For centuries, scientists and physicians have been searching for ways to measure and predict health and illness. While Galileo developed a thermoscope in the 16th century, it wasn’t until 1868 that Carl Wunderlich invented the clinical thermometer, which allowed accu-rate temperatures to be read. The stethoscope began widespread use about the same time thanks to French doctor René Laennec. And in the early 1900s, accurate blood pres-sure measurement became easier and more widespread thanks to the efforts of Harvey Williams Cushing and Nikolai Korotkov.

Over the last 130 years, these tools have become essential in measuring and monitoring key health indicators. Today, the four key measurements gathered from them are known as “vital signs” or simply “vitals” and consist of pulse rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and respiratory rate. They are the first essential measurements that medical professionals take to help assess the general physical health of a patient, give clues to possible dis-eases, and show progress toward recovery.

Advances in technology have not only made these measurements easier and faster to take, they have also added new measurements to provide additional health clues. Many physicians and medical centers now recognize blood glucose levels as a fifth vital sign, and blood cholesterol and blood lipid levels are now an essential part of standard health screenings.

As technology continues to evolve, two additional measurements are quickly being recognized as major markers of wellness and predictors of disease—free radicals and inflammation. If your health-care provider isn’t talking to you about these two measurements yet, it won’t be long before they will.

Redefining vital signs

While pulse rate, blood pressure, temperature,  and respiratory rate are the simplest measurements to quickly determine health,  they are not always the most important when  it comes to predicting future wellness.

Medical research  now understands  that recognizing  and controlling  free radicals and inflammation are  more critical to maintaining  long-term health  than just about  any other marker.

In theory, if you could reduce free radicals and inflammation, you could not only extend life,  you could increase the quality of that life— giving you the vitality to enjoy those extra  years and make the most of them.

Understanding inflammation

Inflammation is a term that refers to the body’s complex response to any  outside threats, like germs and bacteria. When those invaders are detected, the body produces a wide variety of chemicals and specialized cells to  protect the body. Heat, pain, redness, or swelling are the most common  indicators that the immune system is being called into action. Anytime you have inflammation, you have free radicals. The two are inseparable.

When the system works properly, inflammation subsides as soon as  the damaged tissue and threatening pathogens are destroyed. But thanks  in part to imbalances in our modern diet, the process can continue long after it is needed—a condition known as chronic inflammation.

Like a dangerous runaway train

With chronic inflammation, the body’s defenses don’t stop with just destroying bacteria, they continue their attack—damaging healthy cells and tissue as well. When healthy tissue is damaged, the body sees it as  an additional threat and increases the inflammatory response to stop  the problem. This inflammation creates more free radicals, which do  more damage and signal more inflammation. Once begun, this process becomes like a dangerous runaway train, one that experts are recognizing as the engine that drives many of the most feared illnesses of our time.  And unlike traditional vital signs, chronic inflammation is often  invisible and undetectable—you can’t see or feel it happening.

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