Inflammation Archive

Diseases & Conditions

Do people who have COVID-19 go on to develop other diseases?

Published September 1, 2021

Evidence suggests that people who recover from COVID-19 have an increased risk for developing new health problems, including heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, muscle inflammation, blood clots that travel to the lungs, strokes from clots or hemorrhages, or psychosis. This is in addition to permanent damage that can result from having COVID, including damage to the lungs, heart, kidneys, brain, or other organs; and debilitating fatigue, difficulty thinking, and other symptoms that make it hard to function normally at work or at home.

Heart Health

Beyond blood pressure: Added benefits from the DASH diet

Published September 1, 2021

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern doesn’t just lower blood pressure. It may also reduce inflammation, heart injury, and heart strain.

Heart Health

Fruit of the month: Apples

Published September 1, 2021

Unpeeled apples are good sources of both fiber and compounds called polyphenols that benefit heart health. Eating apples often may help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation.

Heart Health

New treatment for pericarditis approved

Published August 1, 2021

The FDA has approved a new drug called rilonacept (Arcalyst) to specifically treat recurrent pericarditis, a painful inflammation of the fluid-filled sac that surrounds the heart.

Heart Health

Cold-water dips: Healthy or risky?

Published August 1, 2021

Swimming (or just dunking) in cold water is generally safe. But people with heart rhythm disorders should be cautious about this practice. The evidence for the health benefits for cold-water immersion (which allegedly include fat loss and reduced inflammation) is limited. Submerging the face in cold water triggers the diving reflex, which causes the heart to slow down and blood pressure to rise. This response, in addition to an adrenaline surge from cold water on the skin, may trigger an underlying arrhythmia.

Diseases & Conditions

Chronic gut inflammation: Coping with inflammatory bowel disease

Published August 1, 2021

Chronic inflammation in the gut may be due to inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It’s unclear what causes IBD. Doctors suspect it’s a combination of factors, such as eating an unhealthy diet or using certain medications; altered gut bacteria; having a leaky gut; or genetics. The goal of IBD treatment is remission: suppressed symptoms, lower blood levels of inflammatory markers, and normal-looking bowel and tissue biopsies. Approaches to achieve remission and prevent flare-ups include medication, a healthy lifestyle, and possibly surgery.

Mind & Mood

Thoughts on optimism

Published July 1, 2021

Science continues to find that people with an optimistic outlook enjoy healthier and longer lives. The power of optimism is not just having a sunny disposition, but applying this mindset to make positive change. Even if people are not naturally optimistic, there are ways to change one’s outlook, such as looking for opportunities during trying times, focusing on personal strengths, practicing gratitude, and visualizing their best possible self.

Pain

Chronic inflammation and your joints

Published July 1, 2021

The immune system sometimes launches a chronic inflammatory response in certain joints. That leads to pain, stiffness, and joint damage known as inflammatory arthritis. It’s usually unknown what triggers the conditions. Types of inflammatory arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and psoriatic arthritis. Treatments include medications, such as biologic or nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and lifestyle habits, such as exercising, avoiding processed foods, reducing stress, not smoking, and getting enough sleep. Wearing a splint or brace on affected joints and seeking physical therapy may also help ease pain.

Heart Health

Autoimmune conditions and heart disease

Published July 1, 2021

People with systemic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis are more likely to have heart attacks and to die of cardiovascular disease than people in the general public. The 2019 expert guidelines for preventing heart disease says these conditions should be considered "risk enhancers" when estimating heart attack risk. But this added risk may be underrecognized and undertreated.

Heart Health

Are you wasting money on supplements?

Updated June 1, 2021

Taking multivitamins doesn’t prevent heart attacks or strokes, and most dietary supplements (such as fish oil, red yeast rice, and coenzyme Q₁₀) offer no or limited benefits for avoiding heart-related problems. For people who don’t have heart disease, eating two servings of fatty fish weekly or following a healthy vegetarian diet rich in nuts, legumes, and healthy oils makes more sense than spending money on over-the-counter fish oil supplements. People with heart disease would be better off asking their doctor about the prescription drug icosapent ethyl (Vascepa), a high-dose, purified EPA that lowers cardiovascular risk when taken with a statin.

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Inflammation Archive

Articles

Do people who have COVID-19 go on to develop other diseases?

Beyond blood pressure: Added benefits from the DASH diet

Fruit of the month: Apples

New treatment for pericarditis approved

Cold-water dips: Healthy or risky?

Chronic gut inflammation: Coping with inflammatory bowel disease

Thoughts on optimism

Chronic inflammation and your joints

Autoimmune conditions and heart disease

Are you wasting money on supplements?

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