Inflammation is a mechanism by which the body fights against the causative factors of the disease, while initiating the healing process. A common cause of inflammation is infection (inflammation and infection are not the same thing). Infection means a penetration of pathogens (parasites, bacteria or viruses) that once in the body can remain at the place of the entrance or can reach the blood circulation.

The inflammatory response of the body comprises:

➢ tumefaction (swelling)
➢ fever
➢ change in color and/or functional impairment of that tissue
➢ pain

In the short term, inflammation helps the body, more precisely it is part of the response of the immune system that fights to heal an injury or fights an infection. This is acute inflammation. But the persistence of long-term inflammation, also called chronic inflammation, is no longer beneficial to the body, being able to cause various diseases.

A number of internal organs, bones, muscles and even the brain can be affected by chronic inflammation.

Inflammation of the heart, veins and arteries contributes to the appearance of cardiovascular diseases, strokes, diabetes and anemia. Because of inflammation, the walls of blood vessels can thicken or narrow. Narrowing of the walls of blood vessels affected by inflammation also causes a decrease in blood flow.

Chronic inflammation affects intestinal function and can produce conditions such as: gastrointestinal reflux, Crohn's disease (a chronic inflammation of the digestive tract that leads to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition) or Celiac disease (autoimmune gluten intolerance).

Autoimmunity induced by chronic inflammation can influence thyroid function and the production of thyroid hormones. The thyroid hormones produced and released by the thyroid gland are triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), having important roles in the body (there are almost no cells in the body on which thyroid hormones do not act).

Chronic inflammation can produce autoimmune reactions in the lungs (in the case of autoimmune reaction, the body attacks its own structures). Also, inflammation can produce allergies or asthma.

Skin eruptions, dermatitis, eczema, acne, psoriasis and even wrinkles can occur at the level of the skin as secondary reactions to liver and kidney diseases, conditions caused by chronic inflammation.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines (low molecular mass proteins produced by immune cells that are involved in regulating the immune response and that initiate the development of an inflammatory reaction) can accuse muscle pain and fatigue, carpal tunnel syndrome and rheumatic polymyalgia. Also, the inflammation interferes with the body's ability to restore its bone mass, thus causing an increase in the number of fractures, as well as the appearance of osteoporosis.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines also affect blood circulation in the kidney area and as side effects edema (water retention), increased joint tension and infectious diseases of the urinary tract (pyelonephritis) appear.

Chronic inflammation increases the toxic load of the body and can lead to enlarged liver or hepatic steatosis (increased level of fat in the liver). The liver is considered the most complex "factory" of the body, having over 500 functions, indispensable for normal life. These functions are so complex that there is no device/machine that can replace the liver, first of all due to the numerous functions of synthesis of substances indispensable to life and then because of its detoxification role.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines also cause autoimmune reactions in the brain, which can affect memory and the ability to think and can even lead to depression, autism, poor memory, Alzheimer's disease.