We hear the word inflammation everywhere now. On social media, in wellness blogs, in casual conversation about food. Patients bring it up in clinic all the time, usually after reading something online. It’s a fair question, because the term gets used constantly and most people aren’t sure what it means.
At its simplest, inflammation is your body’s defence system. Cut your finger or catch a cold, and your immune system steps in to protect and repair. That kind of inflammation is normal, and you want it.
Things get complicated when the response doesn’t switch off. The immune system stays slightly activated in the background, and this is what we call chronic, low grade inflammation. You don’t always feel it clearly, but over time it shows up as fatigue, joint discomfort, or a sense that something isn’t quite right. Over years, it is also linked to heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune conditions.
The question I hear next is always the same. What can I actually do about it?
Start with food
You don’t need a perfect diet, but patterns matter. Processed food, sugar and packaged snacks push the body toward inflammation. Meals built around vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes and healthy fats bring it back. The Mediterranean diet has the strongest evidence, with multiple studies showing it lowers key inflammatory markers.
For many South Asian families, none of this is new. Lentils and legumes have anchored our dals for generations, and they are rich in fibre and resistant starch, which emerging research supports as food for a healthy gut microbiome.
Here is something newer. In a small Stanford trial, adding fermented foods raised gut microbial diversity and lowered a panel of inflammatory proteins in the blood. Our kitchens are already full of the answer. Dahi, lassi, idli and dosa batter, kanji, achar. Nothing new to buy, only something worth doing more often.
A word on turmeric. In food it is excellent and entirely safe, and the pinch of black pepper our grandmothers added may help the body absorb curcumin. Capsules are another matter. A small number of people taking concentrated turmeric supplements have developed liver injury. If you choose to take one, treat it like any other medication.
Movement matters more than intensity
When we feel tired or stiff, the instinct is to rest, but too much stillness makes things worse. Gentle, regular movement supports circulation and the immune system, and working muscle itself releases signals that calm inflammation elsewhere in the body.
Yoga deserves a specific mention. Studies show it improves joint mobility and eases pain and stiffness, particularly for people with joint conditions. A walk, light stretching, or ten quiet minutes at home all count. It doesn’t have to be impressive. It has to be consistent.
Sleep and stress belong together
When we are always rushing and mentally switched on, the body sits in a low level stress response that affects cortisol and unsettles the immune system.
Sleep is the part people underestimate most. Pooled data from more than fifty thousand people links disturbed sleep to higher inflammatory markers. One rough night is not the problem. A rough month is.
Meditation, pranayama and yoga have been tested in randomised controlled trials and consistently reduce stress and anxiety. These are not merely wellness trends. Stress cannot be eliminated, but slow breathing, a short meditation, or a few minutes outside genuinely count.
Two things to raise with your doctor
Vitamin D. In a trial of nearly 26,000 older adults, five years of daily vitamin D reduced new cases of autoimmune disease overall by 22 percent, though the benefit faded once people stopped taking it. South Asians living in northern climates are commonly deficient. Ask to have your level checked.
Your gums. Periodontal disease is more common in people with rheumatoid arthritis, and the bacteria involved appear to alter proteins in a way that creates the very targets the immune system attacks in that condition. Caring for your teeth is not separate from caring for your joints.
Managing inflammation is not about doing everything perfectly. It is about paying attention. If you have ongoing joint pain, swelling or fatigue that does not improve, get a proper evaluation. Not everything can, or should, be managed with lifestyle alone.
But the basics carry us a long way, and many of them already sit in our kitchens and our oldest practices. Your body is constantly working to maintain balance. Support it, even simply, and it tends to respond. Start with one change and build from there.
Arina Garg, MD, FRCPC, is a rheumatologist who spent seven years caring for patients in British Columbia before moving her practice to California’s Bay Area. She is double board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, and a former ACR Media Expert on Call for WebMD and US News & World Report. She co-chaired the Scientific Committee for CINI 2026, a conference on South Asian health, and writes on inflammatory arthritis, autoimmune disease, bone health, chronic pain and prevention.
