Inflammation is an insidious problem which can sometimes turn into ‘common’ symptoms like weight gain and fatigue, before destroying enough of your body to warrant a full-blown diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. So it’s important to recognise the areas of our bodies where inflammation can manifest.
And because everyone’s biochemistry is different, you aren’t always going to have inflammation in the same spot as someone else. So let’s take a look at the areas that I recommend monitoring for inflammation and possible autoimmunity:
1. The Brain And Nervous System
If you are struggling with brain fog, poor concentration, irritability, anxiety, depression, and memory issues, inflammation could be to blame. Long-term brain inflammation may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia as well as autoimmune disease or other neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. The culprit? A leaky blood-brain barrier.
This condition is often linked to leaky gut syndrome, where the tight junctions that seal off both your digestive system and brain have become compromised. This can let bacterial endotoxins into places they shouldn’t be, triggering an autoimmune-inflammatory response in your brain.
2. The Digestive System
I find that almost everyone experiencing chronic health issues has some degree of gut inflammation, resulting in digestive dysfunction. The most common issues I see are constipation, diarrhoea, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), bloating, and acid reflux.
Digestive issues that go on for too long can lead to leaky gut syndrome that further perpetuates inflammation that triggers problems like Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or autoimmune gastritis.
3. The Detoxification System
Your liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, and gallbladder are largely responsible for detoxification as well as processing and removing toxins like alcohol, pesticides, mould mycotoxins, and the waste products of your own metabolism. If your detoxification system is impaired by inflammation, toxins can build up in your body further perpetuating inflammation and causing swelling, rashes, pain, and damage to your organs.
4. Blood Sugar And The Insulin System
Your blood sugar and insulin system are governed by your liver and pancreas, as well as your cellular insulin receptor sites. When inflammation hits this system, you can experience unstable blood sugar and an excess of insulin, which can eventually lead to metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, or Type 2 diabetes.
Uncontrolled hunger and thirst, sudden weight gain, weight loss resistance, and high fasting blood sugar numbers are all symptoms of out-of-control inflammation in this area.
5. The Endocrine System
This system consists of the brain’s communication with the glands that produce hormones. Inflammation can hit anywhere in this system, affecting the hormones of the thyroid, adrenal glands, and sex glands (testes or ovaries), causing a wide range of diverse symptoms. Hormones control so many aspects of your health, so inflammation in this area can contribute to anything from thinning hair to dry skin, weak nails, anxiety, mood swings, irregular menstruation, or low sex drive.
6. The Musculoskeletal System
Your musculoskeletal system is made up of your muscles, joints, and connective tissue. Inflammation in this system can cause joint pain, muscle pain, joint stiffness, fibromyalgia (a condition related to autoimmunity), achiness, and more.
7. The Immune System
Your immune system is the governing system over inflammation. Autoimmunity happens when your immune system overreacts, causing a cascade of inflammation that attacks the organs, tissues, and structures of the body. Every one of these above systems can be affected by autoimmunity with your symptoms being the first signs of that autoimmune-inflammation spectrum at play.
8. Polyinflammation
Rarely does inflammation occur in just one area of your body. Oftentimes, inflammation spreads to multiple systems of your body and can result in symptoms in various areas or even autoimmune conditions.
In Conclusion
Needless to say, inflammation is something we need to stay on top of for the sake of our health. If left unchecked for too long, it can manifest in uncomfortable symptoms and lead us down a path to autoimmunity. Once you identify inflammation in the body, you can begin to take steps to manage it.
