Reducing Inflammation Through Recovery-Based Interventions

Introduction

Inflammation is a fundamental biological process. It is the body’s first line of defence against injury, infection and physiological stress. In its acute form, inflammation supports healing and adaptation. However, when inflammatory pathways remain chronically activated, they contribute to fatigue, pain, metabolic dysfunction and long-term disease risk. Modern research increasingly shows that the problem is not inflammation itself, but the body’s reduced ability to resolve it efficiently.

Recovery-based interventions focus precisely on this resolution phase. Rather than suppressing inflammation, they support the body’s regulatory systems — nervous, hormonal and immune — allowing inflammation to complete its natural cycle and return to baseline.

The Biology of Inflammation and Stress

At a cellular level, inflammation is coordinated by immune signalling molecules such as cytokines and acute-phase proteins. Robert Sapolsky’s work on stress physiology shows how chronic psychological stress amplifies inflammatory signalling by maintaining elevated cortisol and sympathetic nervous system activation over time (Sapolsky, 2004). When stress becomes persistent, inflammatory responses that should be temporary remain active.

Bruce McEwen expanded this understanding through the concept of allostatic load, describing how repeated stress exposure gradually wears down regulatory systems and promotes chronic inflammation (McEwen & Wingfield, 2010). In this state, the body becomes less efficient at switching from defence to repair.

The Nervous System as an Inflammatory Regulator

One of the most significant advances in inflammation research came from Kevin Tracey’s discovery of the inflammatory reflex. Tracey demonstrated that the nervous system — particularly the vagus nerve — plays an active role in regulating immune responses, effectively turning inflammation up or down depending on internal signals (Tracey, 2002).

This neuro-immune connection explains why recovery practices that regulate the nervous system can have anti-inflammatory effects. When parasympathetic activity increases, inflammatory cytokine production decreases, supporting resolution rather than prolonged immune activation.

Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory further supports this link, showing how states of safety and parasympathetic dominance facilitate physiological regulation across systems, including immune function (Porges, 2011).

Heat, Cold and Inflammatory Modulation

Environmental stressors such as heat and cold influence inflammation through hormetic mechanisms. Research by Kregel and colleagues shows that heat exposure activates heat-shock proteins, which protect cells, reduce oxidative stress and support tissue repair (Kregel, 2002). Long-term observational studies by Jari Laukkanen and collaborators also link regular sauna use to lower systemic inflammation and reduced cardiovascular risk (Laukkanen et al., 2018).

Cold exposure, when applied strategically, produces a different but complementary effect. Studies by Tipton and colleagues demonstrate that cold immersion triggers acute sympathetic activation followed by a parasympathetic rebound, influencing inflammatory signalling and stress resilience (Tipton et al., 2017). While excessive cold may blunt certain training adaptations, controlled exposure within a recovery context can support perceived recovery and nervous system regulation.

Breathwork, Stress Reduction and Inflammation

Inflammation is deeply intertwined with stress. Chronic sympathetic activation sustains inflammatory signalling, whereas parasympathetic activation supports immune regulation. Research by Jerath et al. (2015) and Zaccaro et al. (2018) shows that slow, controlled breathing enhances vagal tone and reduces stress-related physiological load.

By increasing parasympathetic activity, breathwork indirectly supports inflammatory resolution. This aligns with Tracey’s inflammatory reflex model, in which vagal activation dampens excessive immune responses. In this way, breathwork functions as a bridge between psychological stress reduction and biological inflammation control.