Good versus bad inflammation
Posted by: takebackyourhealth3 on
Jun 30th, 2009 |
Filed under: Uncategorized
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“Good” inflammation is a key part of healing. The redness and swelling around a wound are an immune system response — inflammation. The fever we get from a viral infection is an immune system response — inflammation. It’s how our bodies kill the invaders.
The problem is that inflammation is supposed to solve the problem and then go away. When associated with diseases like allergies and rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation is chronic i.e. long-term, and usually harmful. Our immune system attacks and destroys our own tissues.
The defining fact about the immune system is that it usually can tell the difference between self and non-self. The immune system attacks foreign matter — the non-self. It literally eats it and even carries away the waste.
Meanwhile, our immune system does NOT attack our own cells because almost every cell in our own bodies carries a marker that identifies it as self. When our immune system starts attacking the self, it’s bad news.
When a particle of non-self invades the body, it’s called an antigen. An antigen can be a virus, a fungus, a bacterium, a parasite, a tissue transplant from another person — your immune system tags anything that’s not you as an antigen.
The immune system forms antibodies to destroy the antigens. If the antigen is in fact something harmless such as pollen, dust, wheat or milk, we’re said to be allergic. Antigens of this type are also called allergens. There’s no reason for your immune system to attack allergens but it does anyway.


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