The Fires Within

“What does a stubbed toe or a splinter in a finger have to do with your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, suffering a heart attack or succumbing to colon cancer? More than you might think. As scientists delve deeper into the fundamental causes of those and other illnesses, they are starting to see links to an age-old immunological defense mechanism called inflammation–the same biological process that turns the tissue around a splinter red and causes swelling in an injured toe. If they are right–and the evidence is starting to look pretty good–it could radically change doctors’ concept of what makes us sick. It could also prove a bonanza to pharmaceutical companies looking for new ways to keep us well.”

By CHRISTINE GORMAN; ALICE PARK; KRISTINA DELL

Read the full article at Time.com