by Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe
Inflammation is now thought to play a
role in dozens of conditions from allergy,
Alzheimer’s, heart disease, arthritis,
asthma, gingivitis, autoimmune disorders
like lupus and more. inflammation is
the immune system’s first reaction
against infection. When you get a thorn in
your finger, the thorn cuts through the
skin, damaging tissue and allowing
invaders, often bacteria, into the area.
The immune system responds by
releasing histamine and sending out
immune messengers known as cytokines,
alerting the body that there is a problem.
Macrophages (meaning large eating
cells) engulf any bacteria that may be
present while cleaning up damaged cells.
The area often becomes red, hot and
swollen. Heat is produced as a result of
increased blood flow to the skin in order
to destroy invaders. Redness occurs due
to the ensuing battle and repair processes
that are underway. The area often
becomes swollen because of all the fluid
and immune cells in the area. Pain is
often the first indicator of inflammation;
it makes you take notice and also stop
moving the area to prevent further injury.
Think about your last sunburn, how your
skin was hot to the touch, swollen and
painful, or how your gums became
inflamed from flossing too aggressively,
or the response from an insect bite—these are all signs of inflammation that
you can see—but the dangerous inflammation
is the type hidden deep in your
joints, organs or arteries.
Causes of inflammation
inflammation is an effective method of
ensuring that invaders do not enter the
body and create havoc but when it
becomes low grade and chronic, the
immune system’s army stays revved up
and damage to healthy tissues can occur
in the crossfire. Scientists are realizing
that this life saving process designed to
ward off bacteria, viruses and parasites is
the creator of disease when left
unchecked.
Stress, viruses, bacteria, parasites,
environmental poisons, sugar, certain
foods, smoking, high blood insulin levels
and obesity are just a few of the mediators
of inflammation. The fact that we are
living a lot longer than our ancestors also
may be contributing to inflammation as
the aged often have a weakened ability to
shut off the inflammatory process.
Fat and inflammation
With over 50 percent of North Americans
overweight and an addition 15 percent or
more obese we will see a tremendous
increase in inflammatory diseases. Fat
cells act like immune cells and secrete
inflammatory factors, especially as we
gain weight. Also when we gain weight,
we put tremendous pressure on our
joints. For every 10 pounds of weight
gained 30 pounds or more of additional
pressure is put on our hips and knees,
compressing cartilage and collagen,
grinding down our bones, promoting
damage and the inflammatory response.
Eating Too Much Causes inflammation
We know that overeating promotes the
inflammatory response and suppresses
our immune system. Tests performed by
the National Institute on Aging revealed
that when animals were fed 50 percent
less calories per day, their immune
response was improved, inflammatory
cytokines were reduced, thymus size was
maintained and T-cell function improved.
It is a fact that even an additional 20
pounds can create an abundance of
inflammation in the body and lower
overall general immunity. Weight management
is an important aspect of maintaining
a balanced immune system to
control inflammation.
Sleep and inflammation
inflammatory cytokines are secreted at an
increased rate in those who have
insomnia. During sleep our body regenerates
and the immune system calms down.
Lack of sleep is one of the major components
in promoting inflammation. People
with rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune
disorders know this since lack of
sleep due to pain promotes further .areups
and more pain. Up to 33 percent of
North Americans are in chronic pain disabling
more people than cancer and heart
disease combined. Lost work days,
workers compensation and medical costs
associated with chronic pain are estimated
to be over $100 billion annually. Adequate
rest is essential in battling inflammation.
Pro-inflammatory Immune Messengers
A massive amount of research is currently
underway looking at drugs that can
inhibit the inflammatory process and
control pro-inflammatory immune
cytokines like Interleukin-6 (IL-6),
Interleukin-1 (IL-1), bad prostaglandins
and histamine, among others. Carl
Germano and William Cabot, in their
book Nature’s Pain Killers, state that, “IL-1
is directly responsible for breaking down
collagen and other connective tissue
increasing inflammatory prostaglandin
production and dilating blood vessels—all actions that create pain. IL-6 is a powerful
pro-inflammatory factor that
contributes to the symptoms of dozens
of inflammatory conditions including
rheumatoid arthritis.”
Bad prostaglandins cause pain and
they are made from enzymes called Cox
enzymes. Cox-2 enzymes generate the
inflammation that causes pain. The goal
in preventing inflammation is to halt or
control the release the immune messengers
creating the assault on healthy cells
and tissues.
Natural anti-inflammatories, as Tony
Gwynn discovered are the answer. Tony
Gwynn, a future Hall of Famer who
played for the San Diego Padres with
eight National League batting titles, had
six or so knee surgeries and was suffering
with osteoarthritis of the knee.
After 20 years of doing too much damage
to his knees he began taking Celadrin®.
Tony is among several athletes who have
enjoyed the benefits of Celadrin pills and
cream. His wife, a power walker, was the
first to notice the benefits and encouraged
him to try it. He now feels fabulous.
Danny Millsap, an 84-year-old legend among softball pitchers, was ready to stop playing due to osteoarthritis of the knee. Celadrin has kept him in the game. In 2001 he pitched a one-hitter in a fast pitch game against men 50 years his junior.
Anti-inflammatory Cream
Research performed at the University of
Connecticut involving 42 patients with
osteoarthritis of the knee received either
Celadrin applied topically or a placebo.
The patients were evaluated before application
of the cream and then 30 minutes
after and then again following a 30-day
treatment period where the cream was
applied twice a day, morning and
evening. The researchers evaluated physical
function, postural sway, pain and
range of motion. Test of physical function
included a timed assessment of how
long it took to get up and go from a chair,
stair climbing, muscle strength and
endurance and mobility of the knee. The
group receiving Celadrin had outstanding
results with reduced pain and
stiffness, improved balance and strength
and better mobility. What was most
exciting was that within 30 minutes of
applying Celadrin patients experienced a
dramatic improvement in all aspects
tested. No difference was noted in the
ability to extend the leg between groups
Results of this study were published in
The Journal of Rheumatology. Another
study, performed as an extension of the
previous study, using Celadrin cream
confirmed earlier research with improvement
in elbow, wrist and knee mobility
and significant reduction in pain.
Persons using both the oral form of
Celadrin and the cream found a much
faster improvement in pain, swelling and
mobility than using just the cream alone.
Celadrin and Psoriasis
Another double-blind, placebo-controlled
study using Celadrin cream for the treatment
of psoriasis was performed over a
14-day period. Patients were asked to
apply the cream to the affected area twice
a day. Initial severity of skin scales, patchiness,
redness, dryness, cracked and
raised skin were recorded. Then after
seven and 14 days each patient visited
the dermatologist who evaluated skin
improvement. Each patient experienced
a two level improvement based on the
6-point Liker scale (0 = no improvement,
5 = significant improvement). This small
pilot study found that those persons
using Celadrin cream experienced measurable
improvement in their psoriatic
condition. Psoriasis is a difficult inflammatory
skin condition to treat. We can
use this data to help those with eczema
and other skin conditions halt inflammation
and heal the skin.
Reports from those using Celadrin
have sparked the interest in another area
of skin healing. A study is underway
looking at Celadrin’s effect in reducing
wrinkles in the skin. It makes sense that
this cream would have a positive effect
on wrinkles due to its anti-inflammatory
action. By calming the skin and halting
inflammation (remember we just learned
that inflammation promotes aging), we
can reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
Celadrin is also currently being
researched for the treatment of gingivitis,
another common inflammatory disorder.
How Celadrin Works
Celadrin works similar to but much more
dramatically than the essential fatty
acids, EPA and DHA from fish oils. Fatty
acids provide many vital beneficial
effects for the immune and inflammatory
responses of the body. Various fatty
acids induce changes in cell membranes
and the responsiveness of the membrane
to certain immune factors. They
also play a role in suppressing inflammatory
cell functions, decreasing cartilage
breakdown, triggering of cell death and,
like NSAIDS, reducing the inflammatory
activities of the COX-2 enzyme.
The esterified (meaning it is stable
and does not react with oxygen) fatty
acids present in Celadrin have pronounced
anti-inflammatory effects, such
as inhibiting of the endothelial cells (thin
cells that line the inside of some body
cavities) and decreasing the pro-inflammatory
effects of other fatty acids. The
special fatty acids found in Celadrin have
also been shown to reduce the production
of the negative immune factor IL-6
and to control other immune factors
responsible for inflammation. This alone
could explain some effects of Celadrin,
such as reduction of pain in joints
affected by osteoarthritis. And certainly
these functions are very important in preventing
further tissue and joint damage
while promoting healing. Additionally,
the molecules found in Celadrin may also
play a role in lubrication of an affected
joint. This action, combined with antiinflammatory effects, explains some of
the significant improvements in mobility
and function. Such combined effects
would appear to be occurring through
the application of Celadrin cream in psoriasis.
Also, these special fatty acids have
been shown to reduce skin inflammation,
while also providing a sustained
emollient effect at the site of psoriasis.
It also works by inhibiting arachidonic
acid, one of the main promoters of the
inflammatory cascade of immune factors
by inhibiting 5-lipoxygenase, another
mediator of inflammation. It may also
alter cellular membranes, protecting
them from the action of inflammatory
cytokines or by reducing the secretion of
inflammatory cytokines and CRP.
It is exciting when extensive doubleblind,
placebo-controlled research is
performed to confirm the effectiveness of
a natural product. With the knowledge
that inflammation can shorten our
lifespan by promoting many degenerative
diseases, it is essential that we use
natural anti-inflammatories to reduce
our risk. For more information visit
www.celadrin.com.
Lorna R. Vanderhaeghe, is the author of
many books. Her latest book is called Get a
Grip on Arthritis and Other Inflammatory
Disorders. Go to www.healthyimmunity.com
for more information.
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