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下⾯这些东⻄有什么共通点？⽛痛，肿胀的脚趾，糖尿病，⼼脏病，⽼年痴呆？
What do these things have in common? A toothache, a swollen toe, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s?
一个词：炎症。
One word: inflammation.
⽛痛，脚趾肿，⼤家都理解这是发炎的症状，可是⼼脏病和⽼年痴呆？
You may understand a toothache and a swollen toe may be signs of inflammation, but heart disease and Alzheimer’s?
搞明⽩这个，我们需要理解急性炎症和慢性炎症的区别。
To understand this, we need to differentiate acute inflammation and chronic inflammation.
每个中国⼈都知道什么是“上⽕”，或者是“体内热⽓和⽕⽓太⼤“。你喉咙痛，⽛痛，或者嘴巴溃疡的时候，会想到，这是我上⽕了。⻄⽅没有上⽕这个概念。但急性炎症和上⽕相当接近。就连炎症这个词都是相通的。英⽂的炎症⼀词来⾃”inflame”, 意思是点燃⽕焰。
Every Chinese knows the concept of “shang huo”, or “too much heat or fire in the body”. When you have a sore throat, a toothache, or mouth ulcers, you would think to yourself: oh, I just have too much heat. In western terms, this is close to what acute inflammation is. Even the words are similar. Inflammation comes from “inflame”, meaning to set fire.
发炎其实是我们⼈体⾃带的⾃我保护机制，来确保我们可以从外伤或者如细菌这种病原体的侵袭中恢复。这是我们的免疫系统在正常运转。最常⻅的急性炎症症状包括肿胀，发红，疼痛，和发热。⼀个正常，对我们有利的炎症往往持续⼏个⼩时或者⼏天，然后就会慢慢消失。战⽃结束，身体回归原位。
Inflammation is actually your body’s defense mechanism to protect you from injuries or outside invaders such as unfriendly bacteria. This is your immune system working. The usual signs are swelling, redness, pain, and heat. A normal and beneficial inflammation usually lasts hours or days. Then it would subside, the battle is over, things go back to calm, and the healing starts.
这种来得快⾛得也快的⼤⽕不是什么问题。成为问题的是那种低度闷烧的慢⽕：慢性炎症。它存在于你的知觉之下，你感觉不到痛，甚⾄根本不知道它的存在。
This kind of rapid fire is not the problem. The problem is the low grade smoldering fire that does not go away: chronic inflammation. It is below perception, below pain level, and you don’t even know it is there.
2004年，时代杂志刊登了⼀篇封⾯⽂章：“隐形杀⼿：⼼脏病，癌症，⽼年痴呆和其它疾病之间有着你想不到的联系”，写的是那些现代慢性病：⼼脏病，糖尿病，⽼年痴呆，⾃身免疫性疾病（⽐如类⻛湿关节炎，狼苍病，多发性硬化症等），哮喘等等，都可以追溯到叫做”细胞炎症“的东⻄，慢性炎症的另⼀种说法。
In 2004, Time magazine ran a cover story titled “The secret killer: the surprising links between heart attacks, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases", talking about how some of the most prevalent modern illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, etc.) and asthma, can all trace back to this thing called “cellular inflammation”, another word for chronic inflammation.
以前，医⽣们相信⼼脏病的发作是由太多的胆固醇引起的, 太多的时候会堵塞⾎管，阻断⾎流，造成灾难性的后果。但这个理论只有⼀个漏洞：不同的研究会有不同的数字，但⼤约50%-70%患有⼼脏病的⼈的胆固醇⽔平完全正常！影像技术提⾼以后，医⽣们发现那些⼩的堵塞其实更危险，更容易突然破裂。现在医学界相信这些堵塞的破裂是炎症的反应。
Years ago, doctors used to think heart attacks are the result of high cholesterol build-up in the arteries. When they get too big, they choke off the flow of blood, then the disaster strikes. There is only one problem with that theory. Depending on where you look, about 50% to 70% of heart attacks patients actually have perfectly normal cholesterol level. After the imaging technology improved, doctors realized the most dangerous plaques are actually those small ones, which are more prone for rupture. Now it is believed that the bursting of the plaques is an inflammatory response.
新的研究还发现，细胞变异和炎症存在着相互促进的关系。如果身体内有慢性炎症，会帮助正常的细胞演变成致命的肿瘤。
New research is finding out that cell mutations and inflammation are mutually reinforcing. If there is chronic inflammation in the body, it helps normal cells develop into deadly tumors.
不仅仅是⼼脏病和肿瘤，越来越多的证据表明慢性炎症是⼏乎所有的退⾏性疾病的罪魁祸⾸。如果没有任何措施，免疫系统的这种慢性激活会慢慢损害身体的组织和器官。到诊断出你有严重疾病的时候，事实上炎症已经对你的身体造成了⻓达数年甚⾄数⼗年的破坏。因此，所有这些看起来没什么关系的疾病：糖尿病，⼼脏病，癌症，痴呆症，⾃身免疫性疾病，甚⾄焦虑症和抑郁症等精神⽅⾯的疾病实际上都是⻓期慢性炎症的表现。
It is not just heart disease and cancer, more and more evidence has pointed to this chronic inflammation as the cause of almost all degenerative diseases. Left unattended, this chronic activation of the immune system slowly damages tissues and organs. By the time a serious disease is diagnosed, inflammation has wreaked havoc on your body for years or even decades. So all the diseases that are not connected in your perception: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, autoimmune diseases, and even mental disorders such as anxiety and depression are actually all manifestations of long term chronic inflammation.
那是什么让免疫系统处于这种永久的激活状态，导致这种缓慢延烧的⽕焰呢？
So what makes the immune system perpetually activated and causes this slow burning fire?
个⼈基因是因素之⼀。但更为重要的是我们的⽣活⽅式：我们吃的东⻄，做的东⻄，感觉的东⻄。
There are genetic factors. But more importantly, it is mainly due to our lifestyles: what we eat, what we do and what we feel.
饮⻝
Diet
我们餐盘上的东⻄对我们体内的炎症程度影响巨⼤。威尔医⽣是美国⼀位⾮常著名的综合医学医⽣， 他这样说：
What we put on our plates hugely influence how much inflammation we have in the body. Dr. Weil, a famous integrative medicine doctor in the US, says this:
“饮⻝对我们影响巨⼤，以⾄于我相信世界上⼤多数⼈的饮⻝都在引发他们身体产⽣炎症。我坚信，应对慢性炎症最重要的⽅法就是停⽌⻝⽤精制，加⼯和⼈⼯制造的⻝品”。
“Diet has a huge impact, so much so that I believe that most people in our part of the world go through life in a pro-inflammatory state as a result of what they eat. I’m convinced that the single most important thing you can do to counter chronic inflammation is to stop eating refined, processed and manufactured foods.”
饮⻝是个⼤的话题，我们以后会谈到很多。但当前你只需要记住下⾯这些⼤的原则：
Diet is a huge topic, and we are going to talk about it a lot, but for now, remember the following big principles:
少吃动物性⻝品，少吃精制碳⽔化合物，少吃糖类，吃⼤量的新鲜蔬菜和⽔果。不吃加⼯⻝品。如果是个袋⼦，上⾯贴着营养成份的标签，那基本可以说这是⼀个过度加⼯的东⻄。
Reduce animal products, reduce refined carbohydrates, reduce sugar intake, eat a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits. Stay away from processed foods. If something comes in a bag with nutritional values printed on it, the chances are they are very processed.
抽烟
Smoking
你认为抽烟只损害你的肺吗？错！根据美国国家卫⽣研究院的研究，“抽烟会破坏你身体内的每⼀个器官：⼼脏，⾎管，肺，眼睛，嘴巴，生育系统，⻣骼，膀胱，和消化系统“。抽烟是⼼脏病的⼀个重要⻛险因素，正是因为它会引起身体的慢性炎症。
You think smoking only damages your lungs? Wrong! According to US National Institute of Health: “Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, including the heart, blood vessels, lungs, eyes, mouth, reproductive organs, bones, bladder, and digestive organs.”. It is a major contributor to heart diseases. It does this through inflaming the body chronically.
久坐
Sedentary lifestyle
我们的身体是⽤来运动的，但是现代⽣活⽅式⼤⼤减少了我们运动的时间。我们开⻋或乘交通⼯具去上班，然后⼀整天坐在电脑前。晚上我们回到家，精疲⼒尽，⼀屁股坐在沙发上，⽤电视或社交媒体来放松身⼼。缺乏运动与持续的系统性低度炎症密切相关。⼀项研究对新诊断出的285名2型糖尿病⼈进⾏了分析，发现，久坐时间越⻓，身体炎症指标的程度就越⾼。
Our body is meant to move, but modern lifestyle has drastically cut down the amount of time we move around. We drive or take transportations to work, then sit in front of a computer the whole day. We get home in the evening exhausted, plop ourselves on the couch, and use TV or social media to wind down. This lack of physical activity is closely associated with persistent systematic low grade inflammation. A study conducted on 285 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics found that higher sedentary time is associated with higher value of inflammatory markers.
缺乏滋养性的睡眠
Lack of restorative sleep
你是否经常睡得⼜⾹⼜甜，早上精⼒充沛？这么多年你积攒了多少睡眠的债？你知道吗，⼀个晚上睡眠不好就会帮助引发体内炎症？2008年的⼀项研究发现，⼀晚上睡眠不⾜会导致NF-kB的升⾼。NF-kB是⼀种促发全身炎症的蛋⽩复合物。
How often do you have restorative sleep and feel fresh and energetic in the morning? How much sleep debt have you accumulated through the years? Do you know even one night of poor sleep can activate the pro-inflammation process? A 2008 study found that one night of insufficient sleep resulted in higher levels of NF-kB, a protein complex that acts as a signal to stimulate inflammation throughout the body.
压⼒
Stress
和炎症类似，压⼒也是我们⼈类⾃带的⼀种防范机制。短期的压⼒有时候会救命。但那种慢性的，⽆时不在的不安和压⼒却可以致命。致命的⽅式正是通过激活脑部和其它身体部位的炎症反应。
Just like inflammation, stress is a built-in human defense mechanism. Short-term stress can save our lives. It is the chronic, perpetual feeling of unease and pressure that kills us. The pathway it kills us is through activating inflammatory response in the brain and other parts of the body.
与⾃然的脱节
Disconnect from nature
我们住在⾼楼⾥，我们在摩天⼤楼⼯作，我们穿的⾐服是合成材料，我们每天摄入到体内⼤量的⼈造化学物质，我们⼤部分时间都在室内度过。这种与⾃然的脱节对我们的健康有什么深远的影响我们才刚刚开始理解。克林特·奥伯（Clint Ober）⼀⽣的⼤部分时间都在研究接地（⾁体与地⾯的接触）如何可以帮助减轻⼈体内的炎症，他这么说：
We live in high rise, we work in skyscrapers, we wear synthetics, we ingest tons of man-made chemicals, we spend most of our time indoors. We just start to understand how this disconnect from nature has a profound impact on human health. Clint Ober spent a big part of his life studying how grounding (physically connected to earth) helps reduce inflammation in our bodies. He said:
“与⼟地的接触可以让你没有炎症。野生动物没有炎症。野外不存在癌症。与主⼈共同⽣活在室内的动物的癌症死亡率与主⼈是相同的。”
“You cant have inflammation when youre grounded. The animals in the wild dont have inflammation. Cancer doesnt exist in the wild. Animals who live indoors with their owners have the same cancer death rate as their owners.”
克⾥斯蒂安·诺斯鲁普（Christiane Northrup）是⼀名医⽣，也是荷尔蒙方面的专家。她也建议⽤接地来减少身体的炎症：
Christian Northrup is a MD and an expert on hormonal balance. She also recommended grounding as a way to reduce cellular inflammation:
“⾚脚站在地上或者是海滩上或抱抱树⽊20分钟。这会让身体直接连接到地球的电磁场，可以将细胞炎症减少20％。”
“20 minutes standing barefoot on the ground or the beach or hugging a tree. That will ground you to the electromagnetic field of the Earth and it decreases cellular inflammation by 20%. That alone.”
所以尽量多到⼤⾃然⾥⾛⼀⾛。只要有机会，把脚直接放到地⾯上。
So try to get out in nature as much as possible and put your bare feet on the ground whenever you can.
在保健品⽅⾯，有两种保健品对于降低体内的炎症非常有效：欧⽶伽3和多酚。多酚是给予蔬菜⽔果不同颜⾊的一种植物成份。
In terms of supplementation, two supplements are very effective in reducing inflammation: omega 3 and polyphenols. Polyphenols are a compound found in plants, which gives fruits and vegetables their colors.
如果慢性炎症你感觉不到，那怎么知道你有没有炎症呢？最常⽤的⼀个指标是CRP（C反应蛋⽩）。但常规的年检并不包括这个。下次你需要抽⾎的时候，可以要求做⼀个CRP测试。理想的⽔平是不超过1mg/L. 超过10则意味着体内存在严重的炎症或者感染。
If chronic inflammation is below perception, how do we know if we have inflammation when we feel just fine? One of mostly used marker is called CRP (C-Reactive Protein). But this is not included in a regular check-up. Next time you do a blood draw, ask for CRP. Ideally, the level should be less than 1 mg/L. A level above 10 indicates serious infection or inflammation.
