Inflammation is a normal, natural, and complex series of chemical and cellular activities performed by the body in response to injury or abnormal stimulation caused by a physical, chemical, or biological agent.
The inflammatory response (warmth, pain, redness, and swelling) is a desirable defense mechanism. The normal inflammatory response has an on/off switch. When the acute injury or abnormal stimulation is controlled, the switch is turned off. In chronic inflammation (arthritis, dermatitis, thyroiditis, psoriasis, and numerous other chronic health conditions), something has gone wrong with the off switch.
