"What causes inflammation?" was the big topic discussed at our family Easter dinner in Morgan Hill CA.

"EV-ER-Y-THING!" was the resounding answer. But what does that mean? In the next few weeks, I'm going to dive into that topic and provide practical tools to combat it. Here we go.

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What is Inflammation in Morgan Hill CA?

Let's start with what inflammation is. Inflammation is the process by which chemical mediators are sent to an area in the body to provide the substrate for healing. For example, if you hit your finger with a hammer, there is physical breakdown of tissue. The body needs to bring in repair cells to fix the torn capillaries, skin, and maybe even muscle and bone. Inflammation is necessary for healing to occur. In fact, when you take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories during acute injury, it changes the healing process and slows it down. In other words, taking Advil immediately after you pull a muscle can turn that acute injury into a chronic one.

You heard me: Inflammation is the body's appropriate reaction to trauma. 

Sometimes, however, our bodies are pushed past their normal ability to react to stress. In fact, chronic stresses, whether physical, chemical, or emotional, have the same effect on those chemical mediators of inflammation as hitting your hand with a hammer.

Emotional stress can cause the same inflammatory response in the body as a car crash. I'm going to say that again because it shocks people every time I say it in the office:

• That stressful coworker in your office? She's giving you a headache. Literally.
• That fight you had with your spouse? No wonder your low back flared up!
• That big test you've been studying for? That's where that upper back spasm and pain is coming from.

Emotional stresses cause physical symptoms because the chemical mediators of inflammation don't distinguish between the types of stress.

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What Can We Do?

So what's a normal human to do? We can't always get rid of the stressors, but we can add practices in our lives to reduce its effect. This is why you'll hear me talking about breathing practices in the office. I've been practicing Wim Hof breathing lately and I absolutely love it. You can find a guided breathing tutorial on YouTube. It's not for everyone, however, and there are plenty of guided meditation and breathing techniques out there for you to discover.

The key is to find something and stick to it. The benefits occur over weeks and months, not days. Guided meditation and breathing techniques are the simplest and most available means of lowering inflammation caused by emotional stress that I have found. It's easy to do, it's accessible, and it's free!

If you don't already have a regular breathing practice, try this simple 4-7-8 technique:

• Inhale for a count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale for a count of eight.
• Repeat four times.

Do this once a day every day for 30 days.

Set a reminder on your phone so you don't forget. It takes just a couple of minutes and you'll begin to feel its positive effects very quickly.

Next week I'll talk more about physical stresses and their effect on inflammation.

Until then,

Dr. Nicole