The Hidden Fire: How Chronic Inflammation Affects Your Whole Body

Clients often come in with the word inflammation rolling off their tongue - but many don’t really understand what it means or what to do about it. Let’s break it down a bit so it’s more clear - and you know what can actually be done about it.

Do you hear the word inflammation everywhere? It’s on podcasts, in articles, and in conversations with nearly every type of healthcare provider. The tricky part? It’s not always obvious. You can’t always see it - yet it can affect how you feel in nearly every part of your body. Inflammation can be like a subtle spark quietly smoldering in the background - or a full-blown, uncontrollable fire burning through your system.

The Helpful Side of Inflammation

If you’ve ever cut your finger and watched it become warm, red, and tender, you’ve seen inflammation at work. This is your body’s natural response to protect the area, clean up any damage, and start repairing tissue. That’s good inflammation.

The trouble begins when your immune system doesn’t know when to stand down. Instead of shutting off after the job is done, it keeps sending out repair signals - day after day. There is always a trigger behind it, even if it’s not easily detectable. Sometimes toxins hide deep within fat, muscle, or the nervous system, and your body senses them as a threat. It works hard to push them out but can’t fully eliminate them, leaving you in a constant state of low-grade stress. This is what we call chronic inflammation - and it can quietly affect your joints, digestion, brain, mood, skin, weight, and your sleep.

Why Chronic Inflammation Lingers

Modern life gives our bodies constant little irritations - stress, processed foods, environmental toxins, lack of movement, and poor sleep. Your immune system treats each one like a mini-injury, sparking an immune response that never fully quiets down.

Sleep, in particular, is a major piece of the puzzle. When your sleep schedule is inconsistent - or you simply aren’t getting enough deep, restorative rest - your body misses out on its most important repair time. That’s when cells regenerate, hormones rebalance, and inflammation naturally decreases. Without it, your body stays in a stressed, reactive state, and inflammation keeps smoldering.

Some of the most common triggers include:

• Sugar and refined carbs – Frequent blood sugar spikes stress tissues and keep inflammation active (not even mentioning the speeding up of the aging process).

• Alcohol – Even moderate amounts can irritate the gut lining and activate immune responses.

• Seed oils (soybean, corn, sunflower, etc.) – Tey throw your body’s fatty acid balance toward inflammation.

• Ultra-processed foods – Often a combination of multiple inflammatory triggers in one package.

• Poor or irregular sleep – Prevents your body from completing its nightly healing work.

How Inflammation Feels in Different Parts of Your Body

The location of inflammation often determines the symptom you feel:

• Gut: Bloating, food sensitivities, or brain fog from the gut-brain connection

• Brain: Low mood, anxiety, moodiness, trouble focusing, fatigue

• Blood vessels: Circulation problems, headaches, higher blood pressure

• Joints: Pain, stiffness, or swelling without injury

• Skin: Puffiness, redness, breakouts, dullness, or flare-ups (Why cover it up? Heal it!)

• Digestive tract: Heartburn or reflux

• Hormonal system: Imbalances that affect mood, energy, weight, and menstrual cycles

And often, it doesn’t stay in one place - low-grade inflammation can touch multiple systems at once, creating a mix of symptoms that seem unrelated but are actually deeply connected.

Ok, the word inflammation makes sense now - but what next?

Follow a TikTok trend, Google your symptoms and buy something random, or ask a friend what worked for them? Not the best choice when it comes to your health. Although I don’t know everything, I make my best effort to truly listen, dig deep, and address what’s most important for you. I continuously work on growing my knowledge in various therapies so I can provide the best results and the most comprehensive approach possible.

Simple Steps You Can Start Today

Healing chronic inflammation doesn’t have to mean overhauling your entire life overnight. Small, consistent changes make a real difference:

• Follow your blood type dietary recommendations so your meals naturally support better digestion, balanced energy, and lower inflammation - choosing vegetables, healthy fats, and clean protein sources that are best suited for your type (I will not stop talking about it!).

• Cut back on sugar, processed carbs, alcohol, and inflammatory oils.

• Keep a regular sleep schedule and create a calm evening routine (Yes! place that phone out of reach).

• Move your body daily in ways that feel good (dance a bit - you will love it).

These shifts send a powerful message to your body: It’s safe to heal now.

Calming Inflammation Takes Time

Chronic inflammation didn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t resolve overnight either. Clearing it - or even bringing it down to a manageable level - takes time, the right tools, and a plan that’s individualized to your unique needs. We can tame that fire and bring you back to truly enjoying your sense of well-being.

Finding what’s most effective for you may involve adjustments along the way, and patient commitment is key. Your body has to feel safe enough to shift from a constant state of stress into one of repair. With consistency, the right support, and the proper tools, inflammation can be calmed - and your body can return to a state of balance and resilience.

Healing Happens in Layers

When using a natural approach, many people start to feel better in certain areas first - maybe their sleep improves, digestion feels lighter, or mood is more balanced. But some symptoms can be stubborn and take longer to shift. This is normal. Healing often happens in layers, and it can take some fine-tuning of therapies to find the right combination for your body. Every step forward, no matter how small, is part of the process toward deeper and more lasting wellness.

Why do you still have loose stools? Still carry extra weight? Still wake up at night? Yes, I hear you. But look at all the improvements - you’re not as bloated, you don’t have energy crashes, you’re not moody all the time, and you actually enjoy your food now. Let’s keep working on it. Let’s keep adjusting and reviewing - it’s all a puzzle for me as well. We will get there. Just be consistent and do your part at home as recommended.

The Natural Approach to Calming Inflammation

The focus is always on restoring balance - helping your body remember what it feels like to be in a state of healing rather than reacting. This may include:

• Acupuncture to regulate inflammatory pathways and improve healthy circulation (this is why you feel so relaxed when you leave my clinic)

• Acupuncture point injection therapy to deliver targeted natural medicine directly to inflamed or weakened areas

• Chinese herbal formulas custom-made to address your body’s unique needs (treat these as medicine and take them exactly as directed by me - I know what I am doing)

• Peptide therapy for deeper cellular repair

• Nutrition and lifestyle guidance to remove daily triggers and strengthen resilience (this part is all you - I am here to guide and support you)

Many people notice that as inflammation calms, they not only have less pain, but also sleep better, think more clearly, and feel more emotionally balanced - often before all their physical symptoms have even fully resolved.

Chronic inflammation can quietly drain your energy, mood, and vitality. But with the right approach, it is possible to calm "the fire", restore balance, and support your body’s natural ability to heal - one thoughtful, gentle step at a time.

About Dr. Elena Nott, DAcHM, LAc

Dr. Elena Nott is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, and the founder and practitioner of Roots and Branches Healing Center, where she provides individualized holistic therapies. She is passionate about preventative care as the foundation of health and well-being.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.