Hot And Bothered

Inflammation is all the rage in health conversations right now and research is establishing it as a major player in all sorts of issues you don't want to deal with. But! You can safeguard yourself from the smokin' internal inferno with these smart strategies.

- AMANDA GARDNER

If inflammation were a person, we’d picture her as a confident power woman, AirPods in and belting the line ‘Why you so obsessed with meeee?’ from Mariah Carey’s single Obsessed. That’s because the wellness world is hooked on everything anti-inflammatory – from spa treatments to adaptogenic herbs to recovery supplements. Put plainly, inflammation is your body’s response to inside threats, like an injury – and too much of it can sabotage your health. But let’s take a step back: there’s a bad and a good kind. “Inflammation is often mentioned as a dirty word, but it can be lifesaving if you have an infection,” says Dr Robert Shmerling, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. The protective stuff he’s referring to is acute inflammation, which is the temporary redness, pain and swelling that crop up as the result of, say, a bug bite or a sprained ankle. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is the naughty player and the one experts are referring to when they talk about inflammation as a main driver of disease. It’s like a slow burn in the immune system, simmering over time and silently wreaking havoc on organs, joints and blood vessels. Truth: you can defend against chronic inflammation on your own, no gimmicks required. Just familiarise yourself with the proven culprits on the next page, then adjust your habits (but for real this time).

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