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Inflammation plays a key role in a set of disorders that include type II diabetes, obesity, and heart disease—collectively called the metabolic syndrome. Dr. Steve Shoelson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School has focused squarely on inflammation. Epidemiologists have found that patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease have slightly elevated levels of inflammatory markers in their bloodstream, raising the possibility that inflammation might be associated with the development of these diseases, and proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 promote insulin resistance in experimental models.1

Inflammation itself has been well studied by immunologists: after an infection, a host of different types of immune cells are deployed to the infection site to control the infection. But Dr. Shoelson says that the situation is different in patients with metabolic diseases: the same markers of an immune response are present, but they persist chronically at a low levels instead of following the dramatic rise and fall in an infection.

Several years ago, Shoelson’s team was studying mechanisms underlying insulin resistance—the failure of the body to respond to its own insulin, a condition that raises blood sugar and can lead to diabetes. They found reports from more than a century ago that high doses of anti-inflammatory medications called salicylates lowered the blood sugar levels of patients with diabetes.

Medicine does not recognize how subtle, constant and easily triggered inflammatory processes can be. “Eating induces an inflammatory state in everyone. Normally, inflammation occurs for three or four hours after eating but will then taper off. Though people can't avoid eating, Dr. Dandona says they can avoid what and how much they eat. He says, "If people eat McDonald's-type meals every three or four hours, and many do, they spend most of their time in a pro-inflammatory state."

“Inflammation in blood vessels is one of the main drivers of atherosclerosis, and diabetes makes it much worse,” said Dr. Jun-ichi Abe of the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Abe said that in people without diabetes, fast blood flow triggers anti-inflammatory enzymes, endothelial nitric oxide synthase and other factors, which block the ability of pro-inflammatory immune cells to home in on and adhere to diseased portions of blood vessels.2

A study, also published in March of 2008, was done at New York University, has found that pregnant women with periodontal (gum) disease have an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus than pregnant women with healthy gums.3 Again we see inflammation in diabetes with the inflammation of the gums spreading to the rest of the body through the blood vessels.

Inflammation is the activation of the immune system in response to infection, irritation, or injury. Characterized by an influx of white blood cells, redness, heat, swelling, pain, and dysfunction of the organs involved, inflammation has different names when it appears in different parts of the body. Most allergy and asthma sufferers are familiar with rhinitis (inflammation of the nose), sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), and asthma (inflammation of the airways), but inflammation is also behind arthritis (inflammation of the joints), dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), and so on.

The primary objective of acute inflammation is to localize and eradicate the irritant and repair the surrounding tissue but this completely changes in chronic low-grade inflammatory states. Chronic low-grade inflammation is one of the characteristics of the metabolic syndrome and interferes with insulin physiology. Ignorance has prevailed over the interrelationship between muscular lipid accumulation, chronic inflammation and insulin resistance because the central mediating factor is magnesium. It is magnesium that modulates cellular events involved in inflammation.

There are many factors that trigger inflammation. They are found in both our internal and external environments and include excessive levels of the hormone insulin (insulin resistance), emotional stress, environmental toxins (heavy metals), free-radical damage, viral, bacterial, fungal other pathogenic infections, obesity, over consumption of hydrogenated oils, periodontal disease, radiation exposure, smoking, spirochetes such as the Borrelia that causes Lyme disease, and certain pharmacological drugs. Problems with insulin metabolism are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. It results in the inability to properly store magnesium, causing blood vessels to constrict, elevated blood pressure, and coronary arterial spasm, all of which can result in a heart attack.

Inflammatory reactions in the body are a valuable predictor of impending heart attack. Dr. Robert Genko, editor of the American Academy of Periodontal Journal, claims that persons with gingival disease (which is an inflammatory disorder) are 27 times more likely to suffer a heart attack than are persons with healthy gums. An American Heart Association paper disclosed that 85% of heart attack victims had gum disease compared to 29% of healthy similar patients.

Magnesium deficiency causes and underpins chronic inflammatory build ups. This concept is intriguing because it suggests a fundamentally simpler way of warding off disease. Instead of different treatments for heart disease, Alzheimer's and colon cancer, we apply a single, inflammation-reducing remedy that would prevent or treat these and other deadly diseases. The key words here are ‘prevent’ or ‘treat’ but please notice the word is not cure. Though magnesium is a cure for many of our ailments full treatment protocols are recommended with magnesium chloride as the top protocol item. It is a protocol of basic items like magnesium, iodine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, sodium bicarbonate, sodium thiosulfate, whole food vitamin C, natural vitamin D from the sun, spirulina and some other important items like purified water that will make a difference in a host of chronic diseases.

Inflammation and systemic stress are central attributes of many pathological conditions. In magnesium we have found a potent medicinal that is effective across a wide range of pathologies. Pharmaceutical companies need look no further then the sea shore, which contains millions of tons of magnesium chloride the perfect anti-inflammatory agent.

Mark Sircus Ac., OMD, Director International Medical Veritas Association  http://www.winningcancer.com/
Professor Sircus (honorary doctor of Oriental medicine) is the Director of Natural Allopathic and Oriental Medical studies at the DaVinci College of Holistic Medicine, which is accredited by the Complementary Medicine Association in the United Kingdom and a member of the International Association for Distance Learning.
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1 http://network.nature.com/hubs/boston/blog/2008/04/02/zeroing-in-on-inflammation-in-diabetes
2 The study is published in the March 14, 2008 edition of the journal Circulation Research. (ANI)
3 http://www.topnews.in/health/periodontal-disease-causes-gestational-diabetes-pregnant-women-study-21596
4 http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/01/13/5617.html
5 Am J Physiol. 1992;263:R734-7
Legal Notice:The Author specifically invokes the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and of the press without prejudice. The information written is published for informational purposes only under the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution for the United States of America, and should not in any way be used as a substitute for the advice of a physician or other licensed health care practitioner. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the FDA. The products discussed herein are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease. Images, text and logic are copyright protected. ALL rights are explicitly reserved without prejudice, and no part of this essay may be reproduced except by written consent. ©2008 by Mark Sircus