[Kim Jaeho's Life Story]<191> The Face Inflammation of Immune Cells

When our body is infected by microorganisms, injured, or exposed to irritating substances, it responds to remove or heal the problem, and this response is called inflammation. Since such events commonly occur in daily life, inflammation frequently arises in anyone and disappears easily once the cause is gone. Inflammation is an essential and important process necessary for our body to heal problems occurring in tissues or cells.

The purpose of inflammation is to suppress cell damage at an early stage, remove destroyed tissues and dead cells, and regenerate tissues. All inflammation begins as acute inflammation, which lasts for a short period and manifests in three stages. Capillaries dilate to increase blood supply to the damaged area, blood and proteins are supplied to the cells, and neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that digests microorganisms, increase.

When acute inflammation occurs on the skin, five symptoms appear: redness, loss of function, swelling, heat, and pain. When it occurs inside the body, such as in organs, only some of these symptoms are felt. Although the symptoms caused by inflammation cause much discomfort and often do not heal easily, it is easy to mistake it for a disease. However, inflammation is not a disease but a defense system necessary for the immune system to protect our body from infections, diseases, and injuries.

Acute inflammation arises suddenly and worsens rapidly within a short time. It usually lasts only a few days but can persist for several weeks. Major causes include acute bronchitis caused by infection, ingrown toenail infections penetrating the flesh, pharyngitis caused by cold or flu, acute appendicitis, dermatitis, tonsillitis, infectious meningitis, sinusitis, skin scratches or wounds, intense exercise, and physical trauma.

Once the cause of inflammation disappears, acute inflammation subsides, and the damaged tissue regenerates to its pre-inflammation state, restoring normal structure and function. However, it may leave a scar made of collagen, form pus, or develop into chronic inflammation. Scars left after acute inflammation do not function as tissue if the damaged tissue is not perfectly regenerated.

Pus contains bacteria, dead white blood cells, and destroyed cells and must be removed by endoscopy or surgery. Chronic inflammation occurs when the cause of acute inflammation remains and does not disappear, causing acute inflammation to become chronic, or it can arise from autoimmune diseases where white blood cells mistakenly recognize normal cells as pathogens and attack them.

Since it is practically impossible to completely avoid infections, irritating substances, or accidents in life, it is impossible to avoid all acute inflammation, which is the healing process for these problems. Therefore, it is important to adopt a lifestyle that reduces inflammation, accept a certain degree of acute inflammation as part of life, and prevent it from developing into chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation significantly lowers quality of life and often causes diseases that are difficult to heal. It stiffens the body, reduces flexibility, and causes various pains. It can cause many diseases, including various cancers, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, metabolic diseases, periodontitis, allergies, depression, and muscle diseases.

To prevent acute inflammation from becoming chronic, it is important to remove the cause of inflammation and create an environment conducive to the immune system's function. Commonly, drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used for chronic inflammation. While these drugs can alleviate pain to some extent, they are not fundamental cures, and especially steroid drugs should be avoided due to serious side effects.

Fortunately, the immune system within our body creates inflammation when a cause arises to solve the problem and make it disappear, and the performance of the immune system is determined by our lifestyle habits. Whatever problems arise, what we need to do is simply create an environment where immune cells can function well in daily life.

To maintain an optimal immune system, one must practice a life-friendly lifestyle that turns on the life switch (refer to Life Story Part 6). Meals should be healthy, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to supply sufficient nutrients, while limiting sugar, saturated fats, salt, alcohol, and processed foods (Part 33). Quitting smoking, appropriate exercise (Part 39), sufficient rest and sleep (Parts 47, 48), and good stress management (Part 52) are also important.

Jaeho Kim, Independent Researcher