[Kim Jaeho's Life Story]<192> Chronic Inflammation Undermining the Maginot Line

In life, it is common to be infected by pathogens such as bacteria or viruses, to sustain injuries, or to have toxic substances enter the body. In such cases, our body's cells secrete chemical substances that notify the immune system, and the process by which the immune system removes these harmful substances and heals wounds is called inflammation. Inflammation is an essential process necessary for healing when such events occur.

Inflammation heals the body through three processes: the dilation of capillaries to increase blood supply to the damaged area, increased delivery of blood and proteins to cells, and an increase in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, which digest pathogens. When inflammation occurs on the skin, symptoms such as redness, impaired function, swelling, heat, and pain appear. This type of inflammation is acute inflammation, which usually resolves within a few days as cells and tissues heal, and the symptoms disappear.

Acute inflammation causes some discomfort in daily life, but it can somewhat reduce infections by bacteria or viruses, injuries, or the entry of toxic substances into the body, although it is practically impossible to avoid all of these. However, since acute inflammation is short-lived and part of the healing process, there is no need for major concern; rather, it is something to be thankful for.

Chronic inflammation is quite different. Some inflammations become chronic because the cause of the inflammation does not disappear, or they arise from autoimmune diseases where white blood cells mistakenly recognize normal cells as pathogens and attack them. Such chronic inflammation does not suddenly kill a person, but it significantly lowers quality of life and often causes various chronic diseases that are difficult to cure, so special attention is required.

Although chronic inflammation itself is not a disease, it keeps the body in a constantly sensitive emergency state, continuously damaging multiple organs including the heart and brain, thereby causing numerous chronic diseases. Many of these chronic inflammatory diseases include fatal illnesses that break down the last line of defense for life.

In blood vessels, deposits (plaques) accumulate and form blood clots, narrowing arteries and causing atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Chronic inflammation is also a major cause of most chronic diseases such as various cancers, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, allergic asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic degenerative diseases.

Chronic inflammatory diseases rank as the number one cause of death worldwide. Globally, 3 out of 5 people die from chronic inflammatory diseases such as stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. According to estimates by the Rand Corporation in the United States, in 2014, 60% of Americans had one or more chronic diseases, 42% had at least one, and 12% had five or more chronic diseases.

Despite the serious threat chronic inflammation poses to our lives, it is not easy to treat with any medication. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used, which provide some pain relief but are not a fundamental cure. Especially steroidal drugs can severely damage the immune system and cause serious side effects.

Despite the risks of chronic inflammation, people tend to neglect it without making special efforts to heal it. If serious symptoms do not appear, it is easy to overlook the fact that one has chronic inflammation. The risks of chronic inflammation are not well known, and even if recognized, people often think there is no effective solution because it is not easily cured by medication.

Instead of relying on drugs that do not provide fundamental healing effects, the answer to chronic inflammation lies in eliminating the causes of acute inflammation becoming chronic and the causes of autoimmune diseases. By creating the best environment for the immune system prepared inside the body, one should cultivate a life-friendly lifestyle that switches on the life switch to enable lively activity (refer to Life Story Part 6).

Meals should be healthy, including whole fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to supply sufficient necessary nutrients, while minimizing the generation or entry of toxic substances into the body by limiting sugar, saturated fats, salt, alcohol, and processed foods (Part 33). Additionally, quitting smoking, appropriate exercise (Part 39), sufficient rest and sleep (Parts 47, 48), and good stress management (Part 52) are essential.

Jaeho Kim, Independent Researcher