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Common Symptom Guide

Joint Pain, Fatigue, Slow Healing? Chronic Inflammation Might Be the Common Thread.

Real lab testing for inflammatory markers, and a plan built around what's actually driving them.

Reviewed by Dr. Justin Abbott, D.O. — ABFM Board-Certified Physician
★★★★★5.0 from 46 Google reviews
ABFM Board Certified Evidence-Based Care Personalized Treatment Plans
The Common Thread

Inflammation Underlies More Than People Realize

Acute inflammation is a normal, healthy immune response. Chronic, low-grade inflammation is different — it can persist for months or years, often without obvious symptoms at first, and is a well-established driver of heart disease, insulin resistance, autoimmune conditions, and chronic pain.

Unlike some functional medicine concepts, chronic inflammation is measurable with standard bloodwork — markers like CRP, ESR, and others give a real, evidence-based picture of what's happening in your body.

We test for it directly, then look for what's driving it: diet, gut health, chronic stress, undiagnosed autoimmune activity, or metabolic dysfunction — and build a plan around the actual cause.

Chronic Inflammation Can Contribute To

Joint pain or stiffness
Persistent fatigue
Slow wound healing
Unexplained weight gain
Digestive symptoms
Skin issues like acne or eczema
How We Approach It

Measure It, Then Find the Driver

We run inflammatory markers as standard bloodwork, not a guess. Once we know your inflammation is elevated, we look for the actual cause — diet, gut health, insulin resistance, autoimmune activity, or chronic stress — and build treatment around that, not just the number.

Physician Insight

"Inflammation is one of the few things in functional medicine we can measure with total confidence. The real work is connecting an elevated marker to its actual cause, instead of just treating the number."

Related Conditions

Often connected to chronic inflammation: joint pain, autoimmune disease, insulin resistance, and gut health. Browse all conditions we treat →

What Patients Say
Common Questions

Chronic Inflammation FAQs

What patients ask most before their first appointment.

We use standard bloodwork, including markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), alongside your symptom history and other relevant labs to build a complete picture.
Common contributors include a diet high in processed foods, chronic stress, poor sleep, gut dysfunction, undiagnosed autoimmune activity, excess body fat, and insulin resistance. Often more than one factor is involved.
Yes, in most cases. Addressing the underlying driver — diet, gut health, stress, or a related condition — typically brings inflammatory markers down over time. Follow-up labs let us confirm the plan is actually working, not just guess.
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Find Out What's Driving Your Inflammation.

Real markers, a real cause, and a plan built around both.