Inflammation is not all bad. In fact, inflammation is your body’s normal response to any stressor, injury, or foreign “invaders” to the body, such as bacterial and viral infections. Inflammation is absolutely necessary; it is your immune system’s defense mechanism to protect and help the body heal. There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.\
\
Acute inflammation is short-lived. For example, when you cut your finger, your immune system sends its soldiers - white blood cells - to heal the area, which in turn creates swelling and redness. Another type of acute inflammation is exercise-induced inflammation, a natural recovery process after bouts of exercise where the body compensates from the stress of the workout. This type of inflammation also helps with muscle repair, recovery, and adaptation to exercises. The end goal of the inflammatory process is to restore homeostasis (balance) in the body.\
\
Inflammation is supposed to be a momentary process, and issues arise when the body remains in an inflammatory state, known as chronic inflammation. Chronic - or systemic - inflammation is long-term and results from persistent damage to body tissues that keep the inflammatory process running continuously. This can arise from poor lifestyle choices, such as a diet high in inflammatory foods, smoking, alcohol consumption, stress, inadequate sleep, lack of exercise, and autoimmune conditions. In fact, inflammation is at the root of many age-related diseases, such neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and Type II Diabetes.