What are the signs of chronic inflammation and what can you do about it?
Chronic inflammation is a problem for many people and is often the underlying issue underneath chronic illnesses. You may not realize you have chronic inflammation until you have symptoms or show signs. Symptoms are what you experience. Signs are what a health care practitioner assesses.
Here are 6 common signs of chronic inflammation:
Fatigue
Fatigue can be a symptom of chronic inflammation. Your normal level of energy is not what it used to be. You may be tired throughout the entire day, wake up tired, or are more tired in the afternoon. Chronic systemic inflammation affects your mitochondrial production of energy causing fatigue. Chronic inflammation creates cellular toxicity so your hypothalamus will slow your basal metabolic rate to prevent creating more toxicity which means less energy production by your mitochondria leading to fatigue.
Headaches
The second symptom of chronic inflammation is headaches. Both vascular and tension headaches have a component of inflammation. When your body is trying to detox these inflammatory cytokines, it creates vascular and neuromuscular irritation causing headaches.
Insomnia
The next symptom is insomnia. Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, can be a sign of chronic inflammation. It's difficult for your body to relax when it's in a biochemical war with itself. Your hypothalamus can’t let you sleep if it perceives danger. Your nervous system is revved up and your adrenals produce cortisol in the middle of the night keeping you awake.
Rashes
Skin rashes can be a sign of chronic inflammation. It could be hives, tiny fine, red bumps, blisters, pustules, or plaques. These rashes could be in the same spot or they can show up in random areas of your body. One of the one of the signs of chronic inflammation caused by insulin resistance is to have a fine bumpiness on the backs of the legs and the backs of the arms.
Bloating
The fifth sign is bloating or water retention. Bloating is experienced in your stomach, while fluid retention can be seen and felt in your extremities. Fluid build up in tissues is your body's way to protect itself from highly inflammatory cytokines.
Blood markers
The last sign of chronic inflammation is not something you will see. It's something that can be seen in your blood work. Elevated ANA or antinuclear antibody is produced when your body is destroying its own tissues. Elevated CRP or C-reactive protein is produced when you have inflammation of your cardiovascular system, but if it's grossly elevated over 10 then it indicates that you have inflammation all over your body like a systemic infection, or an active autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis. CRP is a very sensitive marker inflammation. We see very elevated CRP after acute infections like COVID or chlamydia pneumonia. HGBA1C (hemoglobin A1 C) is a blood marker that reflects how high your blood sugars have been over the past 6-8 weeks. High blood sugar and high insulin over time are very inflammatory.
Chronic inflammation can be caused by many diagnostic conditions.
And each needs to be treated accordingly. Just detoxing isn't always enough and sometimes can cause more inflammation. The very first thing I do with my patients who have any signs or symptoms of chronic inflammation, is to start supporting their hypothalamus with Genesis Gold® which allows their hypothalamus to do a better job at orchestrating all their hormones and immune cytokines involved in inflammatory responses.
Genesis Gold® also provides the micronutrients necessary for them to detox at a cellular level as well as to detox through their liver and kidneys more effectively.
When people start taking Genesis Gold® and get headaches or rashes then it’s a clear sign they need to detox.
So I support their detoxification process with a dietary liver cleanse. Your liver is your main organ of detoxification. If your liver doesn't have all the conjugates it needs to handcuff your toxins, then toxins build up in your system. Supporting your liver with Genesis Gold® and a liver cleanse diet can help it do its job better.
Then, the last thing that I do for chronic inflammation is to address genetic detoxification issues. Sometimes we can see markers in their blood that indicate faulty genes, but a full genetic detox profile may be necessary especially if they become more ill with initial detox attempts. Sometimes a toxin profile needs to be done to rule out heavy metal or chemical overload. We need to get to the root issue of why you have chronic inflammation in the first place to deal with it effectively. A foundational support with Genesis Gold® and a liver cleanse diet is where I start to get some of the inflammation down and then address the root issue underlying the chronic inflammation.
If you have any questions regarding chronic inflammation or want access to my liver cleanse diet, I’d love for you to join me in our Hormone Support Group, which you can access through my free Hormone Reboot Training.
What are the signs of chronic inflammation?
The six common signs of chronic inflammation are fatigue, headaches, insomnia, skin rashes, bloating or water retention, and elevated blood markers such as ANA, CRP, and HbA1c. Symptoms are what you experience, while signs are what a healthcare practitioner assesses through examination and lab work. Because chronic inflammation often underlies many chronic illnesses, recognizing these signs early makes it easier to address the root cause.
Can chronic inflammation cause fatigue?
Yes, fatigue is one of the most common signs of chronic inflammation. Systemic inflammation impairs your mitochondria's ability to produce energy, and it creates cellular toxicity that prompts the hypothalamus to slow your basal metabolic rate as a protective measure. The result is less energy production and persistent tiredness — feeling tired all day, waking up tired, or crashing in the afternoon.
Can inflammation cause insomnia?
Yes, chronic inflammation can cause insomnia and difficulty staying asleep. When the body is in a state of internal biochemical stress, the hypothalamus perceives danger and struggles to allow restful sleep. The nervous system stays revved up, and the adrenals can release cortisol in the middle of the night, which keeps you awake. Addressing the underlying inflammation often improves sleep quality
What does a high CRP level mean?
CRP, or C-reactive protein, is a sensitive blood marker of inflammation. Elevated CRP indicates inflammation in the cardiovascular system, and a level grossly elevated above 10 suggests body-wide inflammation, such as a systemic infection or an active autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis. CRP can rise sharply after acute infections. Because it reflects overall inflammatory load, doctors often use it to assess and monitor chronic inflammation.
Can chronic inflammation show up in blood work?
Yes, several blood markers can reveal chronic inflammation. Elevated ANA (antinuclear antibody) appears when the body is attacking its own tissues, elevated CRP (C-reactive protein) signals cardiovascular or systemic inflammation, and a high HbA1c reflects elevated blood sugar over the prior six to eight weeks, which is itself highly inflammatory. These markers give practitioners objective evidence of inflammation that you may not be able to see or feel.
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