By Dr. Aylah Clark

Inflammation comes up a lot in my
practice. It promotes many chronic diseases and correlates with worsening signs
and symptoms of many conditions, whether it be autoimmune disease, arthritis,
cardiovascular disease, or others. Inflammation is also intrinsically tied to
obesity.  How are inflammation and body weight related and what can
we do about it?

What
is inflammation?

Inflammation is your body’s attempt
to protect itself. It involves complex biological processes that are activated
by things like foreign invaders (bacteria and viruses for example) or
damaged cells (injury). We need inflammation to protect ourselves from these
harmful events and to initiate [...]

Have you experienced weight gain, particularly in your legs
or arms, and had significant difficulty losing it? It could be a condition
called lipedema.

Lipedema is a common condition that almost exclusively
affects women. It involves accumulation of fat (adipose) tissue in the legs and
sometimes arms. The affected area can often be painful to the touch, have a nodular
texture, and easy bruising. Though many people have not heard of the condition,
some estimate that as many as 11% of women may be affected.

The weight typically comes on after a hormonal change, such
as puberty, pregnancy, or menopause. [...]