Unless you have a chronic disease or symptoms related to inflammation, it probably doesn’t cross your mind that much. Many people think that inflammation is a surface thing, like the way skin turns red and painful when you have injured yourself. Or when an injury turns into an infection and you need medical help.

Those visible signs of irritation and infection are related to inflammation or symptoms. But inflammation happens at the molecular level in your cells. And when inflammation gets out of control, it can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases and uncomfortable symptoms.

Sometimes the result of long-term chronic inflammation can be life-threatening. And while many types of inflammation have signals we can observe or feel, many of the most harmful types of inflammation show no warning signs.

If your doctor has talked to you about having some inflammation markers, you should know a few things. Where does inflammation come from? How can chronic inflammation harm my health? And significantly, what self-care activities can help lower inflammatory response in my body?

In this article, we will discuss the root causes of chronic inflammation and how it impacts human health. We will also look at the anti-inflammatory properties of cannabidiol (CBD) and how a daily supplement may help reduce inflammation and improve wellness.

What Causes Inflammation in the Human Body?

We have already talked about the most apparent type of inflammation. The surface response to injuries such as a cut, an insect bite, or one of those slivers is impossible to get out of your finger. Swelling, redness, and dryness around the area of injury are common. It can itch and feel warmer than other areas of your skin, and you may also feel localized pain if you touch the area.

Molecular inflammation is different. That is when a trigger, allergen, or chemical irritant has worked its way into your body. There are many ways that inflammation-causing substances get into our bodies. They can be absorbed through the water we drink and the foods we eat. Obesity is triggered and made worse by inflammation.

Free radicals are absorbed into the body daily from various sources. They can be toxins from the pollution we inhale or pesticides and other chemicals we are exposed to daily. And inflammation can also be caused by pathogens such as bacteria or viruses we encounter.

Our bodies are slow to evolve, and the number of inflammation-causing compounds in our everyday lives is higher than ever in human history. What makes inflammation even more challenging to address or resolve is that it impacts many different internal functions, from cellular messaging and hormone regulation to immune system functioning.

Thanks to pollution, radiation, industrialization, factory farming, and the burden of misused antibiotics, opioids, and other over-the-counter remedies, our bodies are struggling to cope with inflammation. And during the battle to balance and keep inflammation at healthy levels, the effects of chronic inflammation can pose a significant threat to your health and well-being.

What Health Conditions Are Caused By Chronic Inflammation?

The first thing to understand about inflammation and your health is that inflammation is part of the human immune system. Imagine inflammation as a red army that your body deploys when fighting off an intruder. Which could be a virus, bacterial infection, or a substance you ate or drank that has your body feeling like calling out the troops.

The truth is that we need inflammation. The role of inflammation is to make our cells less hospitable to bad stuff. For example, if you have ingested a bacteria that is having a field day (replicating quickly by infecting the cells of your body, get ready for inflammation. The effects of inflammation on the body can raise the pH level (acidity), for example, and help kill off bacterial infections.

But inflammatory triggers can come from other sources (not just the battle cry of your immune system). Some types of chemical stimuli and free radicals are pretty tough to get rid of because they have some protection from the most common positive inflammation tricks your body has up its sleeve.

When that happens, you can develop chronic inflammation, a persistent state of too much inflammation in your body. That can lead to the development of one or more chronic diseases, such as:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Heart Disease.
• Inflammatory bowel diseases like IBS or Crohn’s Disease.
• Lung diseases like Emphysema or Asthma.
• Metabolic conditions like Type 2 Diabetes.
• Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
• Specific types of cancer like Colon, Breast, Pancreatic, and Liver.
• Morbid Obesity.

Healthy inflammation is a short-term burst to help your immune system fight (and win) against free radicals, viral and bacterial invaders, and toxic substances. With much higher average levels, our bodies were not designed to live indefinitely. Chronic diseases (caused by high inflammation) are responsible for more than half of deaths worldwide.

What Are Some of the Warning Signs of Chronic Inflammation

The obvious signs are easy to spot. If you have topical inflammation, you probably already know how to administer treatments to help your body heal and recover. But do you know all the signs of a potential problem with inflammation?

Randomized Chronic Pain

If you know someone diagnosed with the condition or have fibromyalgia yourself, you understand how disruptive and uncomfortable randomized pain symptoms can be. Arthralgia is a type of chronic pain and sometimes randomized joint pain, and it can be caused by persistently high levels of inflammation within the body.

Fatigue and Insomnia

Feeling tired all the time? Even after getting 7-9 hours of sleep? Few people know that chronic fatigue can be a common sign of inflammation in the body. Inflammation triggers the release of cytokines (or a cytokine storm). This stimulates increased cell energy production, which takes a great deal of energy to maintain in a state of chronic inflammation. That causes fatigue that starts at the cellular level.

Various health conditions can cause insomnia, but chronic inflammation is definitely one of them. Your natural sleep cycle and circadian rhythms can be disrupted by inflammation. It can cause problems with body temperature regulation, sleep-wake cycles, hunger triggers, and hormone secretion. All effects combined can throw a monkey wrench into your sleep patterns.

Frustratingly, chronic insomnia can also increase inflammation levels in the body because it can contribute to oxidative stress. Mitochondrial damage occurs to every cell in your body when you experience regular insomnia. So people with inflammation get stuck in a vicious cycle of cause and effect, with determinantal impacts on their health and wellness.

Depression and Anxiety

Did you know that stress and trauma can cause chronic inflammation? When you go through a challenging period or challenge, your body can become overloaded with stress hormones, including cortisol. Researchers know that stress and trauma hurt the body’s microbiome, which can also lead to hormonal imbalance that affects mood.

Gastrointestinal Problems

If you have frequent complications with symptoms like constipation, acid reflux, diarrhea, or other problems, chronic inflammation may be the cause. We also think it is something we eat when our G.I. tract flares up, but persistent problems with gastrointestinal symptoms can imply a big problem with long-term inflammation.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has suggested that GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder) may be caused by an inflammatory response to cytokines, caused by inflammation.

Weight Variances

Your body’s ability to process insulin is essential. For people not diagnosed with diabetes, inflammation can still impair insulin processing. Inflammation can cause higher blood glucose levels and liver fat accumulation (impairs insulin processing). This can lead to weight gain, which increases inflammation and insulin resistance, and increase your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Many people who struggle to lose or maintain a healthy body weight do not explore chronic inflammation as a root cause. Talk to your doctor about reducing inflammation if you gain weight without other significant lifestyle changes.

Frequent Infections

Have you found that lately, you may be more prone to infections? That could be due to chronic inflammation. While inflammation is a not-so-secret defense weapon of the immune system, when high inflammation becomes a long-term problem, it damages healthy cells in your body.

Inflammation can damage the DNA in healthy cells located in tissues and vital organs. When cells cannot communicate well because they are impaired, it makes it harder for the immune system to function. And you may notice more frequent infections without realizing chronic inflammation may be the culprit.

Can CBD Help Reduce Inflammation?

Yes. CBD is known for decreasing patient inflammation, but individual results may vary. It can depend on the patient and other underlying health conditions and lifestyle, age, frequency of CBD intake, and the quality of the cannabidiol taken. Some studies suggest that broad-spectrum CBD extract may have the highest anti-inflammatory properties.

More human studies are needed to determine how much CBD is required to have a positive and lasting impact on reducing inflammation in the body. But many studies suggest that high-quality, approved, nonprescription CBD products may be beneficial.

How Can CBD Help With Inflammation in the Body?

Cannabidiol (CBD) has many documented anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers know CBD binds to the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the endocannabinoid system, mitochondrial proteins, and many other receptors.

The cytokine-reducing effects of CBD oil and other supplements help reduce inflammation, thanks to the ability of CBD to interact positively with cannabinoid receptors. Topical CBD creams and ointments may help reduce surface inflammation and relieve pain.

CBD May Help With Acute Inflammation

Acute inflammation is different from chronic inflammation, which appears very quickly but is usually resolved within a few days to a week. It happens when your body responds to harmful substances and works to repair cell damage and remove dead cells.

Some of the signs of acute inflammation include:

• Visual redness.
• Swelling of the affected area.
• Heat.
• Sensations of skin irritation or pain.

Two central immune cells are involved with acute inflammation; histoamine and enzyme COX5LOX. Over-the-counter pain relievers work to suppress the release of COX. Many cannabis plant extracts such as Cannabidiol (CBD), Cannabigerol (CBG), and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) have been shown in clinical trials to inhibit the COX enzymes. And provide natural benefits similar to common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.

Which CBD Type is Good for Inflammation?

Many clinical studies suggest that broad-spectrum CBD may be the most effective. Cannabidiol (CBD) works even better when combined with other cannabinoids. This is called the entourage effect. According to researchers, clinical grade CBD products that are full spectrum CBD have a small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which may make the CBD more effective.

CBD gummies, tinctures (oils), capsules, CBD balm, and other pure CBD extract products have less than 0.3 THC content. Cannabidiol which has less than .30% THC, was federally legalized in 2018. The broad-spectrum CBD potency is high in analgesic (pain-reducing) compounds and anti-inflammatory properties. But the THC content is so low that it is not psychoactive and does not cause impairment like medical cannabis.

Using CBD for Inflammation That Causes Pain

If you have not taken a CBD-free pain relief drug, it will gradually increase your dosage. Explore: Hemp Oil for Pain Different CBD products differ depending on how much they contain and how often. Keep your dosages changed carefully and start a new package when you switch dosages. You must begin to slowly if the dose you are using will determine how your body reacts to CBD and reduce the possible adverse effects. The dosage of pure CBD oil has varied and was studied in various clinical trials.

Why is CBD Oil and Extracts Used for Inflammation?

Cannabidiol, or CBD oil, is one of the most effective ways to get long-lasting potential wellness benefits. A CBD tincture allows for an accurate oral dose. Simply use the dropper to dispense the recommended amount of CBD oil into your mouth. Then let the oil pool under your tongue and hold it there for one to three minutes.

Sublingual uptake allows the cannabidiol to enter the bloodstream quickly, as the blood barrier is thin where veins under the tongue are located. When you take CBD oil through the sublingual method, the benefits of cannabidiol can last for 4-6 hours.

Different Forms of CBD Available

There are many different types of cannabidiol (CBD) supplements you can take. But whichever one you decide to purchase and use depends on your preferences. Many people find that using more than one route (or type of CBD product) works best for their needs.

For example, you may take a CBD night formulation to aid sleep, a topical CBD oil or cream for joint pain, and a daily capsule or tincture. Remember to follow the maximum serving suggestions provided on your CBD product. Taking excessive amounts of CBD can result in symptoms like nausea and drowsiness.

The best clinical-grade CBD products taken to help with inflammatory diseases, chronic pain, and generalized inflammation are as follows:

• Easy-swallow or coated capsules.
• Tablets.
• Tinctures.
• Gummies or edibles.

In some states, CBD-infused beverages such as seltzers or water are available. However, while these beverages may provide some wellness benefits, they may not be as easily absorbed as full-spectrum CBD oils and supplements.

How To Choose Quality Hemp-Derived CBD Products

There are so many cannabidiol products available at local shops, and particularly online. And there is a big problem with fake CBD supplements, where the promise on the label does not match the contents of the supplement you purchase.

Some people state that they have never felt the beneficial effects of CBD. Clinical trials and research says that CBD does offer many potential wellness benefits. But if you use a low-quality or low-potency CBD product, you may not get those benefits.

Always choose products that provide a certificate of analysis (COA). That provides the information specific to the product you want to buy, which has been laboratory tested. Third-party labs offer a complete diagnostic summary of everything in your CBD supplement, including other cannabinoids, vitamins, natural extracts, and the potency of the CBD you are buying.

Also, do some research about the third-party laboratory that issued the COA. It is some extra work, but it will improve your confidence that the CBD products you plan to buy are “the real deal” and not a knock-off clinical-grade product. And you can feel confident and assured that there are no pesticides, carcinogens, or harmful additives.