Whether you realize it or not, inflammation is present in everyone-it is the immune system that creates it to protect our bodies from infection, injury, toxins, or disease. It sounds unbelievable, yet it is: inflammation refers to the process of the body fighting against elements that harm it in an attempt to bring it back to health. It is our body's natural response to an attack-a counterattack that includes release of antibodies and proteins and increased blood flow to the damaged area. If we are talking about a cut, a small wound or a cold, this is an acute inflammation that usually lasts a few hours or a few days.

Quite different is chronic inflammation, which is then that physical condition that I am interested in telling you about since it is something that has a lot to do with our path to wellness and longevity.

Chronic inflammation is comparable to a continuous state of alertness in our body, as if we have to sleep with one eye open at all times to keep an eye on the situation. Viewed this way, one can understand how exhausting it is for our bodies to live with this constant state so much so that, although often silent, chronic inflammation is associated by some medical research with the onset and progression of various diseases, from cancer to stroke. But where does this inflammation come from and how can we combat it? Among the main causes of a chronic inflammatory process are some autoimmune diseases or unresolved acute inflammation, but lifestyle factors such as stress, smoking, obesity, alcohol, or long-term exposure to irritants or polluted air also play a definite role. Always the same problems, you'll tell me. True, but it is, and chronic inflammation, if we don't change our lifestyle is the worst enemy of what is the goal of our journey: longevity.

The good news? It's that it's all in your hands: change your eating habits, play sports, supplement your diet with effective substances to combat stress. It doesn't take much, just your awareness and your will.