There are ways to determine whether you have chronic inflammation. One way is ongoing symptoms, even if they are subtle and not causing you much distress. I use allergies as an example, because many patients have either intermittent or constant year round mild nasal drainage, sinus congestion, itchy/red eyes, itchy skin, and/or sneezing. Patients will often take an over the counter antihistamine and say their allergies are "under control". However, all of these symptoms indicate that something in your body is stimulating your immune system in an abnormal way, I consider allergy symptoms the tip of the iceberg and it's up to us to find the underlying causes and remove them and help restore normal immune function. As I mentioned before, your healthy immune system is your best defense against getting cancer, so it is critical, in my opinion that this evaluation be done. There are a number of lab tests we can order to help us identify sources of inflammation, and as everyone's cause of inflammation varies, so will the type of testing ordered.

 

I highly encourage you to think about whether you might have some ongoing nagging symptoms that haven't resolved on their own, are becoming more frequent, and/or are worsening over time. You likely have underlying inflammation, and you should consider contacting our office for a visit to further discuss and investigate. Even if you are currently working with us, unless your symptoms have resolved and you're feeling great, we need to continue searching and supporting proper balance and optimal bodily function. We look forward to seeing you soon to help you removed unwanted inflammation.