Chronic inflammation is also referred to as slow, long-term inflammation. The effects of chronic inflammation can vary due to what causes it, and our bodies’ own ability to overcome the damage.
Inflammation is the body’s natural defense mechanism against pathogens (organisms that cause disease). It’s associated with many diseases, infections, radiation, toxic chemicals, and even obesity can cue this response. Alcohol and tobacco, and surprisingly, also a high calorie diet can cause inflammation to peak in the body.
When inflammation happens, chemical in your body’s white blood cells enter your blood tissue to protect your body from invaders.
Causes of Chronic Inflammation
Chronic inflammation can be caused by:
- Untreated acute inflammation, caused by infection or injury
- Auto immune disorder (when your immune system attacks healthy tissue)
- Long-term exposure to irritants, which we all have because of the chemicals we come into contact with all the time. It’s not only industrial chemicals but also what’s circulating in the air.
- Taking certain drugs, such as statins. Most people don’t know that cholesterol is your body’s response to inflammation. So, if you take a drug to force the cholesterol levels down, the inflammation just goes rampant.
Virtually everybody in the world has some form of underlying inflammation; it may not be significant, but we all have some underlying inflammation in our bodies.
The Old Saying that Stress Kills is Really True
Stress is the most common cause of an inflammatory condition. Stress causes the body to produce excess cortisol and other hormones in response. Stress creates a significant inflammatory response in the body.
Skin inflammation mostly occurs because of an immune system response. When the immune system gets tired, the body starts to re-route its resources away from the skin. That’s when you are prone to more skin conditions, and it takes longer to heal those conditions.
Chronic Inflammatory Skin Conditions
Your skin is a barometer – a way to identify when things are going awry in the body. When you have a skin condition, it’s a sign that something else is brewing in the body that’s detrimental to your health.
Some chronic inflammatory skin conditions are acne, dermatitis, drug rashes, psoriasis, and eczema. Psoriasis and eczema are a significant issue today. They can run in a family, but they are most often triggered by allergens, extreme temperatures, and most often stress.
Eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis can make it very challenging to be comfortable in your own skin. Skin problems affect many Americans. 5 to 7 million have eczema. Another 7.5 million have psoriasis and 12.5 million have dermatitis. One of the conditions that comes with dermatitis caused by inflammation is dandruff. Almost 30 million people in America have one of these skin conditions.
Ways to Improve Skin
Tips for clearer skin:
- Wash your face with clean, pure water. Avoid foreign contaminants like fragrance or harsh chemicals in the facewash or soap.
- Apply a good, natural moisturizer to act as a barrier between your skin and the environment.
- Don’t wear heavy makeup as it will clog your pores.
- Use a fragrance-free laundry soap. Additives in your soap will irritate the skin.
- Don’t use fabric softeners – they also have additive ingredients that irritate the skin.
How to calm your skin:
- Spray your face with a mist of fresh, purified water to counteract heat and irritation.
- Use a calming moisturizer. Choose products with minimal ingredients.
- Choose skin care products with natural, organic ingredients.
- Cleanse daily.
- Avoid harsh exfoliation or scrubbing as this will irritate your skin.
The most important way to avoid any of these inflammatory skin conditions is to keep our immune system as strong as possible. The easiest way is through diet. Eat anti-inflammatory foods such as:
- Organic olives
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Tomatoes
- Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, or collard greens.
- A small number of nuts like almonds or walnuts.
- Fatty fish daily – salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines.
- Strawberries and blueberries.
Polyphenols Can Help Lower Inflammation
Polyphenol extracts are one of the most effective anti-inflammatory substances. They work through free radical scavenging activity, effectively dampening down the body’s inflammatory response by regulating cell activity.
This is especially true of the skin. Remember, the skin is our largest organ. Research shows that organic olive polyphenols are one of the most effective anti-inflammatory substances. They contain a hydrocarbon called squalene. Squalene makes up most of the hydrocarbons in most phenol extracts. It’s one of the best hydrating ingredients you can take on a daily basis.
Another phenol found in olives is Hydroxytyrosol, which is known to be the most potent antioxidant in the world. Antioxidants are tested on the ORAC value – Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity. It’s the free radicals that destroy our cells. The ORAC value measure a compound’s ability to absorb free radicals. Hydroxytyrosol has an ORAC value of 68,000. That’s the highest, most potent antioxidant ever tested. It’s 15 times higher than green tea and 3 times higher than CoQ10.
We should all be taking these polyphenol compounds every day, and olive oil is one of the best ways to get them. That’s why the Mediterranean diet is so healthy. One of the key ingredients in this diet is olive oil.
Olive oil contains more than 36 phenolic compounds that fight inflammation. One specific compound known as oleocanthol is found in extra virgin olive oil and it has powerful natural anti-inflammatory benefits. In fact, it has been shown that oleocanthol has the same benefit as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen. It works on the exact same pathways in the body as NSAIDs do.
Tests also show that it can stop an inflammatory cascade by inhibiting the Cox 1 and Cox 2 inflammatory enzymes. This is significant – it’s a natural ingredient without any contra-indications. It creates an environment where the immune system can function properly, and any inflammatory skin condition can heal and gradually go away.