By Dr. Brandon Johnson, DC, CCSP® — Co-Founder of Voli
Inflammation is a term thrown around often, but it’s rarely explained in a truly practical way. You might hear claims like “inflammation causes all diseases” or suggestions such as “just take turmeric and you’re fine.”
As a chiropractor and sports nutrition specialist, I’ve worked with patients and athletes dealing with everything from sore joints to autoimmune flares. I can tell you this: inflammation is complex, but understanding it can transform how you care for your body.
Let’s explore what inflammation is, why it occurs, how it can help or harm you, and the real-world steps you can take to manage it.
What Is Inflammation, Really?
Inflammation is your body’s natural defense mechanism. When you’re injured, sick, or under stress, your immune system activates and releases chemicals to protect and begin the repair process. This results in swelling, redness, heat, or pain, which are all common signs of acute inflammation.
In short, inflammation is your body doing its job.
Problems arise when this response doesn’t shut off. Factors like poor diet, chronic stress, and lack of sleep can keep your body in a constant state of alert. That’s when inflammation becomes chronic, and that’s when it starts doing more harm than good.
What Causes Chronic Inflammation?
Chronic inflammation is often invisible. It doesn’t show up like a sprained ankle or swollen knee. It lingers beneath the surface, sometimes for years.
Common contributors include highly processed foods (especially those rich in refined sugars and seed oils), constant psychological stress, inadequate sleep, exposure to environmental toxins, and a lack of physical activity. Even overtraining without proper recovery can keep your body in a state of low-grade inflammation.
When your immune system never gets a break, it starts damaging healthy tissue. This drains your energy, delays healing, and increases your long-term risk for serious health issues.
The Role of Free Radicals
Free radicals are unstable molecules your body produces during stress, intense exercise, metabolic activity, or exposure to pollutants. While they serve important roles in small amounts, an excess leads to oxidative stress. This stress can damage cells, proteins, and DNA.
This oxidative stress becomes a major driver of inflammation. Think of it as pouring fuel on a fire.
Your body’s natural counterbalance is antioxidants, which neutralize these free radicals and help prevent further damage. Maintaining a healthy antioxidant balance is essential for reducing inflammation and accelerating recovery.
Why Is Inflammation a Problem?
When inflammation becomes chronic, it shifts from being a symptom to becoming a root cause of many health issues. It has been linked to joint degeneration, muscle loss, poor workout recovery, digestive disorders like leaky gut, hormonal imbalances, and even mood changes such as brain fog and anxiety.
In more severe cases, chronic inflammation can increase your risk for heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
For athletes, it leads to slower recovery, increased injury risk, and reduced performance. For everyday individuals, it may feel like constant fatigue, bloating, stiffness, or just not feeling like yourself.
Why Voli Recovery Was Built to Support Healthy Inflammation
With these challenges in mind, we developed Voli Recovery as an effective daily solution to fight inflammation from multiple angles.
Each ingredient was chosen for its ability to support your body’s natural healing processes:
Curcumin (from turmeric)
A potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that inhibits inflammatory makers, which are key drivers of inflammation.
Glutathione
Known as the body's master antioxidant, it helps detoxify cells and neutralize inflammation-causing oxidative stress.
Resveratrol
A plant-based polyphenol that reduces inflammation, protects blood vessels, and supports metabolic health.
Tart Cherry Extract
Clinically shown to reduce muscle soreness and lower markers of inflammation after exercise.
Beet Root Powder
Rich in natural nitrates that enhance circulation and support cellular recovery by reducing oxidative stress.
Ginger Root Extract
Helps reduce joint soreness and combats inflammation at a systemic level.
Final Thoughts
Inflammation isn’t inherently bad, it’s your body’s alarm system. But when that alarm never turns off, it becomes a background threat to your health and performance.
The good news? You can take control. Understanding what causes inflammation and applying daily strategies to reduce it makes a big difference — whether you're recovering from intense workouts or managing the daily demands of life.
Dr. Brandon Johnson, DC, CCSP®
Chiropractor | Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician | Co-Founder of Voli
Dr. Johnson brings advanced expertise in sports nutrition, biochemical health, and functional supplementation. He is committed to helping individuals optimize their health through natural, evidence-based strategies.
References
Biswas, S. K. (2016). Does the interdependence between oxidative stress and inflammation explain the antioxidant paradox? Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2016, Article 5698931.
Calder, P. C. (2017). Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: From molecules to man. Biochemical Society Transactions, 45(5), 1105–1115.
Furman, D., Campisi, J., Verdin, E., Carrera-Bastos, P., Targ, S., Franceschi, C., Ferrucci, L., & Slavich, G. M. (2019). Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span. Nature Medicine, 25(12), 1822–1832.
Khansari, N., Shakiba, Y., & Mahmoudi, M. (2009). Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress as a major cause of age-related diseases and cancer. Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery, 3(1), 73–80.
Panossian, A., & Wikman, G. (2010). Effects of adaptogens on the central nervous system and their stress-protective activity. Pharmaceuticals, 3(1), 188–224.
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