Tag Archives: Inflammatory bowel disease

ideal weight

Chronic inflammation effects on human organs

September 2, 2016
Chronic inflammation effects

Chronic inflammation effects on human organs, seek solution from the experts

Chronic inflammation effects on human organs: The damage caused by inflammation

Some of the health conditions affecting our life are known to us yet we often don’t notice them easily. Take for instance all the problem that are associated with chronic inflammation effects; many of us do not take notice of this until we experience an injury either by way of swellings, redness and pain flood that affects the area. But even with this indication, when we opted for treatment our focus is always on the pain and not the internal healing process. Inflammation can damage organs and cause disease, but its interference in the brain causes two common disorders. We are therefore going to be discussing the effects of inflammation on the body organs for better understanding of the body’s vulnerability to this complication. Doctor Dalal Akoury explains that ordinarily your body’s defense mechanism kicks in, and you don’t have to think too much about inflammation because it is always there when you need it.

However even though this is so, inflammation might also occur when you don’t need it, and if it does, it can cause problems. In some people, inflammation is present at very low levels. It is no wonder that many experts now believe that this type of low-grade, chronic inflammation is responsible for a litany of chronic conditions. And according to the experts from AWAREmed Health and wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD, when inflammation extents to the pancreas the affected person is at risk of getting diabetes. When it spreads to the immune system, you get cancer. And like cancer, this type of inflammation grows and spreads, damaging organs and causing all kinds of trouble. We will be focusing on this for a while but in the meantime, if you have any concern about this problem, doctor Akoury is always available for you and will help you in the best and professional manner.

Chronic inflammation effects on human organs: Weakened signals

The speed with which inflammation spreads does not only cause damages to your organs, but also interferes with your brain’s signals and to the rest of your body systems. With such many conditions the trouble starts in the hypothalamus which is the command center of the brain. The command center then receives all these hormonal inputs that inform you when you’re tired or when to eat and what to do with those calories.

When you have inflammation, a protein called pro-inflammatory cytokines distorts those hormonal signals. As a result, inflammation might be causing conditions such as depression and obesity, which were correlated through research long before inflammation became a suspected culprit. Nonetheless when it comes to depression, those cytokines communicate with the brain to induce different depressive symptoms, such as sad mood, fatigue, altered sleep and social-behavioral withdrawal. Inflammation also drives obesity in a similar manner.

Chronic inflammation effects on human organs: The damage caused by inflammation

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction

June 24, 2015

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction: Why this association must be discouraged

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction are real and not to be taken lightly

For a couple of times we have been discussing the effects of stress, depression and anxiety in relation to substance abuse and we were able to look at certain health conditions including, cancer, heart diseases, stroke and the effect of these problems on immunity. From the study, it was very evident that stress is a very long bridge that connects the body to various illnesses. Without leaving any stone unturned, we want to progress on that discussion sighting the dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction. Our focus is going to be on the following health conditions:

  • Gastrointestinal Problems
  • Eating and Stress
  • Diabetes
  • Pain
  • Sleep Disturbances
  • Sexual and Reproductive Dysfunction
  • Memory, Concentration, and Learning

These are not conditions that anyone would wish to associate with more so when the individual is also struggling with drug addiction of any level. I know that a lot is being done to salvage the situation and the prevalence of addiction, but even as those efforts are being made, what is you individual contribution to those efforts? If you put substance abuse aside for a while you realize that these listed health conditions are not friendly to humanity yet they are much more resonated by stress, depression, anxiety and drug addiction. On our part as professionals from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury, we are working with like minded people in this fight against the scourge of addiction. We would wish that if we are to win this fight, then we all need to pool together and join forces to deliver the much needed victory to ourselves, families and the society. Therefore if you are struggling with any of the conditions named, you may want to start the journey by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for the commencement of your recovery.

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction: Gastrointestinal Problems

The brain and intestines are closely related, and are controlled by many of the same hormones and parts of the nervous system. Indeed, some research suggests that the gut itself has features of a primitive brain. It is not surprising then that prolonged stress can disrupt the digestive system, irritating the large intestine and causing diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and bloating. Excessive production of digestive acids in the stomach may cause a painful burning.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Irritable bowel syndrome (or spastic colon) is strongly related to stress. With this condition, the large intestine becomes irritated, and its muscular contractions are spastic rather than smooth and wave-like. The abdomen is bloated, and the patient experiences cramping and alternating periods of constipation and diarrhea. Sleep disturbances due to stress can make irritable bowel syndrome even worse.

Peptic Ulcers – It is now well established that most peptic ulcers are caused by H. pylori bacteria or the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications (such as aspirin and ibuprofen). Nevertheless, studies still suggest that stress may predispose a person with H. pylori to ulcers.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Although stress is not a cause of inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), there are reports of an association between stress and symptom flare-ups.

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction: Eating and Stress

Stress can have varying effects on eating problems and weight like for example:

Weight Gain – Often stress is related to weight gain and obesity. Many people develop cravings for salt, fat, and sugar to counteract tension. As a result, they gain weight. Weight gain can occur even with a healthy diet, however, in some people who are exposed to stress. In addition, the weight gained is often abdominal fat, which increases the risk of diabetes and heart problems.

The release of cortisol, a major stress hormone, appears to boost abdominal fat and may be the primary connection between stress and weight gain. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid. These hormones, along with insulin, appear to be responsible for stress-related food cravings. Evidence suggests that hormonally induced cravings for “comfort foods” may have a biological benefit for managing stress. Eating comfort foods appears to reduce the negative hormonal and behavioral changes associated with stress, which might lessen the impact of stress on an individual. Carbohydrates in particular may increase levels of tryptophan and large neutral amino acids. This leads to more production of the chemical messenger serotonin, which might improve mood and performance under stress.

There may be a “reward-based stress eating” model. In this theory, stress and tasty, high-calorie foods cause the brain to make chemicals called endogenous opioids. These neurotransmitters help protect against the harmful effects of stress by slowing activity of a brain process called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, thus weakening the stress response. Repeated stimulation of the reward pathways through stress-induced HPA stimulation, eating tasty food, or both, may lead to changes in the brain that cause compulsive overeating.

Research findings indicate that overeating may be triggered by different stressors in men and women. However women tend to put on extra pounds when dealing with financial and work problems, as well as strained family relationships. Men gain more weight from lack of decision authority at work and difficulty in learning new skills on the job.

Eating Disorders – Chronically elevated levels of stress chemicals have been observed in patients with anorexia and bulimia. Some studies, however, have not found any strong link between stress and eating disorders. More research is needed to determine whether changes in stress hormones are a cause or a result of eating disorders.

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction: Diabetes

Stress can exacerbate existing diabetes by impairing the patient’s ability to manage the disease effectively. Therefore when stress management is becoming a problem to you, then you stand a greater risk of contracting some of these health conditions we have discussed and even those that we are yet to discuss. I don’t know what you may be going through but if this article is describing your situation then you need not to lose hope because help is right before you. The formation of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center was intended for you. Take this opportunity and call 843 213 1480 doctor Akoury today for professional advice on all that you may be going through in relation to the dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction and she will be able to help you in the most professional way to have your life and comfort back.

The dangers of stress and anxiety in addiction: Why this association must be discouraged

 

 

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs

April 25, 2015

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs: Obesity and Depression are Symptoms of a Common Cause

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs can be very dangerous especially when the victim is also obese or overweight

Some of the health conditions affecting our life are known to us yet we often don’t notice them easily. Take for instance a problem of inflammation; many of us do not take notice of this until we experience an injury either by way of swellings, redness and pain flood that affects the area. But even with this indication, when we opted for treatment our focus is always on the pain and not the internal healing process. Inflammation can damage organs and cause disease, but its interference in the brain causes two common disorders. We are therefore going to be discussing the effects of inflammation on the body organs for better understanding of the body’s vulnerability to this complication. Doctor Dalal Akoury explains that ordinarily your body’s defense mechanism kicks in, and you don’t have to think too much about inflammation because it is always there when you need it.

However even though this is so, inflammation might also occur when you don’t need it, and if it does, it can cause problems. In some people, inflammation is present at very low levels. It is no wonder that many experts now believe that this type of low-grade, chronic inflammation is responsible for a litany of chronic conditions. Therefore when inflammation extents to the pancreas the affected person is at risk of getting diabetes. When it spreads to the immune system, you get cancer. And like cancer, this type of inflammation grows and spreads, damaging organs and causing all kinds of trouble.

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs: Weakened Signals

The speed with which inflammation spreads does not only cause damages to your organs, but also interferes with your brain’s signals and to the rest of your body systems. With such many conditions the trouble starts in the hypothalamus which is the command center of the brain. The command center then receives all these hormonal inputs that inform you when you’re tired or when to eat and what to do with those calories.

When you have inflammation, a protein called pro-inflammatory cytokines distorts those hormonal signals. As a result, inflammation might be causing conditions such as depression and obesity, which were correlated through research long before inflammation became a suspected culprit. Nonetheless when it comes to depression, those cytokines communicate with the brain to induce different depressive symptoms, such as sad mood, fatigue, altered sleep and social-behavioral withdrawal. Inflammation also drives obesity in a similar manner.

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs: Metabolic Syndrome

Inflammation has recently been linked with metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of symptoms that raise your risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Those symptoms include hypertension, low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, above-normal blood glucose and triglyceride levels, and a large waist. Most people with metabolic syndrome are obese and inactive, so these symptoms have become associated with obesity. However, many obese people don’t have those symptoms. They fall into a category called metabolically healthy obese. It means they don’t look very good in a swimsuit, but if you look at their blood, they’re in pretty good shape. This is probably because they don’t have chronic inflammation. Therefore we can’t say that obesity causes inflammation, but we can comfortably say that inflammation drives obesity.

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs: Depression is No Simpler

Doctor Akoury says that inflammation may drive depression in a similar fashion. The links between inflammation and depression are complex and we are just beginning to understand how they affect each other. Though it is possible that depression may lead to changes that cause inflammation, experimental studies have shown that increases in inflammation can promote depression.

According to Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health findings, it was established that people suffering from depression had 30 percent higher levels of inflammation in the brain. This was one of the first studies to show concretely that inflammation is present in depression even when other conditions are absent. Moreover depression is still complex and unlikely to be caused by inflammation alone just like obesity.

When I started my career in the medical profession, and like many of my colleagues, I generally thought about depression as a psychiatric disorder or a mental health problem and I believe that many people still think of it that way. But nevertheless what I have come to realize is that depression is also a disorder with deep biological roots. It is as much of a physical issue as a mental one, and we should start talking about it that way. Like for instance, if you were to compare depression to a more physical illness. When you have the flu, your body’s immune system springs into action to fight it off, including increasing inflammation. In addition to the nausea and fever, you also have symptoms of depression: fatigue, aches, mental fog and an unwillingness to leave the house. In a contagious illness, those symptoms help us rest and avoid spreading the disease, but in depression they’re nothing but trouble.

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs: Reducing Inflammation

Tests that indicate your levels of inflammation are available, but they can be expensive and aren’t always conclusive. They almost certainly aren’t covered by insurance unless you have an autoimmune disorder. It therefore means that you may never know your true levels of inflammation; however you can still do your part to control it. Controlling inflammation is a balancing act. You need some, but not too much. By far, the best drug we have for this is diet.

Certain staples of the recent American diet promote high levels of inflammation. The two largest culprits are omega-6 fatty acids and insulin spikes brought on by consuming starchy carbs. The combination of insulin and omega-6 fatty acids is like a match and gasoline you get an explosion of this low-level inflammation.

To reduce it, the best foods are those with omega-3 fatty acids and high levels of polyphenols, the compounds in fruits and vegetables that give them color. These good fats and colorful fruits and vegetables, along with lean protein, make up the majority of his anti-inflammatory meal plan. Along with diet, a healthy lifestyle and stress reduction techniques help reduce levels of inflammation, especially in the brain. It is also important to maintain a healthy diet, stay active, keep a regular sleep schedule and limit the psychological stress we experience. And in all these ensure to consult with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for professional advices from time to time.

Effects of Inflammation on the body organs: Effects of Inflammation

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Gut Inflammation and Cytokines

January 9, 2015

Gut Inflammation

The digestive system plays a major role in food digestion as well as absorption of nutrients into the blood stream. It is important for the overall functioning of the body. When the digestive system is not working properly it can lead to development of gastrointestinal diseases and illnesses.

The bowel wall can be destroyed by conditions such as Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel diseases and ulcerative colitis. The conditions lead to poor absorption of nutrients, weight loss, abdominal pains, rectal bleeding among others. To correct the situation a patient is required to undergo surgery in most cases.

Cytokines

They are chemical messenger that act as signals for the immune system and neuromodulators. Cytokines can be either anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory. An imbalance in cytokines cause autoimmune disorders.

Cytokines are in form of proteins as well as glycoproteins that regulate immune functions and inflammation. They enhance the growth of cells as well as their differentiation and death.

Homeostasis in the intestines highly depends on the ability of the immune system of the intestines to withstand micro flora while at the same time providing protection against bacterial invasion. Normally, the dendritic cells of the gut induce T-cells differentiation.

Gut Inflammation

T-cells produce secretions that enhance suppression of cytokines that in turn prevent abnormal immune responses. Pathogens enhance a response that triggers activation of immune cells and this ends up causing inflammation.

Inflammatory cytokines like IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, IL-15, IL-21 and TNFa stimulate T-cells that are cytotoxic. These are the ones that attack the gut mucosa. The mucosa is the lining of the small intestines. When cytokines attack the mucosa it can lead to conditions such as inflammatory bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease. It can also lead to leaky gut syndrome.

The small intestines are useful not only in food digestion but absorption of nutrients from the digested food into the blood stream. When the small intestines re affected the digestive and nutrition functions are affected too.

Some immune system aspects aid in the suppression of inflammation aspects and thereby inhibiting destruction of tissues that is caused by active T-cells. This is made possible by T regulatory cells that work to counterbalance the active T-cells that attack the mucosa. T regulatory cells reduce the risks of getting immune diseases that end up attacking the tissues of the body like Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Natural Compounds That Target Pro-inflammatory Cytokines

Besides the T-regulatory cells, there are several natural compounds that can also work to suppress the cytokines that cause gut inflammation.

Curcumin: studies have shown that curcumin acts as an agent of anti-inflammation. Curcumin works by targeting a number of cytokines that are responsible for gut inflammation. These cytokines include among others IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-21 and TNFα. Curcumin combines with cyclosporine to bring about this effect.

Fish Oil: it contains properties of anti-inflammation. These properties have been shown to have the ability of suppressing cytokine that cause inflammation like IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-15 and TNFα. The Omega-3 property in fish oil is responsible for this.

Studies have shown that Omega-3 suppresses these inflammatory cytokines that lead to gut inflammation. In addition to this, fish oil stimulates the body to produce anti-inflammatory cytokines that enhances a decrease of cytotoxic T-cells.

Resveratrol: just like the other natural compounds, resveratrol works by suppressing inflammation causing cytokines. Such cytokine include; IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 and TNFa. It works by reducing the ability of the T-cells to reach the gut mucosa. This thereby inhibits gut inflammation.

Trans-Resveratrol: it is used to reduce the activation of T-cells in the body. This is by suppressing cytokines involved in activating inflammation agents.

Tea Polyphenols: both black and green tea contains compounds that have been shown to act as strong agents of anti-inflammation. The compound in the tea inhibits the activations of cytokines such as IL-1β, Il-2, IL-6 and TNFα which cause inflammation of the gut.

inflammation

Quercetin: this natural compound is found in things like onions, citrus fruits, apples and grapes. The compound inhibits the activation of inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-15 and TNFα.

Vitamin D3: Vitamin D3 works as an anti-inflammatory compound when it comes to gut inflammation. It has been shown to control inflammatory toxics like IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα which affect the mucosa causing inflammation.

High Proanthocyanidin Grape Seed Extract: grape seed contain a certain compound that is used to reduce the level of Th17 in the body. It also controls immune responses that tend to be aggressive in nature. It controls the differentiation of active T-cells serving as an autoimmune disease and inflammatory agent.

N-Acetyl Cysteine: this compound when combined with vitamin B lowers the levels of homocysteine thus improving the functioning of endothelial. It also works by suppressing the active inflammatory cytokines like TNFα in patients who receive lung transplants. TNFa makes a patient’s body reject transplants but in combination with vitamin B this is no longer a problem.

Contact Dr. Dalal Akoury today, for more information about gut inflammation. For more wellness and awareness tips just visit www.awaremednetwork.com today. AwareMed is the place to be to find any information about health.

Gut Inflammation and Cytokines

 

Related articles
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Inflammation Control to Slow Premature Aging

December 28, 2014

Inflammation Control to Slow Premature Aging – Mechanisms of Inflammation in Aging

Inflammation

Inflammation control to slow premature aging is the way to go if you are to be in-charge of the aging process especially the premature aging

In our desire to keep the beautiful skin that everyone will admire, we are consistently faced with several challenges. Some of the challengers can be very devastating and will require the professionals to be involved if permanent solution is to be found. For this reason, we are going to be consulting with doctor Dalal Akoury from time to time as we progress into the discussion about calming chronic inflammation and slow premature aging. Just for the record, doctor Akoury is one of the few professionals with more than two decades experience in beauty and skincare management. She is also the founder of a health facility known as AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where we focus is on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

With that brief introduction, let’s get into the discussion. Chronic inflammation can destructively affect your health and even accelerate your skin’s aging. Therefore inflammation is a critical part of the body’s healing process: It occurs at the cellular level when the immune system tries to fight off disease causing germs and repair injured tissue. Inflammation can be invisible (if your body is battling an infection internally) or visible: Rashes or pimples, for example, occur when blood vessels widen near the skin’s surface to increase blood flow, which in turn expedites healing.

Redness, heat and swelling can also occur alongside inflammation. When the fight is over, the army of inflammation-triggering substances is supposed to withdraw, however in many cases they don’t. Besides that studies have implicated chronic inflammation with heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many more of such diseases. When it attacks the skin, it can accelerate fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores, as well as puffiness, sagging, blotchiness or reddening of the skin. All this impacts negatively on the health of the skin and the end result is premature aging. Therefore aging is a progressive degenerative process tightly integrated with inflammation. However the cause and effect are not very clear though a number of theories have been developed that attempt to define the role of chronic inflammation in aging including:

  • Redox stress
  • Mitochondrial damage
  • Immune-senescence
  • Endocrino-senescence
  • Epigenetic modifications and
  • Age-related diseases

We are going to discuss each of this aspects as we progress on but nonetheless, no single theory explains all aspects of aging, it is likely that multiple processes contribute and that all are entangled with inflammatory responses. Take for example human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals experiences premature aging phenomenon this may provide indicators to better explain the nature of inflammation in aging. Environmental and lifestyle effectors of inflammation may also contribute to variation of both inflammation and age-related dysfunction.

Inflammation Control to Slow Premature Aging – Inflammation and Aging

It must be noted that aging itself is not a disease. However it results from the accumulation over time of detrimental changes at the molecular and cellular levels, and ultimately at the level of tissues and organs, resulting in disease and increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Traditionally, robust immune and inflammatory responses allowed early humans to endure to reproductive age. However, these same response mechanisms lead to a variety of lethal consequences now that humans routinely endure to older age. In a highly elaborate process, organs lose functionality and structural integrity both deriving from and leading to age-related diseases like atherosclerosis, dementia, and cancer. While the etiology of the aging process is not fully understood, inflammation clearly plays a major role, inseparably linking inflammation and aging.

Nonetheless it is not clear whether inflammation causes age-related processes, results from these processes or both. For the purpose of this article we will concentrate on current theories about the nature of chronic inflammation associated with aging including the causes and effects of inflammation with a focus on the highly entangled nature of aging and inflammation and potential interventions to moderate the effects of inflammation in aging.

Inflammation Control to Slow Premature Aging – Chronic Inflammation

Subsequent to trauma or infection, the inflammatory response is initiated at a local, cellular level. A number of cellular mediators such as macrophages and monocytes are activated. These cells release cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 which act as molecular mediators and are responsible for the progression of the response to a systemic level encompassing multiple organs. The inflammatory cascade is designed to:

  • Destroy microbial pathogens
  • Initiate tissue repair processes and
  • Promote a return to physiological homeostasis

Remember that at an acute level, this process is marked by easily discernible heat, swelling, redness, and pain. However, in terms of aging and age-related diseases, the inflammation response is a chronic, low level, subclinical process mediated by the same effectors, but opposing significantly in degree Inflammation as a function of age has been well characterized in numerous epidemiologic studies. Levels of inflammatory mediators typically increase with age even in the absence of acute infection or other physiologic stress. While levels are still in the sub-acute range, this chronic inflammation underlies many aging-related conditions. However, a key question remains. Is inflammation a cause of the aging process or an effect? We are going to be answering this question in our next article when we handle Mechanisms of Inflammation in Aging. You don’t want to miss this and so I asked you to stay on the link for a while as we unlock the truth about inflammation.

Meanwhile as I had mention in the introduction, this is not just any topic about healthcare. We are looking at the real issues that bring about premature aging. If you want to remain young even if you’re not, engage the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of Doctor Akoury’s care. Schedule for that appointment today and get to know your position with the effects of inflammation. You may never know until you get the experts opinion. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you do, our concern is to help you keep that glamorous appearance for a very long time. Give us an opportunity to help you keep that youthful look by calling doctor Akoury today.

Inflammation Control to Slow Premature Aging – Mechanisms of Inflammation in Aging

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Categories