bacteria, which would soon become widespread throughout your body since your immune system wasn’t alerted by inflammation to go after them. The wound would only fester and get progressively worse.
In cases like this, inflammation, or acute inflammation, has its place. And special chemicals known as cytokines get released in order to send emergency signals to immune cells, hormones, and nutrients to assist in the healing process. Then, blood vessels dilate in response to increased blood flow and immune cells rushing towards the injury. Prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances, help to create blood clots that will heal any damaged tissue, along with triggering either fever or pain should there be any threatening pathogens. [2] [3]
Clearly, the process of inflammation is intelligent by design. It’s not meant to destroy you. When it becomes chronic-Psoriasis, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Arthritis, Cystitis, Dermatitis, or Bronchitis (basically, anything ending in “-it is”)- is when it becomes a concern. The conditions I mentioned can last almost a lifetime, and their effects are not to be ignored. But again, those are extreme cases when an otherwise essential process goes haywire.
It’s time to go over when inflammation is, ironically, good for us.
My Friend… Inflammation
Inflammation is strategic. Done in the right place and at the right time, it’s actually something that can be wielded to one’s advantage. Think of the following scenarios as “tactical use” for inflammation:
• Building Muscle: In order to build muscle, you’re going to need a good dose of inflammation. How so? The tearing of muscle fibers is, in and of itself, a form of inflammation. But think of it as a necessary evil of sorts. One that, in doing so, creates enough trauma to signal a (brief) inflammatory response resulting in not only helping to recover your muscles but also building newer, stronger tissues. [4]
• Endurance Training: If you’re in a sport, do marathons, or need to build up your endurance, then once again inflammation is your unlikely ally. Without the stress of proper training, your body would not be able to make the necessary adaptations for your goal. Your breathing, circulation, muscle recruitment, and overall performance wouldn’t improve. In short, you need the challenging, pro-inflammatory effect of your training in order to build endurance. Otherwise, you’d stay at a sub-par base level and never progress. [5]
• Fasting: True or false- fasting is a stressor. Well, I think you know where I’m headed with this one…. TRUE. Indeed, fasting is a stressor upon the body, therefore, it does contribute towards inflammation. At least, to an extent. At first, there is a slight increase in pro-inflammatory free radicals during a fast. But our cells soon respond by increasing their own anti-inflammatory antioxidants as a way to combat both the newer and future free radicals. Stronger cells mean more resiliency against inflammation. And with that, we are more capable of dealing with stress. But we cannot attain this level of strength without a bit of fasting here and there to trigger a positive cellular response. So, the temporary inflammation that’s a product of fasting is more like a means to an end. [6]
• Challenging Times: There is a bittersweet benefit that comes from hard, challenging times. Whether it’s a breakup, setback, or death, life itself grants us opportunities even when we least expect it. Specifically, when the going gets tough and it feels like the world is out against us. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, DO, eloquently describes it as follows, “Friction is what creates us. The soft, warm and easy times are welcome but do little to force growth. Run toward the discomfort, it will fortify, not break you.” At the moment, you may hate it. But in the long run, you’ll come out stronger. In order to evolve, we need to get uncomfortable. So, while it’s technically not inflammation per se, to endure the friction of life means to grow stronger. Just like a muscle (see above). [7]
Double-Edged Sword
Used correctly, inflammation is a powerful tool for growth, recovery, and expansion (both internal and external). What we let ourselves get distracted by is the incorrect, or mismanaged, influence of inflammation. Modern-day living is a testament to that. But that doesn’t mean we look to reprove something that was merely designed for our own benefit. I am by no means saying we encourage a cascade of inflammation into our body. Far from it! What I do suggest is that we keep in mind that it has a purpose, and, if treated mindfully, can continue to be a friend rather than a foe. Let me know your thoughts about it down below and what you do to master this beast!
Sources:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3492709/
[2] https://www.livescience.com/52344-inflammation.html
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279298/
[4] https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/how-use-post-workout-inflammation-your-advantage
[5] https://firstendurance.com/exercise-induced-inflammation-part-1/
[6] https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/how-fasting-might-make-our-cells-more-resilient-stress/
[7] https://twitter.com/drgabriellelyon/status/1067379105434402816
Private Member |
Hi Zuzka,
Are you still planning on releasing a new 6 week whole food meal plan? Just wondering 🙂 .
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Yes I am, it should be ready this week.
Private Member |
Oh yay! What will the ratio of carbs, fats, protein be? Or will we just have to wait and see 🙂 ?
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Can’t wait to see it!
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I’m so excited I might burst! I really need a reboot of clean eating habits with simple prep techniques. Hope all is well in your world Z and as always thank you so much for all that you do 🙂 .
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massachusetts, united states
I have incorporated tumeric powderand bone broth in my daily life., mostly in my smoothies. I have seen a huge difference in the way I feel and the way my joints feel.
Private Member |
lethbridge, alberta, canada
Hi Darlene! Just wondering how much tumeric per day you are taking in and how/in what? Do you ever use fresh tumeric? And bone broth as well? Just curious, thanks!!
Private Member |
massachusetts, united states
Hey Susan,
The tumeric i use is from the reserve on line, I use about a teaspoon and put it in my smoothie, usually daily. I’ve also tried golden milk , not a huge fan but doable.
The bone broth I use is from kettle and fire , organic and not bad tasting. I get the chicken and mushroom one. I drink a 1/2 cup post wo everyday. It seems to really help. Good luck!!
Private Member |
Dear Zuzka,
Is inflammation (or better: are better torn muscle fibers) always essential for muscle growth, esp. in long term?
Of course, I get very good DOMS from your strength workouts or when neglected muscle parts a more actively used than normal. But I am wondering if working out on a regular basis without feeling soreness for at least 1-2 times a week will lead to growing muscles, too?
What is your experience here? Is staying active and consistent also able to shape me -slowly but progressively- without killer soreness ‘as often as possible’ to gain muscle mass?
Thank you 🙂
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Hey GWIDDE,
I’m not sure how to go about answering your question but from my personal experience, soreness is a vague symptom and doesn’t always indicate much except that I enjoyed the feeling, especially when I was a bit younger. I could be extremely sore and not see results and I could be feeling normal and look very muscular depending on the day. It could mean you’ve done something challenging that your body is not used to, something might actually be wrong with your body, or heck- you may have slept wrong! I’ve had combinations of these and some! Micro-tearing can happen with workouts and occasionally lead to soreness along with lactate build up in the muscle groups being worked. As long as you are not over doing it and can get out of bed the next day, you should be ok. Just be careful. If you are like myself, love a challenge and, have a tendency to overwork yourself, STOP IMMEDIATELY! It can lead to an injury that you might not realize till several years later! Go slow and steady and work your way up with exercises to avoid injury so you do not end up worse than where you began! I used to workout for hours like a gym rat creating incredibly difficult workouts my military friends had a hard time with. Looking back, it was not the smart thing to do and I’ve put my body through a lot! I’ve had to learn from my mistake the hard way.
Private Member |
Dear HELYAS,
Thank you for your fast response. Of course, this topic is again strongly related with bioindividuality and to how you live and feel.
I must admit that I have always been kind of sporty but it was an on-off thing due to childbirth, however we do have an active lifestyle in general. I am now working out with the Z-community for about 1.5 years (not too long, I know) and have a normal physique with an average to low body fat content.
In long term I would like to gain muscle and loose fatty tissue. Until this day, I can see my body changed but to be honest, the changes are way slower that I expected them to be (also I forgot to take photos prior to my journey). I am neither frustrated, nor will I ever give up (HAHA, no not me, I stick to my decisions) and yes I can workout and push myself really hard.
Somehow I believe that REAL and natural changes cannot be achieved within 6-12 months anymore but might take years?
The point is, you see REALLY fast and incredible body transformations on the web for persons who are obese and loose fatty tissue. But building up a body that is toned and strong from a normal/slender person seems to take really long.
I am wondering if this is a. normal and I had wrong expectations or b. my body is slowly adapting to activities. My nutrition is to 95% clean with a great amount of veggies.
Now I am really angry as I did not take photos to record my progress, maybe I have a wrong picture of myself in my mind… hmh
Private Member |
I understand where you are coming from. I’m unsure if this is the new norm but be patient is my best advice. It seems you have a lot on your plate as it is. I think changes in your metabolism contribute to how long it takes to see results as well as age, children, and a host of other factors. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Persistence is key despite the results you wish to achieve are not yet apparent. I do say “not yet.” Who knows what the future really looks like. I admire your tenacity. I agree, the 6-12 month time frame is not realistic for everyone. Like you mentioned, bio-individuality plays a role along with environmental factors, our habits, and daily stressors.
You may already know this but if you want more muscle on your body, weights might be the way to go with cardio as support to your workouts. As for diet, veggies are a great way to keep healthy and have a normal weight range but don’t forget other food groups. I am what you call a picky eater and hated fats in general. Couldn’t stand the taste of olive oil or cheese (or anything that had a taste really..) and therefore was chronically malnourished to the point it was seriously detrimental to my health. A balanced approach to a diet often works well for most people.
I’ve come back to the Z-community in a similar time frame to yours so no worries. Don’t beat yourself up! You can have a little “tabula rasa” for lack of better words. You can take a photo of your self now as your new starting point and continue from there. As for myself, I gave up on photos, lol. I just measure by how well my clothes fit, track my food and fluid intake, and how I feel. Overall, its winning combination for me.