Inflammation: When Healing Gets Stuck

Inflammation A-Z:

• Free Radicals

  Unstable molecules missing an electron that damage cells, proteins, and DNA. They're naturally produced during metabolism but increase with pollution, toxins, and processed foods. goes here

• Antioxidants

  Molecules that neutralize free radicals, preventing oxidative stress and cellular damage. The body makes its own (glutathione, CoQ10) but also relies on nutrients like selenium, vitamin E, and glycine.

• Acute Inflammation

  A short-term immune response that helps heal injuries and fight infections. Symptoms include redness, swelling, and pain—signals that the body is repairing itself.

• Chronic Inflammation

  When inflammation doesn't shut off, leading to tissue damage, metabolic dysfunction, and increased disease risk. Often driven by poor diet, stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

• Low-Grade Inflammation

  A silent, persistent form of inflammation that doesn't cause obvious symptoms but gradually wears down metabolism, immune function, and energy production. Commonly caused by oxidative stress, gut issues, poor sleep, and excess Omega-6 intake.

• Local Inflammation

  Inflammation that stays confined to one area, like a sprained ankle or an infected cut. It's necessary for healing but can turn chronic if not resolved.

• Systemic Inflammation

  Inflammation that spreads throughout the body, affecting metabolism, hormone balance, and organ function. Often linked to gut issues, high Omega 6 intake, and oxidative stress.

• Degeneration

  When chronic inflammation breaks down tissues instead of repairing them. Examples include cartilage loss in osteoarthritis, fibrosis in organs, and nerve damage in neurodegenerative diseases.

• Healing

  The process of resolving inflammation, repairing tissues, and restoring function. Requires adequate nutrients, a balanced inflammatory response, strong mitochondria, and proper recovery.

Acute Inflammation = Good

Inflammation is your body’s natural healing response. It kicks in after injury, infection, or stress—helping clear out damage, fight threats, and begin repair.

This short-term response is vital:
✔️ Increases blood flow
✔️ Mobilizes immune cells
✔️ Cleans up damaged tissue

But when it doesn’t turn off, it becomes chronic—and that’s when trouble begins.

What Turns Healing Into Harm?

• Free radicals are unstable molecules that are missing an electron, making them highly reactive. They are a natural byproduct of metabolism and immune responses, including inflammation. In small amounts, free radicals help fight infections and support healing.
  

• Antioxidants (like glutathione, vitamin C) eutralize free radicals by donating an electron, preventing them from damaging healthy cells.

If free radicals overwhelm the body's antioxidant defenses, a condition called oxidative stress occurs. This leads to persistent inflammation that sticks around too long. Instead of protecting the body, it starts damaging healthy tissues.

Chronic Inflammation: Silent Damage

When inflammation sticks around, it doesn't look like swelling or pain—it works under the surface, damaging mitochondria, cell membranes, and DNA.

Over time, it depletes cellular energy production, ATP which disrupts metabolism, weakens the immune system and slows recovery.

Free Radical Overload: Sparking or Fueling Chronic Inflammation

Too much free radicals with too little antioxidants can both spark inflammation - or keep an ongoing inflammation active for too long. While some free radicals are a normal part of metabolism, today's world overloads the body with extra sources of biochemical stressors:

Pollution & Pesticides – Found in air, water, and sprayed crops

Toxins – Grains (mycotoxins, lectins, glyphosate), plastics (BPA, phthalates), personal care products (parabens, sulfates)

Processed Foods – Especially those containing Omega 6 seed oils and chemical additives 

Chronic Stress – Elevated cortisol levels keep the body in inflammation mode

If these biochemical stressors aren't neutralized by antioxidants, oxidative stress occurs and they start attacking cell membranes, proteins, and even DNA, keeping the immune system on high alert long after a threat is gone. 

Why Inflammation Persists: When the Firefighters Are Down

Your body wants to turn inflammation off. It has systems designed to do just that—but they only work if they’re properly fueled.

Built-In Firefighters:

Mitochondria: These tiny engines don’t just make energy (ATP)—they also help switch inflammation off once healing starts. But weak, nutrient-starved mitochondria can’t do their job.

Antioxidants: Your body makes powerful antioxidants like glutathione and CoQ10 to neutralize free radicals and calm immune signals. But it needs key nutrients like zinc, copper, magnesium, selenium, glycine, and vitamin C to build them.

When these systems break down, inflammation lingers.

What Breaks the System:

• Low Nutrient Availability – No raw materials for repair or antioxidant defense.

• Weak Mitochondria – Poor energy production = stalled healing.

• Damaged Cell Membranes – Nutrients can’t get in, waste can’t get out.

• Seed Oils (Omega-6 Overload) – Disrupts cell membranes, cell function, and amplify inflammation signaling.

• Under-Recovery – Overtraining, poor sleep, and under-eating halt repair.

Systematic Inflammation

Inflammation can even become systemic, meaning it spreads beyond the original injury or trigger, and starts affecting the whole body—disrupting hormones, brain function, metabolism, and immune balance.

Path 1: Physical Damage → Local → Systemic

Injuries or overtraining cause local inflammation.
If healing stalls (due to low nutrients, poor sleep, or oxidative stress), inflammation spreads systemically.

Path 2: Biochemical Stressors → Systemic From the Start

Modern stressors constantly trigger internal inflammation, overwhelming our system, making inflammation the body's default mode.

Turning Off Inflammation: What Your Body Needs

There's no single “anti-inflammatory” food or diet that magically shuts down inflammation.

It's all about what your body needs to repair and regulate itself. Inflammation isn't just some external enemy—it's a response to stress, nutrient imbalances, and metabolic dysfunction. The key isn't adding a trendy superfood, but removing what's driving the problem and supporting your body with what it actually missing.

It's not about one magic ingredient. It's about the right conditions for healing:

• Ditch Seed Oils – Replace with stable animal fats and a little bit of fresh omega-3 (less is more!)

• Prioritize Nutrient-dense food – Zinc, copper, selenium, glycine, magnesium, vitamin C is extra important

• Fuel Mitochondria – CoQ10, B-vitamins, quality protein & carbs

• Support Recovery – Sleep, active rest, avoid chronic overtraining

• Clean the Diet – Remove toxins, additives, processed carbs, and oxidized fats

The Hidden Link to Modern Disease

Low-grade, chronic inflammation is a hidden driver of many modern diseases, including:

• Metabolic disorders (insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes)

• Cardiovascular disease (hardening of arteries, high blood pressure)

• Neurodegeneration (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)

Because it interferes with ATP production, chronic inflammation can leave you feeling fatigued, foggy, and sluggish—even if there's no obvious illness. 

Bottom Line: Resolve it!

Inflammation is a necessary part of healing, but it’s just as important to help the body turn it off as soon as possible.

Inflammation is not the enemy—it’s a healing signal.

But when your body lacks what it needs to resolve the signal, it stays stuck in “fight mode,” draining your energy and damaging healthy tissues instead of repairing them. 

Don’t just cool the fire—remove what’s fueling it, and give your body the tools to repair.