Dr. Hellen Greenblatt

Exercise and Inflammation

The function of hundreds of genes and numerous biological pathways are affected by being physically active. Too many individuals, especially health practitioners, fail to appreciate the dominant role exercise plays in maintaining the body’s immune homeostasis, its balance. Being physically active decreases the risk of chronic inflammatory conditions such as diabetes, depression, atherosclerosis, and certain …
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anti-inflammatory, brain function, brain immune gut axis, cytokine, exercise, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, joints, muscle, physical activity

Low Back Pain and the Role of Inflammation

Back pain is one of the most common health complaints among adults in the US. From 75-80% of individuals will suffer from lower back pain sometime in their lives. Symptoms of back pain include shooting or stabbing pains in the back, limited mobility, and/or pain that radiates down the leg. The majority of individuals experiencing …
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back pain, balance, C-reactive protein, cytokines, exercise, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, injuries

Widespread Influenza Infections Across the Country

| Posted by in Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) | Infections and Inflammatory Responses - (0 Comments)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this flu season is an unusually severe outbreak with wide-spread instances of disease in 49 States with many schools being closed. The season started earlier than usual, which is never a good sign. CDC Deputy Director Anne Schuchat has said “This year’s influenza season is …
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anti-inflammatory, balance, cytokines, exercise, fatigue, Flu, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, influenza, pro-inflammatory, Smoking

Stress

From the time of the ancient Greeks, it has been clear that the mind-gut-body connection influences one’s health; however, only during the last century have we begun to understand why this is the case. With new tools, scientists can show that there is cross-talk between the brain, the gut and the immune system. Immune molecules …
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anti-inflammatory, balance, cytokines, exercise, fatigue, genes, gut, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, pro-inflammatory, stress

Lupus and the Inflammatory Process

What is the Role of Inflammation? When the body is injured or recognizes the presence of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, molds, parasites or cancerous cells, its immune system is triggered to respond with inflammation to “burn” the threat out of the body. Balance is Essential Once the challenge has been met, a person in …
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anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, exercise, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, lupus, SLE

Suicides and Imbalances of the Immune System

| Posted by in Boosting Immune Responses (Pro-Inflammatory) | Depression | Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) | Inflammation - (0 Comments)

The second leading cause of death for people under the age of 44 years is suicide. Overall, it is the the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, with veterans comprising 22.2% of this statistic. Women are three times more likely to attempt suicide, but for every woman who takes her own life, …
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anti-inflammatory, autoinflammatory, balance, C-reactive protein, cytokines, depression, exercise, fatigue, immune homeostasis, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory, suicide

Out with Inflammation = Out with Gout

An article in a recent trade publication opened with the following: “Charles couldn’t believe the intensity of the pain – and he had been shot during a tour in Iraq with the Marines. “I was lying in my sleeper and my big toe just went on fire. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. …
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anti-inflammatory, arthritis, autoimmune, balance, cancer, chronic disease, diabetes, exercise, fat cells, gout, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, joints, Obesity, pain, pro-inflammatory

Depression, Anhedonia and Run-Away Inflammation

Without the ability to produce inflammation we die. The inflammatory response is the main weapon that the immune system uses to protect us from infection, keep cancer cells from growing out of control, and help tissues heal when they are damaged. However, one has to have the right balance of inflammation to be healthy. We need enough …
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autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, exercise, fatigue, immune homeostasis, pro-inflammatory

Asthma: An Inflammatory Syndrome

| Posted by in Allergies | Chronic Disease | Inflammation - (0 Comments)

Asthma is an inflammatory condition which affects the lungs in negative ways. It is not a single disease, but a group of symptoms that arise from the abnormal immune responses to environmental triggers. Asthmatics suffer from limited air flow, difficulties in breathing, heightened sensitivity to particles or toxins in the air, wheezing, coughing, and tightness …
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anti-inflammatory, asthma, balance, blood vessels, chronic disease, exercise, genetics, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, lungs, mucus, non-steroidal, pro-inflammatory

Inflammation Is the Root Cause of Arthritis

Nearly every day people tell me that their joints are swollen and stiff, they hurt all over, and that they look and feel older than their chronological age. Most of these individuals have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis is a sign of a “boosted” immune system with excessive inflammation leading to joint damage. People …
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anti-inflammatory, antibodies, arthritis, autoimmune, balance, cytokines, exercise, fat cells, healing, immune homeostasis, immune system, immunoglobulins, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, injuries, joint pain, multiple sclerosis, Obesity, pain, pro-inflammatory

Alcohol Abuse, Immune Balance, and Inflammation

Alcoholism is a condition in which individuals drink alcohol in excess despite the fact that their habit causes physical and mental health problems, and social, family, and/or job-related issues. Heavy alcohol consumption results in damage to many parts of the body including the brain, liver, digestive system, and joints. Alcoholics also suffer with dementia, memory …
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alcoholism, anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, balance, cancer, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, exercise, gut, healing, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, injuries, joint pain, microbes, pro-inflammatory

THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION: INFLAMMATION AND DEPRESSION

Exposure to chronic constant emotional or physical stress triggers a vicious cycle of inflammation. The stress increases the amount of inflammation that the body generates, and the additional inflammation “feeds” more stress. Depressed individuals report that they experience high levels of tension and anxiety, fatigue, muscle discomfort, and/or gastrointestinal problems. Often they have a feeling …
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anti-inflammatory, balance, C-reactive protein, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, exercise, fat cells, fatigue, gut, healing, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory

Endometriosis, Inflammation, and Immune Homeostasis (Balance)

Endometriosis* is a painful, hormonal and immune system disease in which tissues similar to the mucous membranes lining the uterus (endometrium), end up in “strange” locations, places that these sorts of tissues are not typically found. The pockets of tissue react to monthly surges of estrogen and progesterone just like the uterus. These cells can …
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anti-inflammatory, autoantibodies, autoimmune, balance, cancer, chronic disease, cytokines, dioxin, endometriosis, exercise, fat cells, fatigue, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, infertility, inflammation, inflammatory responses, menstruation

Migraines, Inflammation, and Immune Homeostasis

| Posted by in Chronic Disease | Inflammation | Migraines - (0 Comments)

Migraine headaches are often characterized by excruciating throbbing pain on one side of the head, which may switch to a different side from episode to episode. Individuals may also experience severe pain in/or over one or both eyes, or in their sinuses. Nausea, vomiting, disturbed vision, and increased sensitivity to light and sound may also …
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balance, exercise, fat cells, immune homeostasis, inflammation, inflammatory responses, migraines

Inflammation, Infections, and Statins

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), nosocomial infections, are caused by a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. One bacterium that commonly causes illness is Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile. Hospitalized children and elderly people are at special risk of acquiring these bacteria, infections that result in severe diarrhea. Individuals infected with C. difficile are more likely …
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atherosclerosis, balance, C-reactive protein, C. difficile, cancer, chronic disease, exercise, fat cells, healthcare-associated, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, lungs, multiple sclerosis, nosocomial, pro-inflammatory, statins

Inflammation, Longevity, and Healthy Aging

The journal of the American Geriatrics Society, just released a study of older women suggesting that women, and we assume men as well, add years of healthy living by staying active and increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables. Women between the ages of 70 to 79 years were followed for a five-year period. Investigators …
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balance, C-reactive protein, cancer, cytokines, energy, exercise, fruits, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, longevity, phytonutrients, pro-inflammatory, vegetables

Inflammation, Epigenetics, and Aging

The concept of epigenetics was first introduced in the 1940s, and its implications on how we modulate inflammation through its processes are intriguing and exciting. For most of my scientific career, we were taught that biological processes of the body were pre-determined by genes. It was said that DNA’s message was set-in-stone, and except through …
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aging, balance, cancer, chronic disease, cytokines, diabetes, epigenetics, exercise, fat cells, heart disease, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, Obesity, pro-inflammatory

Diabetes, Inflammation, Immune Balance

(Please see prior posting) ACHIEVING INFLAMMATORY HOMEOSTASIS, IMMUNE BALANCE, NATURALLY CONTROL INFLAMMATION Restoring immune inflammatory balance, homeostasis, may reduce diabetic symptoms, help guard against infections, and contribute to overall health by letting the body heal itself. Lifestyle changes, rather than medication, are the best ways to regain immune balance, inflammatory homeostasis. BECOME PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. Muscles …
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balance, chronic disease, coffee, cytokines, diabetes, exercise, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, Obesity, omega 3, pro-inflammatory, sunshine, vitamin D, Weight

Sprains, Strains, Injuries, and Inflammation

| Posted by in Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) | Inflammation | Injury and Trauma - (0 Comments)

Exercise is essential for workers such as firefighters and paramedics that have physically-and emotionally-demanding jobs, and is mandated by most departments. According to a study by the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 30% of the strains and sprains that firefighters and paramedics experienced, happened …
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balance, cytokines, exercise, firefighters, healing, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, injuries, pain, paramedics, pro-inflammatory, sprains, strains

Smoking, Inflammation, Immune Homeostasis, Balance

| Posted by in Cancer | Chronic Disease | Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) | Inflammation - (0 Comments)

According to the World Health Organization smoking is the second largest preventable cause of disease and premature death. Globally, tobacco products are responsible for 5 million deaths annually. A person dies every 6 seconds from smoking-related diseases including chronic diseases and cancer. Among its many effects, smoking triggers an immunologic response in arteries and veins …
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autoimmune, balance, C-reactive protein, COPD, exercise, immune homeostasis, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory, second-hand smoke, Smoking, tobacco, WHO