inflammation in the body

December 31, 2024 Sven Altorfer

Many people have had an inflammation at some point. Some might say that every adult has suffered from an inflammation at least once in their life, and probably much more often. Inflammation can actually affect almost every part of our body: gingivitis, gastritis, skin inflammation, colitis, conjunctivitis, cystitis, sinusitis - these are just a few examples of inflammatory diseases.

If a child falls and scrapes his knee, an adult quickly comes over and applies something to the wound “so that it doesn’t become infected” – but what is inflammation actually, why do organs or wounds become infected and how can inflammation be prevented or combatted? We would like to clarify this and more in this article.

What is inflammation?

In short, inflammation is a biological protective reaction in which the body's white blood cells protect us from infections caused by bacteria, viruses and foreign substances. Depending on how long it lasts, inflammation can be acute or even chronic.

Inflammation is also commonly referred to as inflammation (Latin: inflammatio). Inflammation can be classified by the classic inflammatory symptoms, such as redness, overheating, swelling and pain. In addition, most inflammations are accompanied by functional limitations, such as movement or well-being.

According to a further definition, one can say that any immune reaction in the body can be described as inflammation. This already indicates that our immune system and inflammation are closely linked.

It is also interesting to know that the medical terms for inflammation are formed by adding -itis to the Greek name for the inflamed anatomical structure - so if your doctor has ever given you a complicated-sounding word ending in -itis, he or she was talking about inflammation.

But how does inflammation actually occur in our body?

What causes inflammation in the body?

Inflammation is nature's way of protecting us from infections and foreign substances. The overall function of inflammation is to limit the threat, ward it off, and then repair the damage.

This causes an expansion of the blood vessels in the threatened structure of the body so that this region is better supplied with blood. The expansion of the blood vessels and the improved blood circulation are caused by the messenger substances interleukin-1 and prostaglandin I2 of our immune system.

The immune system recognizes a danger and threat to our body and our health in good time, which is why it reacts with these messenger substances in order to act on the threat. The expansion of the blood vessels also causes the typical symptoms of red swelling, pain and overheating. The expansion of the vessels allows more blood plasma and immune cells to reach the tissue, which makes it easier to fight the potential threat.

Inflammation can be both health-preserving and protective, as well as harmful.

Should inflammation be prevented or allowed?

Our immune system is our body's defense system and it fights against harmful pathogens and cells so that we do not get sick but stay healthy. This is necessary, valuable and health-preserving.

This complex network, which consists of various actors, is our protector and in most cases helps us not to become seriously ill due to inflammation.

If, for example, an injury, infection or foreign body occurs in our body, the inflammatory immune reaction of our body is to be encouraged and should only be interrupted under medical supervision. In most cases, this "good" inflammation should therefore be allowed.

However, if we look a little more closely at the connection between our immune system and inflammation, we also find examples of inflammation that should be avoided.

The good and helpful inflammation

A clear example of a "good" inflammation that we have all experienced on our own bodies is a cut. If we cut our finger, for example, we have broken through the natural protective layers of our skin, blood comes out and potential pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, can penetrate the open wound unhindered. Danger looms.

The area around the cut therefore turns red, swells and hurts. The blood vessels have been dilated by interleukin-1 and prostaglandin I2 so that other messenger substances and white blood cells can begin to heal the wound and the cut does not become a problem for our health. The messenger substances prostaglandin E2, prostaglandin I2, bradykinin and other kinins cause the feeling of pain in the cut so that we rest and protect the affected part of the body, e.g. our finger. This increased metabolic activity creates the familiar feeling of warmth in and around a wound through cytokines such as interleukin-6 and the production of prostaglandin E2. Wound healing has begun and the immune system is working to ensure that the wound does not become infected and is adequately protected from "invaders".

In this example, it is a health-preserving inflammation that protects our body and is necessary to prevent the cut from becoming infected.

The harmful inflammation

Inflammations are not always helpful and useful for our body, as is the case with allergies, for example. If someone has hay fever, their immune system reacts excessively strongly to the substances in the hay, other grasses and pollen that are in the air and triggers an immune reaction - a substance that is actually harmless and innocuous is attacked by our immune system, which leads to many symptoms that affect people's health without serving a useful purpose.

This immune reaction is harmful and not necessary for our health. Chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases in particular still pose a great deal of mystery to science and are the focus of modern research.

Specific causes of inflammation

The potential triggers and causes of inflammation are numerous. It can be said that a stimulus that overwhelms our physiology triggers inflammation. Such overwhelms can be physical or mechanical in nature (friction, impact, pressure, injury), thermal stimuli such as UV radiation or chemical stimuli such as poisons or acids.

Allergens and autoallergens can also cause chronic inflammations, such as rheumatism or autoimmune diseases. Common triggers of inflammation are of course also classic pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites.

Mechanical stimuli (friction, pressure, injury)
Thermal stimuli (UV radiation, burns)
Chemical stimuli (acids, alkalis, poisons)
Bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi
Actually harmless substances (pollen, grass, etc.)

immune system and inflammation

Our immune system is our body's defense system and it fights harmful pathogens and cells so that we don't get sick. It also helps with wounds by causing inflammation and distributing messenger substances to keep further harm away from us.

The immune system is a complex network that consists of various players: this is why, under certain circumstances, not only healthy and helpful inflammations can occur, but also the "bad" inflammations described above, such as autoimmune diseases or rheumatism and allergies. We can only control this to a limited extent and can at best address it preventively through a healthy diet and supporting the immune system.

In the following section we would like to explain in more detail why it makes sense to support our specific immune system.

Specific Immune System – The Acquired Protection

Our specific immune system is not innate, but is acquired after birth through external influences and through confrontation with our environment and its pathogens. When our body comes into contact with a potential pathogen, such as a virus or bacteria, our body uses certain defense mechanisms to specifically ward off and fight the pathogen.

Our immune system basically remembers the characteristics of the pathogen and can fight it off even more effectively on subsequent contact. The so-called T cells and B cells, a certain type of white blood cell, play an important role in our specific immune system. This lifelong learning of our immune system is a factor in why our immune system can sometimes make mistakes and unnecessarily trigger an immune reaction that is actually not necessary.

Therefore, it makes sense for many reasons, especially in cases of chronic inflammation and immune diseases, to strengthen our immune system. This protects us both from inflammation that may be necessary and from unnecessary, “bad” inflammation that should be avoided under medical supervision.

Colostrum to prevent inflammation

One way to prevent inflammation or strengthen your immune system is colostrum .

Colostrum is the first substance that is given to the newborn after pregnancy of a mammal, e.g. a woman or a female cow. In liquid form, colostrum is produced by the female mammary glands and contains concentrated and valuable ingredients in the form of antibodies, proteins, vitamins, amino acids, and much more.

Colostrum therefore supports the immune system in a completely natural way because it is one of the most original supply mechanisms in mammalian biology.

The unique “first milk” is the first strengthening food for every mammal, to make the new living being resilient and able to survive. The positive effects of colostrum on human health have long been scientifically proven and are particularly diverse.

In addition to supporting our immune system through the immunoglobulins (antibodies) contained in colostrum, colostrum also has antibacterial effects and can neutralize free radicals that could trigger inflammation.

Colostrum extracts are not a medicine or a dietary supplement, but a very special type of food that can support our health and immune system in a very original way through its natural effectiveness. We make use of the evolutionary genius of Mother Nature.

The antibodies (immunoglobulins) contained in colostrum and the numerous other nutrients and active ingredients support our immune system throughout our lives and can protect us from unpleasant inflammations.