Healthy Food And Fitness Guide

Acute vs chronic inflammation

While inflammation is a necessary and beneficial process, its intensity during the initial acute phase can be abnormally exaggerated, and often persists longer than necessary, developing into chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is associated with dysfunction of one or more parts of the immune system and leads to the ongoing tissue damage found in diseases like tendinitis, arthritis or psoriasis. Chronic inflammation is also a cause of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, among many other disease conditions.

Mechanics of inflammation

The various cell types and metabolic pathways that generate inflammation provide numerous targets for therapies aimed at controlling inflammation in the acute phase and in preventing progression to chronic inflammation. Inflammation can be initiated by many causes, and knowing and understanding the nature of the cause is important in designing therapeutic approaches. In bacterial infections, early infiltration of the affected tissues by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), a type of white blood cell, is followed by the arrival of T cells, an event that is required to kill bacteria. In this circumstance, eliminating T cells can delay or stop healing. In trauma-induced injury, T cells are less important for healing tissue damage, and may be harmful if present for long periods.

In this case early elimination of T cells in the acute phase of inflammation could minimize the unwanted effects of inflammation, accelerate healing, and reduce the risk of chronic inflammatory disease. In chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and chronic tendinitis, persistence of the disease state depends on the presence of T cells. Here, removing T cells would be a favorable approach of therapy for these and similar chronic conditions. T cells are a major regulator of the inflammatory cascade. Research has shown that PEMF’s can induce the appropriate death of T lymphocytes, by actions on T cell membranes and key enzymes in cells. For example, PEMF’s have been found to affect ion flow through specific cell membrane channels, including those for sodium, potassium and calcium, that positively affect these enzymes. These appropriate effects help with reducing chronic inflammation.

Homeostasis and cells out of balance

Normal cells are not usually impacted by magnetic fields. Compromised cells, called meta-stable cells, are more likely to be impacted. This means that PEMF’s have more impact in circumstances where there is imbalance in tissues or cells, ie, where there is pathology or chronic inflammation. Where homeostasis in the body is robust, PEMF’s, especially weaker PEMF’s, are unlikely to have effects. For example, activation of the T cell receptor, such as happens with PPEMF’s, also activates various processes in the cell that within five minutes after removing the activating signal, these activated processes return to normal levels.