Inflammation in breast cancer survivors

Inflammation in breast cancer survivors

Wherever flaxseeds become a regular food item among the people, there will be
better health.
—Mahatma Gandhi

Goal: Reduce inflammation levels and keep them low

Consider the simple pimple, sunburn, or mosquito bite. Minor ailments such as
these produce inflammation. So do worse injuries, like a sprained or broken ankle.
But in this chapter, when we talk about inflammation, we are referring to chronic
inflammation, the kind you can’t feel or know. Experts now believe that chronic
inflammation may be linked to various forms of cancer as well as other major
diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and heart conditions. New studies
continually increase our understanding of the complex inflammation process and
how it relates to breast cancer. In 2010 several pieces of the inflammation puzzle
came together when researchers (Liu et al.) at Thomas Jefferson University
definitively demonstrated that breast inflammation is fundamental to the growth and
spread of breast cancer.

While the relationship between inflammation levels and breast cancer continues
to be closely examined, there are steps you can take to lower chronic inflammation
naturally, reduce your risk of recurrence, and improve your overall health at the
same time. But first, let’s take a closer look at what inflammation is, as well as its
causes and effects on the body.