The Secret to Feeling Great – Part 1

In this episode Dr. Rodney and Karen talk about the role of systemic inflammation in four major life-threatening conditions in our current world: coronary artery disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. This conversation is based on a recent article from Harvard Medical School.

What is inflammation?

Research on inflammation has created a shift in medical thinking. For two millennia it has been viewed mainly as a necessary, even beneficial, response to illness or injury. But for many people persistent inflammation can be the most significant causative factor in many diseases.

Inflammation is part of the immune response. It is what happens when your body has a threat. The white cells go into action and there are a whole bunch of chemicals released such as antibodies and cytokines. These chemicals are meant to be temporary to allow the body to heal. The problem comes when they are left on for too long and you now have chronic inflammation – more on that here.

What is inflammation designed to do?

For simplicity’s sake, immunologists still describe inflammation as dependent on two basic processes: innate and adaptive immunity. 

Innate Immunity

The innate immune system is the first line of defense when the body detects invaders such as viruses, bacteria or toxins or there are wounds/trauma. This system goes to work to attack and destroy the outsider or to start the repair of the damage sustained.

Adaptive Immunity

The adaptive immune system is the second and specific line of defense that is called to action by the innate immune system. After recognizing the invader, the cells can multiply and combat it, based on what has invaded the body previously. It’s largely the responsibility of white blood cells called lymphocytes. T lymphocytes, or T cells, are the master strategists of the process, directing cells and chemicals to eradicate the invader. B lymphocytes, or B cells, produce antibodies, which attach to specific pathogens and call in the complement to help dispatch the invader. Macrophages (literally “big eaters”) are the scavengers, swooping in to eliminate the remains of microbes, dead granulocytes, and cellular debris created in the skirmish. While they clean up, macrophages also process information about individual pathogens and transmit it to the lymphocytes, which store the information for future reference.

As pathogens are eliminated, suppressor T cells turn down the inflammatory response, so the regeneration of tissue injured either by the invader or by “friendly fire” from the immune system can begin. Scars can be formed by fibroblasts, cells that produce collagen and fibrin, that arrive to create a scaffold for new tissue cells. If the damage is extensive, fibrin and collagen may become thick enough to replace the original tissue and form a scar.

What is chronic inflammation?

The first-century Roman physician Aurelius Cornelius Celsus described the four cardinal signs of inflammation — calor (heat), dolor (pain), rubor (redness), and tumor (swelling) — a Latin litany still learned by medical students today. But these symptoms are mainly tip-offs for acute inflammation.

Chronic inflammation often stays below the patient’s — and doctor’s — radar. It happens when the triggering agent isn’t entirely eliminated or the suppressor T cells for some reason don’t call off the immune system after the body has repulsed the invasion.

Most adults have some level of chronic inflammation slowly waging a war of attrition on tissues and organs. Often this can only be found in blood tests. But if it’s turned up a notch or two, chronic inflammation can wear away at the body so that the damage is devastating.

What is inflammation’s role in coronary artery disease?

Cardiovascular research shows that inflammation works together with the excess or “bad” LDL cholesterol to create atherosclerosis. At high blood levels, LDL cholesterol becomes oxidized. Once the immune system recognizes it the macrophages are sent out to ingest it. The lipid-loaded macrophages trigger complement activity that damages the vascular endothelium — the layer of cells that lines the inside of blood vessels. Macrophages and their fatty cargo slip through the resulting cracks and lodge next to the arterial wall, where they are encased in a shell of fibrin and form arterial plaque. As the plaque grows and its fibrin coat is stressed, it may rupture, forming a clot that blocks a coronary artery supplying oxygen to the heart muscle. Heart tissue nourished by the artery then dies, causing a heart attack.

Studies have determined that people whose blood level of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, rank in the top third are twice as likely to have a heart attack as those with CRPs in the lowest third. The risk is even greater if a person also has high cholesterol.

What is the role of inflammation in diabetes?

Some large observational studies have shown that people with high levels of CRP are more likely to develop insulin resistance, a precursor to full-fledged diabetes in which cells rebuff insulin and therefore don’t properly metabolize glucose circulating in the blood.

What is the role of inflammation in cancer?

Nearly 150 years ago, the pathologist Rudolf Virchow termed cancer a “wound that doesn’t heal.” He noticed that tissue from malignant tumors contained high concentrations of inflammatory cells and hypothesized that the tumors often formed at sites of chronic inflammation. Recent evidence suggests that he was right. About 15% of cancers — including cancers of the liver, cervix, and stomach — are closely linked to infectious diseases. Cigarette smoke and asbestos contain inflammatory substances. Exposure to cigarette smoke is a notorious cause of lung cancer, and exposure to asbestos is linked to mesothelioma, a cancer of the tissue lining the chest.

Moreover, laboratory research has shown that products of inflammatory reactions, such as reactive oxygen species, damage cellular DNA, creating mutant genes that lead to cancer. Macrophages, the mop-up molecules in the inflammatory process, churn out numerous tumor growth factors and appear to spur on angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels that nurture tumor cells with a fresh supply of blood. In summary, malignant tissues seem to commandeer many of the inflammatory weapons sent out to vanquish them.

What is the role of inflammation in Alzheimer’s?

Doctors once thought the central nervous system was outside the reach of the immune system. The blood/brain barrier, formed by tightened capillaries, acts like a bouncer, screening out inflammatory cells and molecules so they can’t enter the brain. But the brain appears to have its own branch of the immune system. Cells inside the brain called microglia, the counterparts to macrophages, swarm and engulf foreign substances and release inflammatory molecules. Excess production of a molecule called beta-amyloid appears to play an important role in Alzheimer’s disease, but the immune response may also be involved. Once microglia ingest beta-amyloid, they become enshrouded in fibrin and form the plaques characteristic of the disease.

What is the best way to prevent inflammation?

Living an anti-inflammatory life style remains the most important ways to dampen inflammation:

• Staying physically active throughout the day and scheduling time for aerobic exercise and resistance training sessions
• Eat a Mediterranean style diet that emphasizes real food, vegetables and healthy oils, instead of processed foods and products high in saturated fats
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Avoid tobacco products and other toxins
• If you drink alcohol, limit it to an average of one drink per day

Dr. Wirth will help you discover the root cause of your health challenges and deliver a personalized treatment plan to restore proper body function and provide hope to achieve your best future.

Your body functions best when you balance the basic elements of health. They are as follows: alignment/posture, nutrition, movement, rest and the belief your body can heal itself once the nerve interference is removed. When all your systems are functioning properly your body will be able to heal itself in what may seem like miraculous ways.

At STANCE Chiropractic we follow the groundbreaking principles of Postural Neurology. Dr. Wirth will evaluate you thoroughly to understand what’s going on from the standpoint of the cranial nerves that control your balance and posture. You will learn the process of Neuro-Rehabilitation movements both in the office and at home.

Many of our patients experience life-long results as they implement small changes every day and begin to move better, live better and achieve things they never thought possible.

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