Discover what happens in your body when you have inflammtion-and how it can lead to serious health problems. Learn how to avoid them with these essential tips to stay healthy.

Your body may be trying to tell you that something is awry—but you have to know how to listen. Inflammation is a natural biological process. It’s our body’s way of telling the brain that it needs help dealing with a problem, like an injured joint or an infection, activating pathways that signal pain or putting immune cells on alert. Eventually, things are restored to a normal state, and that inflammation dies down. But if your body fails to hit the brakes and the immune response continues, chronic inflammation can occur—and with it, an increased risk of ailments ranging from diabetes and cardiovascular disease to arthritis, Alzheimer’s and even certain cancers.

Luckily, much of your response to runaway inflammation is within your control. From eating healthy foods (think: Mediterranean or plant-based diets) to regular physical activity and getting a good night’s sleep, you can work to reduce inflammation so you can look and feel your best. The Complete Guide to Anti-Inflammation will lead you along the way, providing warning signs of inflammation and other tests you can do to suss out trouble, as well as advice on what else may negatively affect your immune system. You’ll get delicious ideas on how to eat right with smart food choices, recipes and supplements that can tamper inflammation. And you’ll find plenty of can-do everyday strategies to help boost your wellbeing and harness your body’s own innate healing powers. It’s time to get inflammation back under control and start living healthier.