The Fire Within
...on the topic of inflammation
You know that feeling when you twist your ankle and it swells up, hot and angry? That’s inflammation doing exactly what it’s supposed to do - rushing to the rescue, bringing immune cells and healing factors to repair damaged tissue. It’s brilliant, really. The problem is, for millions of people, that fire never gets put out. It just keeps burning, quietly, invisibly, everywhere.
This is chronic inflammation, and it’s behind an astonishing number of the health issues we face today: autoimmune conditions, stubborn weight gain, brain fog, joint pain, fatigue, skin flare-ups, increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. The list goes on.
But here’s what’s both sobering and empowering: chronic inflammation doesn’t just happen to us. It’s often the result of how we’re living - specifically, how we’re managing our blood sugar and treating two organs that don’t get nearly enough attention: our gut and our liver.
The Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
I will talk about blood sugar until my last breath, because it’s vital to health and longevity; because every time you eat foods that spike your blood sugar - refined carbs, sugary drinks, pastries, even “healthy” smoothies loaded with fruit - your body pumps out insulin to manage it. Do this repeatedly, and your cells start becoming resistant to insulin’s signals. Your pancreas works harder, blood sugar stays elevated longer, and this creates metabolic chaos.
Here’s the kicker: high blood sugar and high insulin are both pro-inflammatory. They trigger inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, cause oxidative stress, and damage blood vessel linings. Poor blood sugar control is linked to inflammation throughout the body, contributing to everything from acne and PCOS to heart disease and Alzheimer’s (affectionately dubbed Type 3 Diabetes). When your blood sugar is on a rollercoaster, your inflammation follows the same wild ride.
Your Gut: The Inflammation Command Center
Your digestive tract is home to trillions of bacteria that help regulate your immune system, produce anti-inflammatory compounds, and keep your gut lining strong. When this ecosystem is balanced, it’s protective. When it’s not - from antibiotics, stress, processed foods, or lack of dietary diversity - the wrong bugs start winning.
Your gut lining can become permeable, allowing partially digested food particles, toxins, and bacteria to slip into your bloodstream. Your immune system sees these as invaders and mounts an inflammatory response. Because the leak keeps happening, the inflammation becomes chronic. Your immune system stays on high alert, and that inflammation doesn’t stay in your gut - it goes systemic. This is why gut problems so often come with skin issues, joint pain, fatigue, and mood disorders.
Your Liver: The Overworked Bouncer
Your liver filters your blood, processes nutrients, produces bile, stores glucose, and detoxifies the endless stream of chemicals, medications, alcohol, and metabolic waste your body encounters. When it becomes overwhelmed - from too much alcohol, too much sugar (especially fructose), excess body fat, or environmental toxins - it becomes inflamed and starts accumulating fat.
A struggling liver can’t efficiently clear toxins, so they recirculate, causing more inflammation. It can’t properly regulate cholesterol or metabolize hormones effectively. And because your liver is intimately connected to your gut through the portal vein, problems in one organ almost always affect the other.
Here’s the vicious cycle: poor blood sugar control contributes to fatty liver. An inflamed gut sends inflammatory signals and toxins to the liver. An overburdened liver can’t properly support gut health or blood sugar regulation. They’re all connected, and inflammation is the common thread running through all of it.
The Domino Effect
Once chronic inflammation takes hold, it spreads. It interferes with your mitochondria (your cells’ energy factories), which is why you feel exhausted. It disrupts neurotransmitter production, affecting mood and mental clarity. It damages blood vessel walls, setting the stage for cardiovascular disease. It can trigger autoimmune responses where your immune system attacks your own tissues.
The conditions linked to chronic inflammation read like a who’s who of modern health problems: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, depression, autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Hashimoto’s, Crohn’s), asthma, eczema, psoriasis, endometriosis, PCOS, and more.
The Good News
Because chronic inflammation is often rooted in lifestyle factors, we have more power than we might think to turn down the heat.
Stabilizing blood sugar isn’t about deprivation; it’s about being strategic with meals, pairing carbs with protein and fat, and choosing whole foods over processed ones.
Supporting your gut means nourishing your microbiome with fiber-rich foods, fermented foods, and diversity. It means being thoughtful about antibiotic use and managing stress, which directly impacts gut health.
Taking care of your liver involves reducing toxic load where you can, moderating alcohol, managing weight, eating foods that support liver function (cruciferous vegetables, berries, healthy fats), and avoiding constant sugar bombardment.
None of these systems exist in isolation. When you support one, you support them all. When you reduce inflammation in one area, you reduce it everywhere. Your body is brilliant at healing when you give it what it needs and remove what’s causing harm.
Want to go deeper?
The inflammation workshop where I’ll break down exactly how to identify your inflammation triggers, create a practical action plan for supporting your blood sugar, gut, and liver health, and start turning down that inflammatory fire for good.
Because understanding inflammation is one thing. Knowing what to do about it - in your specific body, with your specific challenges - is where real transformation happens.
