What Does Inflammation Feel Like?

This article has been medically reviewed by Nisha Chellam, MD . It contains sdditional reporting done by Angela Myers .

If you're striving to keep yourself healthy now and for many years to come, there's one element of your health you may not be paying attention to, but should be: inflammation.

Inflammation has been found to be a player in almost every chronic disease. These diseases affect approximately 129 million Americans . Perhaps most obviously, inflammation is a major part of autoimmune diseases , since they are caused by the immune system. And when white blood cells sneak into the walls of your arteries and contribute to cardiovascular disease , it’s not just about cholesterol build-up; it could be a sign of chronic inflammation.

"Chronic inflammation anywhere in the body can also potentially lead to brain inflammation and cognitive symptoms like brain fog," says Nisha Chellam, MD, a board-certified physician in internal medicine and holistic and integrative medicine at Parsley Health. She points out that inflammation can be responsible for other cognitive side effects, including memory issues, difficulty concentrating, and mood disorders.

Cancer also tends to form in areas that are chronically inflamed, and inflammation is a component of osteoarthritis , a disease that scientists previously thought was just from the wear and tear of bones. Inflammation even plays a role in hypertension and depression . But what does inflammation even look like, and how does it show up?

What is chronic inflammation?

In short, it's your body's way to signal that it's irritated . Inflammation doesn't actually occur due to the wound or infection, but when your body releases chemicals, triggering an immune response . When it's an acute, or short-term, response, inflammation is actually a good sign your body is healing. When its chronic, it can become a problem.

Acute and Chronic Inflammation

Acute inflammation can be a self-limited response to an injury or infection, like a paper cut or a sprained ankle. You’ll notice redness, pain, warmth, and swelling in the area. But once all the cells from the inflammatory response have done their job and the injury is healed, that inflammation in the body disappears. That’s the kind of inflammation you want to happen.

The other kind of inflammation, called chronic inflammation , is the problematic one. It may occur if the immune system is trying to fend off infection, like Lyme disease, but isn’t having success. Or it may occur if the immune system becomes confused, like when someone whose gluten antibodies end up attacking other parts of the body that resemble gluten.

Inflammation also happens when the immune system senses that something isn’t right, such as when LDL cholesterol makes its way into the lining of an artery. White blood cells follow, but instead of fixing the problem, they inadvertently make it worse by making the plaque unstable and more likely to rupture. These are all signs of inflammation in the body. (And chronic inflammation has likely been going on for a long time before you realize it’s happening.)

Chronic inflammation symptoms (or signs of inflammation in the body)

At Parsley Health , one of our main goals is to help people prevent and reverse chronic disease, so we pay a lot of attention to chronic inflammation. We look for chronic inflammation symptoms at our patients’ very first visit, because if an inflammatory disease goes untreated, it can lead to a host of other issues, especially in the heart and brain.

Here are 5 common indications that someone may have a chronic inflammatory condition or systemic inflammation:

Body pain

Body pain, like muscle aches and joint pain, are commonly caused by increased systemic inflammation. When inflammatory cytokines are elevated in the body, they can attack muscle and joint issues resulting in redness, swelling, and pain.

Skin rashes

Skin rashes like eczema or psoriasis, are inflammatory skin conditions characterized by red, rough, and flaky skin. Both eczema and psoriasis are linked to hypersensitivity of the immune system, and people with these conditions are more likely to have a greater number of inflammatory mast cells that when activated trigger the skin rashes to surface.

Excessive mucus production

Always needing to clear your throat or blow your nose? Sounds like you might be inflamed! When inflamed, mucous membranes produce thick phlegm in an attempt to protect epithelial cells in the lining of the respiratory system which results in coughing, sneezing, and a runny nose.

Low energy

Constantly feeling fatigued despite getting adequate nightly sleep is yet another clue your body is fighting off chronic inflammation. Just like you feel run-down when you’re sick, when you’re chronically inflamed your immune system remains active and continues to work overtime to regulate its response. In turn, chronic inflammation increases the requirement of cellular energy to ensure rapid regeneration of immune cells and further depletes you of the fuel you need to feel fully energized.

When left untreated, inflammation can also lead to:

• Brain fog
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory issues
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Depression

Poor digestion

Common digestive issues including bloating , abdominal pain, constipation, and loose stool may also suggest an issue with inflammation. Chronic inflammation throughout the body can contribute to leaky gut syndrome , or intestinal permeability, which can cause bacteria and toxins to “leak” through the intestinal wall into the rest of the body. A “leaky gut " can further fuel ongoing systemic inflammation and contribute to digestive symptoms such as abdominal distention and irregular bowel movements.

The tests your doctor should be doing

Not only do we listen for inflammation in our patients’ histories, but we also test for it in every patient we see using these three biomarkers:

• White blood cell count: A high white blood cell count is an indication that the immune system is activated and working to fend off an infection or injury. Chronically elevated white blood cells indicate the immune system is regularly in overdrive. When systemic inflammation is high, white blood cell count can be elevated. At Parsley Health, we consider a white blood cell count between 5,000 and 8,000 per microliter in an ideal range while a typical laboratory reference range is between 3,400 and 10,800 per microliter.
• Sedimentation rate (ESR): Your sedimentation rate or ESR is a measure of how quickly your red blood cells settle in a blood sample. Because red blood cells typically settle slowly, a fast rate of settling may indicate inflammation in the body. The normal range is considered 0 to 22 mm/hr for men and 0 to 29 mm/hr for women. At Parsley Health, we hope to see members with an ESR <15 and optimally <10 mm/hr.
• High sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP): hs-CRP is a protein that is produced in response to inflammation in the body. Levels of hs-CRP rise when a specific injury or infection occurs in the body and will increase simultaneously when inflammatory enzymes such as IL-6 (interleukin-6) are present. It is important to note that about a third of the adult U.S. population has an elevated CRP . People with higher hs-CRP values not only are inflamed but also have the highest risk of cardiovascular disease and those with lower values have less risk. A typical lab range for hs-CRP is between 0 and 3.0 mg/L and at Parsley Health, we aim to have members below 1.0 mg/L.

Each one of these tests looks at different components of the blood to see if there are signs of inflammation in the body. They are non-specific, meaning they don’t tell us where the inflammation is coming from, but they do clue us in to look harder for it. Taken together, we get a pretty good idea as to whether inflammation is an issue, and we can also use them to track if the inflammation is resolving or worsening.

How to heal chronic inflammation

If all this talk of chronic inflammation symptoms and its pervasive effect on chronic disease is getting you nervous, don’t worry! You actually don’t need to know which cytokine blocks which receptor to know what to do.

Here’s our recommended approach to reduce inflammation:

• Remove the foods that are known to cause inflammation, like sugar, dairy , and simple carbohydrates.
• Avoid foods that are sensitive. This is something we often test for or figure out with an elimination diet.
• Regular exercise of moderate intensity improves immune function and decreases inflammation. (Even occasional exercise has benefits, but high-intensity exercise may actually have a detrimental effect on the immune system.)
• Minimize stress and optimize how you respond to it.
• Supplements such as probiotics, turmeric, resveratrol, and fish oil are known to help fight inflammation. Additionally, some foods are also known to fight inflammation. Check with your doctor to see if any of these additions to your regimen might be helpful for you.

Final Thoughts

Inflammation is an amazing unifier of most chronic diseases, so if you want to optimize your current and future health, you can do so by understanding signs of inflammation in the body. Take note if you have symptoms of chronic inflammation, check for it with blood tests and the guidance of a physician, and do your best to adopt an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle.

Want to become a Parsley Health member? Schedule a free call  to learn more about Parsley’s root-cause approach to healing, how to use insurance  to pay for your Parsley medical fees, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 5 classic signs of inflammation?

Researchers have established five main signs of inflammation: swelling, heat, pain, loss of function, and redness. However, inflammation doesn't always cause all five symptoms. Sometimes, it can occur silently with few to no symptoms.

How do you flush inflammation out of your body?

Staying hydrated is one way to reduce inflammation, and doing so is often referred to as "flushing out" the inflammation. However, this isn't the only way to reduce inflammation. Reducing stress, exercising, and reducing foods known to cause inflammation, such as sugar or carbs, works too.

What drink kills inflammation?

You can never go wrong with increasing your water intake. Other drinks that may help reduce inflammation include green tea, matcha , turmeric milk , and even coffee .

Does inflammation go down on its own?

Acute inflammation often goes away on its own, since it's a response to the body's healing process. Chronic inflammation, however, often needs a helping hand. Lifestyle changes, such as reducing stress, exercising regularly, and avoiding excess sugars and carbs can help reduce inflammation. If it doesn't go down with lifestyle changes, a healthcare provider can help assess the situation and create a treatment plan.