And when you start learning about the causes and triggers of inflammation, it can begin to feel a little overwhelming. How do you know if you’re suffering from it? Do you absolutely need to get a bunch of fancy tests or pay out-of-pocket to see an integrative medicine doctor? Here’s how to know if chronic inflammation is a problem for you: According to Marvin Singh, M.D., an integrative gastroenterologist, the common signs he looks for in his patients include “joint aches, rashes, fatigue, food sensitivities, bloating, fever, mouth sores, abdominal pain, bloating, allergies, brain fog, changes in bowel habits, muscular pains, obesity, hormone imbalance, among many other things.” It’s also not always obvious: “For example, you might think that carrying a little extra weight just means that you are overweight. And, yes, it does. However, it also means you have chronic inflammation because that extra weight is inflammatory. Meaning, the extra fat we carry, especially around our belly, is inflammatory, and higher levels of insulin are also inflammatory. These are all ingredients in the recipe for chronic disease.” But should you really be doing these tests at home? According to Bindiya Gandhi, M.D., an integrative medicine doctor who treats patients suffering from chronic inflammation on a regular basis, these at-home tests might not be as comprehensive as you think. Because although she’s all for patients taking charge of their health, these tests can be difficult to interpret. And if the result is positive, it can be hard for the patient to know what to do next. “CRP tests are a nonspecific test for generalized inflammation, but when it’s positive, you have to do more investigation,” she explained. “An integrative and functional medicine doc will ask questions, know the patient’s history, and can attribute the inflammation to what’s going on with the patient specifically. Inflammation could come from allergies, infections, decreased immune system, autoimmunity, or more.” In other words, testing your CRP levels on your own can give you an idea of your current state of inflammation, but there will likely be more questions to answer. If a patient has chronic inflammation, Dr. Gandhi will also run labs like ferritin (for generalized inflammation), homocysteine, and MPO (to assess cardiac inflammation), and CRP and ESR (for generalized inflammation, autoimmunity, and infections). It might even surprise you, however, to learn that inflammation is even closely tied to heart disease. According to Amy Shah, M.D., an integrative medicine doctor and mbg Collective member, “In the case of heart disease, it’s thought that having inflammation actually triggers the immune system to deposit more inflammation-related cells, cholesterol, and debris into arteries.” So what can you do if you have chronic inflammation, confirmed by one of these tests or by an integrative medicine doctor? Some great places to start are to sleep more, avoid inflammatory foods—like processed carbs, added sugars, and alcohol—and invest time in daily mindfulness-based stress reduction like yoga, breathwork, body scans, or even journaling. That said, if you’re having any serious symptoms that interfere with your life, it’s time to consult a professional.
